[May be some mild spoilers]

On Monday I finally went with a friend to see New Moon. I wanted to go after the screaming hordes of teenage girls had been, so we waited a couple weeks after it was released. By the time we went, the cinema was mostly empty and, apart from some giggling and whispering during the previews, we were able to watch in peace.

I’ve heard mixed reviews of New Moon. It seems that some people love it, some people hate it and, after watching it myself, I can see both sides. The movie was good in that, for the most part, it followed the book closely, which made Twihards happy. However, that was also what made the critics disappointed – the book is moody and emotional and depressing with not a lot of action. So the movie followed the book, which meant the movie was moody and emotional and depressing with not a lot of action. I found myself watching the few action sequences hoping for more and actually felt disappointed when it was over. I wasn’t surprised that the directer went all out in the small action sequences, trying to make the most of the opportunity.

The book very much sets up for the next book and this movie seems to do this too. I feel like I didn’t have to see this movie at all, that it’s not really a movie on it’s own, it’s a movie you watch before watching the next one straight afterwards. Having said that, there were some pretty cool moments, such as Jacob morphing into a wolf as he jumped over Bella (as seen in the previews) and we were given a sneak peek at Bella as a vampire.

Acting-wise, I found the main characters, particularly Bella and Edward, mostly monotone and boring. Kristen Stewart was less annoying this time round – only occassionaly she’d do her squinty-eye-thing or head twitch that I hated so much in the first movie. She was more confident and seemed to be more comfortable in the role this time around. Edward was sooo disappointing – his makeup made him look absolutely ridiculous and he looked like he was either constipated or about to cry the whole time. Whenever he was in a scene, I basically viewed him as the creepy cousin everyone ignores at the Christmas party, while Jacob was the one everyone wanted to end up under the mistletoe with.

I was skeptical about Jane (I pictured Jane with a less severe hair-do) but Dakota Fanning was really good, especially while she was using her powers – very calm and evil. I thought they could have made a little more out of Bella not being affected, since it’s sort of a big thing in the final book. The Volturi were really good and creepy at the same time. I think Michael Sheen as Aro really captured the character perfectly – seemingly polite and calm, yet thirsting for power on the inside. His disappointment in having to kill Bella was really well done – you could see it pained him to have to consider it, because he was so intrigued by her apparent “power” to shield.

The special effects were pretty fake, especially the cliff-jumping scenes. I can’t believe it wasn’t possible to film someone actually hitting the water and use special effects for the falling bit? Really disappointing. The wolves were okay I guess, but I think I was just expecting something… more. The dark wolf shape sitting in the forest was soooo bad I actually laughed out loud. It just looked so ridiculous, not scary or menacing at all. Speaking of wolves, I was a little disappointed in Emily Young’s face. I always pictured it as really savaged, but that might just be my over-active imagination.

All in all, the movie itself was okay – it was pretty much the book on screen, and the book isn’t exactly action-packed. I’m looking forward to the next one and seeing more of the Cullen family.

Have you seen the movie? What did you think?

So I’m jumping on the Twilight bandwagon, albeit a little later than most people since I was very slow in actually picking up the books to give them a read. I’m currently reading Breaking Dawn (the last book) and let’s just say my opinions on the series – and the Twilight movie – keep changing. Just a heads up – there will be spoilers (movie and all books) in this post, so here is a Twilight image to distract those of you who wish to remain spoiler-free for long enough to click away, especially those reading via a feed reader, since I publish full feeds, which renders the “jump” ineffective (I think).

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Last week some work collegues were gushing over the Twilight series, claiming it was the best thing they’d ever read. I was skeptical to say the least. I’d managed to avoid the whole Twilight fuss since I was concentrating on re-reading the entire Harry Potter series instead. However, while I was shopping a few days ago, I stumbled across the Twilight book on sale, so I picked it up and flicked it open to the first chapter. I always read the first paragraph of a book before I buy it – consider it odd, but if I’m hooked within that paragraph, then I’ll get it.

Anyway, I was standing there having a bit of a read when I noticed someone was hovering around me; an employee. I figured she was going to scold me for “trying before buying”, but when I looked at her, she just gushed, “It’s such a good book. It’s amazing. Oh my God, Edward. He’s so hot. Vampires.”

Uh, what do you say to that? I smiled and backed away a little. “Uh, yeah, I haven’t read it, but I’ve heard it’s good.”

She literally gasped. “Oh, you have to read it! It’s amazing! And it’s on sale! Edward! He’s so hot!”

I nodded, popped the book in my basket and got the hell outta there. I ended up in the pet section. Not sure how I got there, but I scooped up some Temptations and headed to the check-outs (carefully avoiding the book section and crazy Edward-obsessed employee). When I got home, I started to read. I must say, I was pleasantly surprised. It’s no Harry Potter, but there is something about it that sucks you in. I’m now onto the third book and I think I’m a Twilight fan. There’s just something about Bella and Edward that’s so appealing … yet also frustrating.

Have you read the Twilight series – what did you think?

Oh, and what about the movie? Love it or hate it?