New Moon:The early reviews

Digital Spy, Screen Daily and InTheNews.UK has posted their reviews for New Moon. The movie reviews for New Moon are expected to be released today:

Digital Spy:

While all this is going on, we’re to assume that Edward is busy writhing in angst over his decision to leave Bella behind. Pattinson does at least get to do a bit of pouting on-camera when he finally remerges in the last act. Michael Sheen also pops up, quite Christopher Lee-like, as the camp vampire overlord who muses on the fate of the star-crossed lovers. But this denouement feels crudely tacked on. As before, the chemistry between Pattinson and Stewart helps to cover some of the cracks, but with the little amount of time they’re onscreen together, it’s like trying to patch up a flesh wound with Elastoplast. It also underlines the lack of a genuine rapport between Stewart and Lautner which bleeds the middle section of the film dry.

Stewart deserves credit for carrying the film on her shoulders and, once again, bringing plenty of soul to a character who might otherwise come across as self-indulgent. Lovelorn teenage girls will relate to scenes of her alone in her bedroom, glumly watching the seasons change to a soft-rock soundtrack. Director Chris Weitz (The Golden Compass) offers a few other evocative moments, like an underwater encounter between Bella and Edward which looks like it could’ve been inspired by an old Calvin Klein perfume ad. But the effect of that dreary dreamscape is always rudely broken by crass sexual overtones; Lautner and his pack mates run around the woods bare-chested in cut-off jeans, howling, like refugees from a ’90s boy band. Perhaps the noise is meant to distract us from what’s really going on. Which is nothing much really. 130 minutes of it too… A draining experience, but not in a good way.

InTheNews.UK

The work of new director Chris Weitz shows, with the CGI and special effects vital to the supernatural tale, and far more important to this most recent offering. With Lautner playing a far bigger role in New Moon, along with his ‘pack’, the effects are a necessity, and bring something more than just a teen love story.

While the first film was relatively understated, given that no one quite expected it to be so globally successful, watch out in New Moon for celebs who have jumped on the saga bandwagon and landed themselves small roles; including ‘all growed up’ Dakota Fanning and Michael Sheen, as wonderfully ferocious vampires.

New to the whole Twilight phenomenon, I had few expectations about the film. But I’m afraid to say I’m now hooked too, and it’s not just the amount of male top-removing in New Moon that’s sold it to me. Success for the first film was a shock, success for this one is nigh-on certain, and I’ve little doubt that it will please; it lives up to the hype, and if you can blag yourself a precious/sold-out seat at the cinema to see it, then do… you won’t be disappointed.

Screen Daily:

Chris Weitz (The Golden Compass) directs New Moon with a grander vision than Catherine Hardwicke, even employing expert DoP Javier Aguirresarobe to light it sumptuously and Alexandre Desplat to write a sweeping dramatic score. But Weitz falls down in capturing the authenticity of the teen behaviour and the personal interactions at the film’s heart, an area at which Hardwicke was expert. The actors appear at sea on more than one occasion, and some of Melissa Rosenberg’s risible dialogue doesn’t help them.

The film reaches even higher levels of camp in the Italian scenes as a long-maned Michael Sheen and a vamped-up Dakota Fanning enter the picture as evil Volturi vampires. It’s hard to imagine that adults won’t suppress a snigger or two in the final showdown, while their 12 year-old daughters sit beside them enthralled.

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