An adaptation of the second installment in Stephanie Meyer's Twilight saga, New Moon is definitely an improvement over the first film. In fact, it's an improvement over the book as well. Why? A couple reasons, including the fact that the plot contrivances are far less obvious in the movies.
The basic idea is that Bella Swan (Kristen Stewart) and Edward Cullen (Robert Pattinson) are In Love except that Edward is torn between loving Bella and wanting to suck her blood, seeing that he's a vampire and all. Too bad in the first movie Edward had as much character as a piece of cardboard, especially in the scenes when he isn't staring at Bella completely freaked out.
New Moon itself is a faithful adaptation of the novel, so most of its plot and character problems come from the books themselves. The movie is a solid piece of entertainment, blending tortured romance with slice-of-life with action and supernatural elements--throw in some dark and deadpan humor and you've got it made. The soundtrack is good, the direction is excellent (except for the plethora of close-up face shots which made me feel like the characters were breathing on me), and the art direction is luscious. Watching all those wonderfully dark, beautiful characters on screen is a treat. But the strength of New Moon versus Twilight comes in the absence of one of Twilight's leads and the insertion of secondary character Jacob (Taylor Lautner) as the third side of the love triangle.
What Twilight failed to realize is that (especially aimed at a female audience) lack of dialogue between the two mains leads CANNOT be made up with by pans of Edward and Bella lying in fields, holding hands, and climbing trees. There is no replacement for good dialogue, and it was missing in Twilight. As a result, Edward became inaccessible to the viewer. Not so the case with Jacob. New Moon's script is ten times better than Twilight's and allows for light-hearted and more serious banter between Jacob and Bella; Jacob is a lovable hunk of muscle and a stark contrast to Edward. So in terms of character development New Moon is vastly more satisfying than the first installment of the series.
The only notable disappointment between first and second movie is the lack of screen time for the Cullen clan, a cast of characters who are almost as fun to watch as Edward is dull. And there were a couple poor directing decisions, such as the ridiculous scene where Jacob fumbles around with a motor bike instead of rushing to wounded Bella, and then takes off his shirt to wipe her small head wound. Tell me they weren't thinking about the teenage audience. Also look out for Dakota Fanning all grown-up and playing sadistic vampiress Jane, a high-ranking member of the Volturi.
Plot has never been a problem in the saga, although when examined with a critical eye all the contrivances become apparent. Case in point: Bella's one friend, once Edward leaves, just happens to turn into a werewolf. In movie form, however, it's easier to dismiss these contrivances because of the flair and suspense with which the film is directed. On a personal note, I'm starting to wish Stephanie Meyer had just left the whole werewolf subplot out of it. Vampire politics are fascinating, at least in the movies, in and of themselves; and Jacob as a normal human provided a much more interesting dilemma for Bella. It would crystallize her problem--a happy, mortal life with Jacob, or an immortal and happy life with Edward? It seems like the question would have a simple answer, but immortality messes with the natural order of things, the soul, etc. This dilemma is much more substantial and interesting than the whole werewolves vs. vampires subplot.
As a whole the movie is better than both its book counterpart and the first installment of the series, mostly due to an improved script and a lovable third side of the love triangle.
-elln
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