Last night, I spent seven and a half hours in the company of Twilight. My local movie theatre had a marathon of the first two movies before a midnight screening of Eclipse, and since I’ve never been to a marathon before, or a midnight screening, I thought what the hell…why not? I’ve heard strange tales of the cosplayers and fandom eccentricities at these sessions, and it’s something that I want to experience. The only thing that’s been stopping me is that I never have company to one of these things – I’ve been told that you need to have someone with you to watch your stuff while you run off to the bathroom/restock snacks and drinks between movies. But to hell with that – if I can survive two hours of public transport to arrive at the theatre an hour early in order to claim a seat and then the next four hours of Lord of the Rings: Return of the King with one drink and a bag of candy, I can survive anything.

I went to the Twilight marathon in my sparkly pyjamas. It’s the middle of winter here in Australia, and the south-east of the country is going through a major cold snap. I am going to be comfortable! I wasn’t the only one in PJs; there was a girl in sweatpants and bright blue slippers, smoking outside the complex when I arrived. I came prepared with plenty of water, a sandwich, and other snacks already in my bag. I also came expecting some level of crazy – vampire cosplayers, people picking Team Jacob or Team Edward, maybe some people reading the latest book – The Short Second Life of Bree Tanner – as it is tangentially related to the plot of Eclipse. Instead? I had a helpful theatre staff member in an Eclipse t-shirt remind me to keep my tickets handy so I can get back into the session, no line-up outside the theatre, and found myself a reasonable seat near the back. I’m not going to complain! This was just a complete surprise to me.

Upon reflection, it really shouldn’t be so shocking. When I went to see the first Twilight movie, I scored myself a free preview screening. The audience was incredibly sane. There wasn’t a pair of fangs or glitter sparkle in sight. I missed the opening of the next movie (I chose to go to the midnight launch of Assassin’s Creed II – I regret nothing) and had another great audience. There was only a brief cheer at Edward’s first appearance in New Moon, and that was all. This second time around, Jacob got more cheers for being shirtless and making eyes at Bella.

But this was the midnight session. Of a marathon. All the things that I’d been warned about, all the things even the theatre staff talked to me about when I was buying the tickets to this thing, didn’t happen. It’s really weird start seeing reports about Twilight fans mobbing theatres around the world and the complete chaos of other midnight screenings after I had a completely civil night out. Maybe it’s the location of the cinema? Maybe it’s because it’s the middle of winter? Or Adelaide? I don’t know. I just don’t know. All I know is that Twilight doesn’t seem to be as big here as it is Elsewhere. It’s like we accept that it’s A Thing, and then just go about our business.

About the strangest things got during the night was after the first movie when I heard one woman say, “I could watch this seven thousand times,” and then she continued to say how her twenty-year-old daughter hadn’t seen New Moon yet. There was also someone talking about how people started to line up at about 9pm for the midnight screening and oh boy, we still had another movie to go before we got to that. I didn’t stick my nose out of the theatre to have a look as to whether the more ardent fans were turning up solely for the midnight session, so I might have missed something. But again, I’m not going to complain; my night was pleasant and drama-free. What was really nice to see was that there were some dads roped into chaperoning groups of teens. Not all the boyfriends were reluctant to be there. Compared to my first Twilight audience, this one definitely had more variety in both age and gender.

I got to watch all three movies back-to-back. Let me just say now, it’s…an interesting experience. I liked the first Twilight movie more than New Moon, and getting to watch them together basically confirmed my opinions as to why I didn’t like the second movie. In Twilight, Bella and Edward experience their horrifyingly awkward first love and the movie fully embraces that. The sequel may be a better movie from a technical aspect, but no matter how pretty it is, for me it can’t make up for just how sober it is by contrast to its predecessor. It’s fitting, but after the first hour of wallowing in Bella’s heartbreak and despair, it starts to grind.

Then there’s Eclipse, and it’s a breath of fresh air. Here’s why I think it’s awesome: it cuts out all of the bull. The plot of the book is there, it’s just not mired in being a direct translation of the story onto the screen. The prologue is Riley being attacked in Seattle, and there’s flashes throughout the entire movie about how the newborn army is growing and then is on the move to Forks. When it’s not shown directly, then people talk about it or watch it on news reports. So, the villain and his motives are basically all laid out from the start, and then there’s the big reveal, and it makes sense because it’s supported by previous goings on. Likewise, the heroes get all their motives laid out for you pretty quick – Jacob confesses to Bella that he loves her and just wants her to admit that she has feelings for him, that there’s some hope for him. Edward doesn’t want Bella to be a vampire just yet, but is determined to give her a chance to live a little before the inevitable is upon them. He and Jacob are at odds, because they’re both teenage boys and therefore boneheads at heart. And Bella? She’s actually faced with making a decision. She doesn’t spend all her time drowning in her Epic Love of Edward. She remains resolute that yes, she wants to be a vampire, but then options are laid out in front of her – by Jessica’s valedictorian speech about now is the time for making mistakes, for learning and living; by Rosalie’s flashback to how she became a vampire, how she wished she could grow old with Emmett and have children, and Bella shouldn’t be so eager to throw away the possibilities that might be later denied to her because she’s a vampire; and by Jacob basically offering her a life. Even Bella decides that, okay, she wants to experience some things before she dies, like…sex. And there’s making out in a giant Sparklebed (I kid you not) before Edward pulls the “wait until marriage!” card, but actually explains that he’s from a different era and here’s how it’d go down back then, complete with another askance for her hand in marriage. In the end, she has a little monologue about how everyone’s pulling at her in different directions about what she should do, but in the end she wants to make the decision that’s right for who she is, and that’s why she wants to get herself vampired. It’s clever how the events that unfold actually go toward Bella exploring what she wants for herself rather than have everything revolve around her. It makes her less passive and more of a character in her own right.

Stylistically, this is a pretty slick movie. The vampires are ethereal, and rather than having obviously terrible contact lenses, they have a strange inner glow to their eyes, as well the deathly pallor. I kept thinking that it was more to try and make them like china, as they’re more like broken ceramics when they’re injured; they crack, they break, they snap, they don’t gush blood or have broken bones. They’re like living stone. The effects on Victoria’s acrobatics is fantastic, and we finally get to see why she’s so dangerous. Likewise, we get to see the other vampires – both the Cullens and the newborns – actually get to be vampires. Not to be outdone, the werewolves are just great. I love their entrance to the final battle and watching them reduce vampires to chew toys.

This is how an angsty teen paranormal romance movie should go! I’m really surprised at how much I enjoyed this, because as far as fans go, I’m not even a good one. I’m just into Twilight for the laughs and mockery. I never went to this expecting it to be entertaining cinema. Instead, I came out confused and slightly freaked out because I think that Eclipse is the best out of the movies thus far.

Just about every store has the following two versions available. They will have their own unique pricing and we’ll call that out in the list

o   Regular Widescreen DVD/Blu-ray version of The Twilight Saga: New Moon

o   The Twilight Saga: Special Edition DVD/Blu-ray

• 2 Discs of content

• Over  70 minutes of special features

• Revealing feature length commentary with Director Chris Weitz and Editor Peter Lambert

• 6-PART DOCUMENTARY (Part 1: Life After Twilight; Part 2: Chris Weitz takes the helm; Part 3: The Subtle Details; Part 4: Time to Shine; Part 5: Tricks of the Trade; Part 6: Ready for the World)

• Band Rehersal Footage with Muse; and Music videos from Death Cab for Cutie, Anya Marina, and MuteMath

Target

• The Twilight Saga: New Moon Special Edition (DVD $16.99/Blu-ray $19.99)
• The Twilight Saga: New Moon 3 Disc Deluxe Edition (DVD $19.99/Blu-ray $24.99)

o   Special Edition PLUS:

o   Target Exclusive bonus disc content: Deleted Scenes, Introducing the Volturi Featurette, Frame by Frame:From Stoyboard to Screen Featurette, Fandamonium: A Look at the Die Hard Fans, and The Beat Goes On: The Music of New Moon Featurette

o   Target Exclusive Bonus Collectible Film Cell – authentic reproduction of a cell from the filming of Twilight Saga: New Moon contained within a glossy foil. Each is individually numbered with gold foil lettering and measures approximately 5×7. Film Cell included will be one of 250 available collectible cells.

Walmart

o Twilight Saga: New Moon Walmart Ultimate Fan Edition/Twilight in Forks Documentary Bundle (DVD $29.96)

o   Special Edition PLUS:

o   Walmart Exclusive: Lenticular Packaging

o   Walmart Exclusive:  7-minute sneak peek of “The Twilight Saga: Eclipse” with new interviews with Robert Pattinson, Kristen Stewart and Taylor Lautner, as well as with series-creator Stephenie Meyer

o   “Twilight In Forks” – The definitive DVD documenting the town of Forks made famous by the “Twilight” books and movies.

o   Twilight Saga: New Moon  (The Ultimate Fan Edition (DVD $24.96/Blu-ray $29.96)

o   Special Edition PLUS:

o   Walmart Exclusive:  Lenticular Packaging

o   Walmart Exclusive:   7-minute sneak peek of “The Twilight Saga: Eclipse” with New interviews with Robert Pattinson, Kristen Stewart and Taylor Lautner, as well as with series-creator Stephenie Meyer.

o   Twilight Saga: New Moon Special Edition (DVD $17.00/Blu-ray $19.96)

Blockbuster

o   Twilight Saga: New Moon Special Edition (DVD $25.99)

Amazon.com

o   Twilight Saga: New Moon Special Edition (DVD $16.99/Blu-ray $19.99)

Barnes and Noble

o   Twilight Saga: New Moon Special Edition (DVD $23.99/Blu-ray $27.99)

o   The Twilight Saga: New Moon Barnes and Noble Collectors Edition (DVD $33.99/Blu-ray $39.99)

o   Special Edition PLUS:

o   B&N Exclusive:  New Moon Dreamcatcher Bag Clip, a metal dangle finished in antique brass that combines a circular dreamcatcher, a sculptural Wolf Pack-tattoo charm, a Wolf Pack jewelry tag, feathers, and crystals.
Borders

o   Twilight Saga: New Moon Special Edition (DVD $22.99/Blu-Ray $24.99)

o   The Twilight Saga: New Moon Borders Exclusive (DVD $29.99)

o   Special Edition PLUS:

o   Borders Exclusive:  Exclusive packaging

o   Borders Exclusive:  Includes exclusive medallion necklace on a silver chain—gold side features wolf-pack tattoo design, silver side shows the Cullen crest.

o   Borders Exclusive:  Over 25 minutes of previously unreleased EXTENDED SCENES such as Jake in Bella’s Room and Edward meeting the Volturi and many, many more! INTERVIEWS with cast members Robert Pattinson, Kristen Stewart, Taylor Lautner, the Cullen Family, the Wolf Pack, the Volturi and Director Chris Weitz; unrivaled RED-CARPET FOOTAGE from the movie premiere; front row seats to The Twilight Saga: New Moon WEBCAST.

New Moon is the second story in the Twilight Saga. For those of you that may not have read the books yet, the basic premise in New Moon is Bella doesn’t want to grow old, Edward is scared of hurting Bella, Edward leaves Bella (but comes to her when she’s doing something dangerous), Jacob steps in to romance Bella, in the meantime becomes a werewolf, and Bella rushes to Italy to save Edward.

There’s a bit more to the story than that, but that’s basic premise. I was able to see the movie during a matinee on Wednesday. The theater was completely full, but there wasn’t a single tween in sight. No, this was the moms time to gawk at the hot young boys in the movie.

I am a big fan of Twilight. I have read all the books. The books are basically uneducated fan fiction that I could have written in high school, but I appreciate them for what they are. A guilty pleasure. It helps that Robert Pattinson is gorgeous, but everything else constantly works against it.

Let’s start with the good:
I have to start the good off with a congrats to whomever is Taylor Lautner’s personal trainer. That trainer deserves a raise. He/she took a skinny kid in Twilight, whom many doubted could actually carry Jacob, into a hard bodied hunk that made me blush. When Jacob takes his shirt off for the first time the entire audience of women cheered. In one small gesture, they all switched teams. In a sense we should all feel bad since he’s major jail bait.

Which brings me to the acting…while many professional critics are panning the entire movie for lack of acting skills, I have to say that some people acted their booty off and tried to save this film. Ashley Greene, who plays Alice, is a delight to watch in this film. I wanted to see her even more. She has really captured who Alice is and it definitely comes across on screen. Taylor Lautner also made a very believable Jacob. While I’m not switching teams, he not only looked the part, but delivered his lines well and made the audience feel for him. At one point Bella turns away from an attempted kiss by Jacob and someone in the audience yelled, “I want my money back”. Yes, perhaps they haven’t read the book, or maybe they were just happy that at least one actor was showing emotion.

The members of the Wolfpack also are believable in their roles and the Cullen family do a good job of keeping in character.

The last good thing about New Moon is how the Volturri are introduced. The Volturri are like vampire royalty and decide how to hand out punishments to vampires. While we only got some background and a quick look at the Volturri, the characters seemed strong and interesting. Which was quite a change because so much of the movie is uninteresting.

That brings us to the bad…
Unfortunately there is more to hate with New Moon than there is to love. Starting with the way it was filmed. I am unable to understand why Summit Entertainment handed over the reigns to a director that is fairly new and has a list of bombs on his IMDB list. Chris Weitz previously directed The Golden Compass. In an interview on the red carpet, Chris Weitz admitted that he never read the book. His filming style consisted of extreme closeups on the characters’ faces. Because of Kristen’s bad acting (I’ll get to that), a close up only makes it worse. Chris also chose to include many flashbacks to Twilight. Which I’m pretty sure we didn’t need. I highly doubt anyone that goes to see New Moon hasn’t seen Twilight. The flashbacks felt like a waste of time and were totally out of place.

I’m not quite done with my displeasure of Mr. Weitz. He seemed to care so little about New Moon and it’s fans that there are not one, but many continuity problems during the film. The problems are obvious and by not catching them it displays a total lack of respect to the fans assuming that they’ll love anything given to them. IMDB has a good list of the continuity problems and lack of attention to detail. The one that bothered me throughout the film was Kristen’s hair color constantly changing. This is because of her work on her other film where Kristen cut and dyed her hair frequently. The film doesn’t handle it at all and instead we just see her hair constantly and inexplicably change.

I get that the two stars Robert Pattinson and Kristen Stewart may be romantically paired in real life, but a real life romance doesn’t always translate to the big screen. These two seemed bored with the movie and with each other. The lines were delivered flat and Robert looked to be forcing interest. A film doesn’t go over well when you’re two lead actors are barely…acting. I saw more acting from Robert Pattinson in the preview for Remember Me than in all of New Moon. The acting in the film is so bad, that most of the audience laughed themselves through the most serious scenes. When Bella tells Jacob that she’ll always choose Edward over him, she looks so painfully bored that you’d think she was choosing drapes.

I do have to confess that New Moon is my least favorite book. But going into the movie, I still had hopes that it would be done well. My original opinion is they should have combined books 2 & 3 together. The pace of New Moon is horrifically slow. While Taylor Lautner surprised me by actually becoming a believable Jacob, Rob and Kristen let down fans by portraying boring versions of Bella and Edward.

In the end, fans have flocked to see New Moon. As a huge fan of Twilight, I will not be purchasing New Moon on Blu-Ray/DVD. It’s my recommendation that we all forget New Moon even happened and start over with Eclipse. Hopefully the next director will have more respect for Twilight fans.

The above image is from EverGlowMedia.net from the Press Junket that happened in LA recently to promote and talk about Twilight: New Moon. The cast was on hand to discuss the film and answer the Press’s serious questions like if Taylor Lautner is dating Taylor Swift. (rolls eyes)

I unfortunately was not in attendance but I have collected a few videos from Youtube about the presser. Hopefully we’ll be invited to future Twilight events since we do a fair amount of coverage.

Who is going to see New Moon with me after it comes out?