-By Michael Rechtshaffen

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The moon may be new and the director may be different (Chris Weitz takes over the reins from Catherine Hardwicke), but otherwise, the second installment of the Twilight saga remains, for better or worse, exceptionally faithful to its 2008 beginnings.

Understandably not wanting to mess with that $350 million worldwide success, The Twilight Saga: New Moon is content to stay within those tonal parameters rather than venture out in potentially more intriguing or substantial directions, which should suit its ferocious adolescent female fan base just fine. The uninitiated, meanwhile, might find that the film's deliberately unhurried 130-minute running time feels like a Cullen clan eternity.

Anticipation is sufficiently high that the opening weekend box office is guaranteed to be anything but anemic, most likely eclipsing the $70 million taken by Twilight this time last year.

Alluding more obviously to the Romeo and Juliet vibe of author Stephenie Meyer's books, New Moon finds heroine Bella Swan (Kristen Stewart) caught in a tricky triangular relationship with Edward Cullen (Robert Pattinson) and Jacob Black (Taylor Lautner). Not wanting to give away too much of the plot (though chances are most of the movie's audience will have already read the book), let's just say brooding Bella is having a tough time where both objectified males are concerned, and that it turns out Jacob's been keeping a little secret of his own—and it's not just finding a personal trainer in the middle of Forks, Wash.

Given that he's directed both the more intimate character-driven About a Boy and the fantastical The Golden Compass, incoming director Weitz is a smart choice for the material. He definitely gets to have things both ways here, using the CG effects sparingly but generally effectively, though even his restrained touch isn't enough to prevent the occasional smirk or two that's coaxed by some of screenwriter Melissa Rosenberg's more stoical dialogue.
Once again, the three young leads give committed performances, with Lautner's character allowed a larger share of the spotlight this time around. Stewart's Bella remains a sturdy, empathetic anchor, and if they were ever to give a best supporting nomination for hair gel, Pattinson's particular brand would be a shoo-in.

Among the newcomers to the Twilight saga, Michael Sheen, who played an enslaved werewolf in the Underworld pictures, is given the opportunity to vamp it up as Aro, the 2,000-year-old leader of the Volturi.

Production values are suitably dark and moody, with able assist from production designer David Brisbin's pre-Raphaelite visual cues to Alexandre Desplat's opulently ominous score.
-Nielsen Business Media