First post and I’m going to jump in the deep end. :)
I didn’t like New Moon. I didn’t go in expecting much and I got exactly that. I give it a solid “meh.” The CGI for the wolves was not bad. And Taylor Lautner did pretty well. I was really glad they didn’t try to make him look seven feet tall. But for me, the whole movie seemed to lack energy.
I didn’t feel the angst like I did reading the book. The story was the same, that was good, but the deep, devastation that Bella was supposed to be feeling did not come through. Nor did the intense relief and confusion that was supposed to shine through in her reunion with Edward. The good new is that there was no chemistry between Jacob and Bella in the movie just as in the books. Too bad there didn't seem to be much between Edward and Bella either (most of the time.)
Is this because Bella plays so mellow all the time that it’s hard to tell? I don’t think so. Frankly, I thought Catherine Hardwick was just able to get way more range from the actors. Maybe there is something to the fact that it’s a mainly women’s phenomenon… and can someone please explain why are dudes directing these things?
I also didn’t think the score was nearly as compelling as Twilight's. It didn’t draw me in. The music in Twilight did. As a saga I was hoping that they would use the score to tie it all together, (not just the font on the movie posters) to give the movies a feeling of continuity. I was disappointed that they didn’t.
The highlight for me was Jessica Stanley’s post movie monologue. Genius. But that should not have been the highlight. There were just so many other things that should have overshadowed that.
Am I the only one? Don’t let me drown! :)