"Twilight: New Moon" Hits the Cineplex

A scant 29 hours before the newest entry in the "Twilight" franchise opened at cineplexes worldwide, I got a sneak peek at the new "Twilight Saga: New Moon" movie, at a special preview for movie critics - as a colleague's plus one. Lucky me, or so my daughter says. But when it comes to the Team Edward and Team Jacob crowd, it hardly matters what they throw up on the screen. As long as Robert Pattinson smoldered and Taylor Lautner doffed his shirt, the crowd of eager teens - winners of a promotional giveaway - screamed at deafening volume. Even the sight of a huge moon, before the "Twilight Saga: New Moon" opening credits, launched excited shrieks. One can't help but be charmed by such fan enthusiasm, even if it hurts the ears.

I will say, this movie, directed by Chris Weitz, is a vastly better interpretation than the first "Twilight" - more engaging, more story-driven and less dependent on those romantic, smoldering looks between co-stars. There is an actual plot, and some character development - unlike the first movie, in which Edward and Bella, played by Kristen Stewart, experience loathe-at-first-sight, followed immediately by love-at-first-sight. Here, Edward fears that he cannot keep Bella safe from members of his own family, let alone the evil Victoria. So he scampers, leaving Bella distressed, depressed and isolated. The scenes in which she sits morosely in a chair as the camera slowly spins around her, and the viewer catches glimpses of trick-or-treaters out the window, then chilly fall, snow, and spring, were pretty incredible. She slowly comes back to life, thanks to the loving companionship provided by her friend Jacob, and all goes well until Jacob decides he must shield her from his own not-so-internal monster. Then Victoria returns, sending the plot line into not-quite overdrive.

Despite the action sequences, the CGI'd werewolves (which didn't quite cut it), and a stunning scene shot in Italy, the movie lags. It feels much longer than its 2-hour-plus running time. There's too much slow-panning-in-a-circle, atmospheric brooding and slo-mo everything to hold the interest of any but a Twi-hard fan. And why on earth would one do every action sequence in slow motion?

But the Italian scenes, shot in the tight alleys of a medieval, hilltop village, as hordes of red-caped villagers parade, are simply stunning. And the Volturi, the ancient vampires who serve as royal rulers of the undead, are compelling - particularly Michael Sheen, who plays Aro. What I wanted to see, far more than slo-mo scenes of Edward being thrown into the air and crashing down again and again and again, very sloooowly, was the backstory on the Volturi. More Sheen, and decidedy less Dakota Fanning, who plays the creepy vampire Jane.

Bottom line? The rest of us can quibble all we want about movie length, slo-mo and CGI, but Twi-hard fans will adore this movie.