Twilight: New Moon

It is twilight time and the wolves begin to howl. The full moon peeks from the darkened skies. But a word of caution, if New Moon is your first Twilight movie, the entire picture will be like a jigsaw puzzle that has several key pieces missing.
So like me, you may want to hurry down to the video rental show to get a copy of the first Twilight that was released last year. The reason is obvious after watching the first 10 minutes of the Twilight sequel.
The first rays of Twilight will demist the foggy circumstances that continue to surround the small town of Forks. If you don’t do a little catch-up with the original, you will be left clueless and forever earn a place in the bad books of the countless passionate teen Twilight fans.
Admittedly, the original Twilight is much more exciting and has a faster pace. The Cullen family continues to maintain a shadowy presence in New Moon. They are an unusual bunch of vampires because they do not survive on human blood.
In fact, they jokingly admit that they are “vegetarians” because they prefer to subsist on animal blood.
Yes, they are still immortals and immensely powerful but the Cullens have long decided that they do not want to be like their fellow non-humans who frequently yield to the irresistible urge to taste human blood.
Edward Cullen (Robert Pattinson) is a 90-year-old high school student who looks 18 and his girlfriend Bella Swan (Kristen Stewart) has sworn to be by his side, come death or blood thirsty creatures.
New Moon expands on the incomplete pages of the first chapter, that some young Native Americans are actually werewolves. Among them is Jacob Black (Taylor Lautner) who has a crush on Bella.
The film spotlights on enormous werewolves that can cover a hundred metres in a single bound. They are ferocious when provoked and their mission in life is to crush the life out of vampires.
The savage shape-shifters almost stole the limelight from the restrained Cullens who spent much of their time avoiding contact with humans. This sequel lacks the oomph that was prevalent in the original.
The question that nags the viewer is why nobody questions the parlour-looks of the Cullens. Besides possessing somewhat exotic features, Edward looks for the most part like a director of a funeral parlour. His lips are even redder than most glamour girls.
Any lover of vampire movies would be taken aback by the fangless ones who live in the town of Forks. Count Dracula would be aghast by the appearance of these modern vampires who have beautiful teeth instead of long and jagged incisors.
Anyone who has watched True Blood on TV would be inclined to detect similar trends in New Moon, except this one is designed to arouse the ardour of anyone below the age of 18.
Perhaps it is not so much the savagery that is normally associated with vampire movies but the love that bestirs the hearts of all warm-blooded adolescents.
There are hardly any blood stains in this show. That is something new in movies of this genre. Before you could utter, “show me the fangs”, the werewolves pounce on the audience and display their predatory canines.
Twilight: New Moon has successfully hastened the pulse of many a young maiden when it draws feral beings and frail humans into a romantic realm of sunshine and shadows.
Apart from the deathless ones’ tremendous strength and skin that glitters like rhinestones in the sunlight, Twilight has scuttled generations-old perception of what the vampires should be.
In the boiling cauldron of bestial urges and inhuman passions, the crux is the Edward’s decision to leave Bella for her own sake. But the lovesick girl vows to tread the path of immortality in order to be with her loved one.
The finale dangles on a cliff-hanger which paves the way for a possible trilogy. Of course, this will depend on how many innocent souls the vampires manage to lure to the box office.
Teenagers who thronged the cinemas during its recent opening could not be prevailed upon to accept that New Moon is sluggish in parts because handsome Edward’s gaze is simply too mesmerising to ignore.
Whatever your verdict may be, Twilight: New Moon offers good entertainment on any given evening during this holiday season. Fang you very much then.