“The Twilight Saga: New Moon” is the official title of “Twilight II”, the new franchise from little Summit Entertainment that is quickly making into a major Hollywood player (more or less like Lionsgate and Overture -- either of which could have done this series). Summit, don’t forget, has given us “The Hurt Locker” and “The Baader Meinhoff Complex, and of course “Knowing” (eg, the “Little 2012”). Summit has quickly developed the reputation of a company that brings innovative independent film (including foreign) as well as large scale horror, sci-fi, and fantasy. And, people considering domain names, book titles, movie titles, and the like: “Twilight”, like “Harry Potter”, has become what trademark lawyers call a “franchise”, again based on the books of Stephanie Meyer.
We all know that the precept of this sequel is a bit silly: the homely heroine Bella (Kristen Stewart) is chased by an altruistic vampire Edward Cullen (Robert Pattinson) and werewolf Jacob Black (Taylor Lautner). The vampires and werewolves have a treaty (dating back to the early 60s when on Saturday nights a movie series called “Chiller” was aired).
At the very end, Cullen makes a proposal to Bella, which sounds funny (and maybe pokes fun at the political debate as to what kinds of people can be allowed to “marry”). Imagine what their kids would be like (imagine the same thing if Clark Kent gets married). Would they have powers? Be immortal? Be able to reproduce again?
Imagine what it would be like for Bella to be married to a man who (saying he is 109), will always look 23, never have “tissue death” (as Dr. Phil calls it) and never go bald on the pate, or the legs for that matter. Bella could become a QEII in the meantime.
The physical contrast between the Vampire and the Werewolf is striking. Pattinson looks pale here, not like the heartthrob of GQ or Vanity Fair. Here his virility is subdued; he almost looks weak. By comparison, Lautner, only 17, bulked up 30 pounds for the role (that’s biologically much easier to do in one’s mid twenties than in the teen years), and looks partly Native American. And his personality, partly from his acting style, is more dominating.
Most of the movie takes place around the Columbia River, but there is an interesting sequence in Brazil, in the highlands (where the coven of vampires have their steering committee meeting and fight near the end).
The huge werewolves were well designed and animated in CGI. They looked as big as lions.
There's a great coastline conversation where Jacob says he cannot help the genes he was born with (to become a werewolf). Is it "what we do" or "what we are"?
I saw this the day before Thanksgiving, afternoon, digital projection, at a Regal in Arlington. The crowd was sparse. During the closing credits the theater prematurely drew the curtains to standard aspect and turned off the movie sound track and started playing the theater’s music. It’s important in many films to hear the music of the closing credits for the full experience intended by the director.
The film is directed by Chris Weitz (a star in “Chuck & Buck” in 2000).
The official site for the movie from Summit Entertainment is here.
YouTube trailer from “Official Twilight Film”.
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