The Twilight Saga: New Moon

Star-crossed lovers Bella (Stewart) and Edward (Pattinson) face more challenges when he decides he must leave her to keep her safe. This leads to extreme teen moping. Weitz is a smooth technician, but his direction doesn’t match the operatic intensity of Bella’s mood, which begins to feel monotonous even with a steady stream of crazy plot elements like murdered hikers, romantic rival Jacob’s realization of his werewolf nature and the introduction of Italian vampire “royalty.” The core audience for this film will get what it wants—teen love elevated to the level of epic passion, done with a heavy emphasis on chastity—but it’s a slog for non-fanatics. The multiple-disc special edition includes a scary amount of fawning: a fan event with the stars and a six-part making-of documentary.

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