New Moon: The Movie

If it wasn't abundantly obvious by now, I'm definitely a Twilight fan. So, bookworms, you've been warned. This is a post about Twilight. And if you're a Twilight hater, well... you probably stopped reading this blog awhile ago.

Last night, my friend L and I went to a late night showing of the New Moon movie because while we look like adults on the outside, we're really just 13-year-old girls on the inside. I had high hopes for this movie. As much as I liked the Twilight movie (and I did), it wasn't as great as I thought it could be. I had a sneaking suspicion that New Moon might surpass Twilight.

I'm happy to report that I wasn't disappointed. The New Moon movie is a much stronger adaptation of Stephenie Meyer's book that the first movie was. Though both movies stick fairly close to the original novels, the New Moon adaptation shows that both screenwriter Melissa Rosenberg and the cast have grown into the roles. While staying true to the story, New Moon also managed to stand on its own as a movie worthy in its own right. And the direct-from-the-book dialogue was cut down a bit, which helped.

One of the things I loved best about this movie was how much more visual it was. When I read (and re-read) the Twilight books, it's always a visual experience for me. As I'm reading the words on the page, I can visually see the story taking place in my head. New Moon the movie captured this feeling really well and translated the pages of words into a visually impressive story. The Volturi scenes, in particular, were pretty spectacular.

Adapting beloved novels for the screen is always a tricky business, even when fans are all but guaranteed to see the film. Much like the Harry Potter movies needed to find their stride, I think the Twilight series of movies are starting to come together in a great way.

So if you're a Twilight fan, this might be the only time I actually advocate movies over books. Stop reading this blog and go to the movies! (Well, read the New Moon book first, then see the movie!)

[Photo Credit: Stephenie Meyer's website]