About.com Rating



Bottom line:New Moon continues the Twilight story with as much intensity as the first movie. Bella's reckless behavior puts her life in danger as three guys (well, one guy, a werewolf and a vampire) fight over her. The movie has plenty of passion, peril, and bare chested males. Also expect a fair amount of violence and supernatural story elements.
MPAA Rating: PG-13, for some violence and action
Guide Age Recommendation: 12+
Genre: Romance, Thriller
Runtime: Approx.

121 minutes
Starring: Kristen Stewart, Robert Pattinson, Taylor Lautner
Release Date: November 20, 2009

The Twilight Saga: New Moon - Overview

Bella's world turns upside down when an accident causes her beloved vampire boyfriend Edward and his family to leave Forks for good. Despite the fact that Edward told her that he didn't want her to come with him, she can't let him go, and she attempts to hold on to him by putting herself at risk. It seems that, only when she does something completely reckless, she can see his face and hear his voice as if he is right there, begging her not to do it.

One of her reckless ideas leads Bella to ask her friend Jacob for help. As the two spend more time together, Jacob becomes the only ray of sunlight in her dark and empty world. Then, mysterious forces begin to tear him away from her too.

Before she knows it, Bella is more deeply entangled in the supernatural world than ever before, and she finds that she is also in grave danger. This threat does not deter her from continuing on her self-destructive path, though, and her course eventually does lead to a reunion with Edward, but certainly not in the manner she had probably hoped for.

A defenseless little human, Bella always finds herself being protected from the most evil of forces. But in the end, if it came down to it, which protector would she choose?

The Twilight Saga: New Moon - Guide Review for Parents

Although teens and adults love it too, the Twilight series has certainly taken the tween world by storm. An intense romance at the heart of a supernatural thriller may seem a bit much for the 9-14 year-old crowd, and some parents may be a little reluctant to let their kids delve into such topics at such a young age. Of course the argument they'll hear is that "everybody's doing it," and that seems to be the case. So what is it that makes these books and movies so popular?

The Twilight series capitalizes on a fantasy that has to appeal at least a little bit to most females - a woman is sought after by two gorgeous guys who are supernatural, dangerous and fiercely protective of her. Both suitors know exactly what to say at the right time, and they aren't afraid to show off the rippling muscles beneath their alluring wardrobe choices. It's hard not to love a story like that, but there are a couple of things that parents will want to be aware of in deciding if New Moon is suitable for their child.

Parents may be concerned by the intensity of the romance and the unrealistic notions about love and passion. On the good side, though, both suitors are honorable and so far have not gone for more than passionate kissing (even if said kissing does occur while one stealthy boy is hiding out in Bella's bedroom at night). In New Moon, Bella gets nighttime visitors who sneak in her room unbeknownst to her her protective father. She also decides to put herself in mortal danger by recklessly riding motorcycles and cliff jumping in order to see the image of her beloved.

The movie also contains a considerable amount of violence. The characters do include werewolves and vampires, after all, so some danger is to be expected. Characters fight each other, and some are shown being torn apart (not much blood here, but there is blood in other scenes). Bella finds herself in quite a few perilous situations that may be scary to kids. Also, one scene involves vampires feasting on a group of unsuspecting humans (we don't see this, but we see the humans walk into the trap, and then we hear screams of terror).

The Twilight Saga: New Moon - Content Overview

*May contain spoilers.

• Violence (High): Vampires lunge at, threaten, and kill other characters. We see some characters get killed, and others we do not actually see. Such is the case with a room full of tourists who enter a vampire lair and we hear the people start screaming. Wolves and vampires fight, and vampires fight other vampires. Characters are knocked around and torn apart. Considering all of this, the actual level of blood and gore is much less than expected. The movie is not meant to be gory and bloody, but the violence is carried in a way that is suspenseful and intense.
• Scary Scenes (High): Scenes listed under "Violence" may be frightening to kids. The supernatural characters in the movie -- i.e. vampires and wolves -- look real and may be very frightening to kids. Bella and others end up in perilous situations and in danger of being killed by vampires and/or giant wolves. Some of the situations are set up to be very intense and thrilling.
  

• Sad/Unsettling Scenes (High): Bella is so devastated by Edward's absence that she acts empty and lifeless for months. Her father is worried about her state. At the false news that Bella is dead, Edward is devastated and sets a plan in motion so that he will die too.
• Sex/Nudity (Medium): Passionate kissing happens several times in the movie. We see men without shirts on throughout the movie.
• Drugs and Alcohol (Low): A few people are shown with beer.
• Language (Low): The words "Oh my God" and variations of the phrase are used. "Hell" and "damn" are used.
• Disrespectful/Imitative Behavior (Extreme): Bella engages in reckless behavior like riding a motorcycle without a helmet, getting on a motorcycle with a questionable male, and cliff diving, just so she can see an image of Edward. Bella hangs out with the supernatural creatures behind her father's back and Jacob and Edward both secretly hang out in her room at night.

The Twilight Saga: New Moon Topics to Discuss

• After seeing The Twilight Saga: New Moon, kids may have questions about: vampires, werewolves, love, marriage, death, souls, afterlife, premonitions, depression.

The Twilight Saga: New Moon - Blu-ray Bonus Features

• Audio Commentary:: Director Chris Weitz and Editor Peter Lambert talk about making the movie and reveal interesting details as to how and why they made it the way they did.
• 6 Part Documentary: Each part of this series gives fans an inside look at the cast and the making-of the movie. Most interesting are the featurettes that show how various stunts and special effects were done.
• Music Videos