New Moon

Had I not been given the opportunity to go to an early showing (6:30 PM on Nov. 19) as a fundraiser for charity, I probably would have waited a little while to see New Moon. But as luck would have it, I was on the list. So my husband, who'd come straight from a trip to Maryland to the theater, friends, and I all stood in line with our tickets in our stamped hands, surrounded by chants of "Team Edward" and "Team Jacob." Some people wore shirts with Twilight-inspired themes emblazened on them, others wore whatever they had on for work or school, and one person wore a long back cape. I didn't see any fangs or bushy tails, though.

What I loved about going to this movie with this particular crowd was the excitement and anticipation before, the enthusiasm during, and the varied opinions after. If you'd like to know my opinion of the movie, read on. I won't give any spoilers.

There is no denying that Jacob (the gorgeous Taylor Lautner) is my favorite character, followed closely by Jessica Stanley (Bella's funny friend). I thought Jacob was sweet and engaging and had some very memorable moments. And some of Jessica's comments had even my husband laughing out loud. As did Jasper Hale's (Jackson Rathbone) face during a particulary intense moment, the ghostly appearances of Edward whenever Bella does something reckless, and the computer-generated wolves (though unintentially funny on all counts, I'm sure). I remember when I first read New Moon feeling like Bella should go for Jacob (in lieu of Edward) because it seems like she has more fun when she's with him--like she can let loose a little and be a (recently turned) 18 year-old girl. And again, the movie left me feeling this way. Only this time, not only is Jacob more endearing and warm (literally) than Edward, he's freakin' hot. (Yes, I know I'm old enough to be his .... WAY older sister, but still. You kind of get caught up in it when you're surrounded by squealing girls.) Oh, and that reminds me. When Jacob first appears shirtless, the girls shouted "Rewind!" and when the camera pauses on his muscle-ripped chest, they shouted "Pause!" So cute!

So ... you're probably wanting me to get to the point already. Okay. Here it is. I found that the movie did a good job portraying the book. It was entertaining. Jacob was fun to watch, as were other characters like Alice and Victoria (though I wished there were more of Victoria.) The vampires in Italy (including Dakota Fanning who makes an adorable vampire in her red contacts and white tights) were kind of weird and that part of the story seemed rushed. (Whereas I'd just gotten used to the slower pace of the majority of the preceeding scenes.) A lot of my opinion is based on things that are spoilers, so I'll just skip over them and say I give it 3 stars out of 5.

Have any of you seen New Moon, and if so, what did you think? (And please warn us if you're going to include spoilers so those who haven't read or watched it can choose not to read your comment.) Thanks!