As much as I hate the Twilight series in general, I am looking forward to seeing the first sequel New Moon. I read the book, in my effort to understand what it is that Twi-Hards love so much about the series. Months ago, I would have said that I would watch New Moon to bash it like I did Twilight. After I read New Moon, I found that it’s something that I actually would like to see, for some reason.
Don’t get me wrong: I still don’t like Twilight. And New Moon is not any better than Twilight. It’s just as badly written; there is no character development; and Bella Swan remains such a poor excuse for a protagonist that she puts to shame even stupid fourteen-year-old Juliet Capulet, who she likes identifying with so much. In fact, Bella comparing herself to Juliet is rather arrogant; in analogy, it’s Stephenie Meyer comparing herself to Shakespeare, which is just as ridiculously pompous. Talk about delusions of grandeur.
However, if there’s anything good that I encountered in reading New Moon was the freshness that Jacob Black brings to Bella Swan’s life after Edward Cullen so cruelly leaves her. Sunny and charming, Jacob is fun to be with and easy to talk with. Even at the time when his own life changes and he has to keep secrets from Bella, he doesn’t make things hard for her by pretending that there is nothing wrong going on. His relationship with her is based more on a real bond of friendship rather than magic (in Edward’s case). There is vulnerability in Jacob that is so captivating that it rivals the invincibility that Edward seems to put off. This is what I would love to see interpreted in the big screen.
Meanwhile, after viewing the trailers of New Moon, another thing that fascinated me was the treatment that the adaptation gives to the so-called Volturi, an ancient coven of vampires residing in Volterra, Italy, who act as a sort of government for vampires.
The Volturi makes sure that the existence of vampires is kept secret from humans. They also make it a point to observe discipline among vampires, meaning that vampires must not kill too many humans at a time so as to not risk exposing their existence. I didn’t see much of this facet of the Volturi in New Moon because the book focuses solely on Bella mourning over a runaway boyfriend a great deal more than a normal person would grieve over a dead loved one.
After reading about the Volturi in Twilight fansites, I was almost instantly interested. Aro, the elderly coven leader, for example, likes to collect people with supernatural talents and turn them into vampires to add to the Volturi. Among these people are young twins Jane (Dakota Fanning) and Alec (Cameron Bright, X-Men: The Last Stand), who have powers they use for mental torture. And as displayed in the third trailer, we see Felix (Daniel Cudmore, X-Men: The Last Stand) fighting Edward Cullen, which is going to be quite interesting, because such a scene did not exist in the book. It was kind of a treat for me, too, because I really like to see somebody beating Edward Cullen.
So those are my reasons for watching New Moon later this month. If anything, I expect it’s gonna be nice to look at. Jacob Black’s wolf transformation in the first trailer is amazing.
