The Twilight Saga— New Moon parents guide

The Twilight Saga— New Moon Parent Guide

However, after watching Bella sulk her way through another script, I'm left to conclude that the film's charm for most fans must lie with the guys and not the heroine.

Overall C+

Concerned that Bella's (Kristen Stewart) curiosity about their secret world may put everyone's safety at risk, Edward (Robert Pattinson) and his Vampire family move to an unknown location. Unfortunately, the forced separation only makes the teen-aged girl more desperate and reckless. Even when she is hounded by the attention of another young man (Jacob Black played by Taylor Lautner), her soul can't rest in peace.

Release date November 20, 2009

Violence C+
Sexual Content B
Profanity B
Substance Use B+

Why is The Twilight Saga— New Moon rated PG-13? The MPAA rated The Twilight Saga— New Moon PG-13 for some violence and action.

Run Time: 131 minutes

Official Movie Site

Parent Movie Review

There may be nothing, save Christmas, that has had so many females (and movie theater owners) counting the sleeps until its arrival. Luckily for them, the opening of Twilight Saga - The New Moon is like an early peek under the tree.

In the year since the release of the original Twilight blockbuster (which, as of April 2009 has grossed $191,465,414, according to imdb.com), the media hubbub swirling around the movie’s stars Robert Pattinson and Kristen Stewart has hardly cooled. However, the next installment of this moneymaking machine promises to extend the hype to another cast member, Taylor Lautner, who portrays a muscular, alternative romantic interest in this story.

After moving to the cloudy Washington coast to live with her estranged father (Billy Burke), Bella Swan (Kristen Stewart) fell in love with the reclusive Edward Cullen (Robert Pattinson), only to discover his secret. (For anyone who might have miraculously missed this revelation from the first film, the pale-faced boy who eschews the sunshine like the plague, is a vampire.) Within weeks of meeting him, Bella is throwing herself at Edward, trying to convince the bloodsucker to bite her neck so she can rid herself of the unhappy mortal existence she lives and become one of the undead with him. Fortunately, he appears to have more sense than the lovesick girl and manages to resist her insistent pleas.

As this film opens, their relationship has jeopardized the safety of Edward’s family, especially after a simple paper cut almost causes a feeding frenzy at Bella’s birthday party. In order to protect themselves and Bella, the Cullens pack up and move to an undisclosed location. Their sudden departure leaves Bella staring listlessly out the window during the day and screaming out in her sleep at night. Only after months of depressive behavior, which should have sent her father searching for some serious medical or psychological intervention, does Bella finally find comfort in the buff embrace of Jacob Black (Taylor Lautner). Yet he too is hounded by a dark secret, which hardly makes him a better alternative.

Without extensive discourse, the dialogue-challenged film relies on lengthy pregnant pauses punctuated by stammering conversations and camera shots that repeatedly pan around the characters, to convey much of the emotional angst in this story. There’s that and the pining, wistful stares that pass between the individuals on screen. The action does pick up near the end of the film when Edward approaches the vampire’s ruling body, known as the Volturi, with a death wish. Their denial causes him to take more drastic action that will force the hand of the leaders. And unfortunately, he’s not the only one who considers suicide as an option to avoid heartache.

However, after watching Bella sulk her way through another script, completely incapable of dealing with the rocky nature of young love, I’m left to conclude that the film’s charm for most fans must lie with the guys and not the heroine. It appears that for the faithful followers, this wildly popular saga is harmless escapism, a chance to gush over the exposed pecs on screen. But for other audience members, those who struggle with obsessive tendencies, Bella’s fixation on something that threatens not only to harm, but also kill her, is troubling. (Substitute her infatuation for Edward with a fascination for the drug culture or a compulsive eating disorder or a passion for a boy who routinely drinks and drives, and suddenly the plot isn’t quiet so entertaining.)

While this storyline of star-crossed lovers isn’t new—Romeo and Juliet being a classic example—most parents likely wouldn’t want their own daughters involved in a relationship that includes a dagger, or in this case, the necessity for a death-inducing nibble on the neck.

Starring Kristen Stewart, Robert Pattinson, Taylor Lautner. Running time: 131 minutes. Theatrical release November 20, 2009. Updated

The Twilight Saga— New Moon
Rating & Content Info

Why is The Twilight Saga— New Moon rated PG-13? The Twilight Saga— New Moon is rated PG-13 by the MPAA for some violence and action.

The main character in this film, Bella, exhibits symptoms of serious mental illness intermingled with depressive and obsessive tendencies. These behaviors (mainly caused by a broken romantic relationship) lead her to take life-threatening risks and contemplate suicide. Violent depictions involve physical confrontations with fantastical immortal characters that are brutally tossed and beaten, as well as smashed into objects, walls and floors. Blood is seen when a character is cut and later injures her arm. A man’s neck is broken and his head is torn off. A character recklessly rides a motorcycle without a helmet on two occasions—one of which results in a bloody head injury. A character admits to stealing a car. A wound is shown being stitched up. Sexual content consists of a couple of kisses involving at least one teen. Young men/teen males are frequently seen without shirts. A young man talks about trying to get lucky. Infrequent mild profanities and terms of deity are used. A character gets a tattoo as part of a rite of passage. An adult is briefly seen with beer.

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The Twilight Saga— New Moon Parents' Guide

How closely does this movie plot follow the book? Why do screenwriters often have to make changes for film adaptations? How does storytelling differ between novels and the big screen?

Which characters in this film do you find to be the most interesting? What traits do you appreciate about them? How do you think males and females might interpret this movie differently?

Do you think Bella is a young woman who demonstrates the ability to make her own choices, or is she too influenced by the men in her life? How are we able to know when we are making decisions for ourselves as opposed to making choices to simply please someone else?

Home Video

The most recent home video release of The Twilight Saga— New Moon movie is March 20, 2010. Here are some details…

Release Date: 20 March 2010
The Twilight Saga: The New Moon releases to DVD and Blu-ray with the following extras:
- Audio commentary with Director Chris Weitz and Editor Peter Lambert
- Six-part documentary that takes you behind the scenes
- Rehearsal footage with the band Muse
- Music videos from Death Cab for Cutie, Anya Marina, and Mute Math

Related home video titles:

This film continues the story introduced in Twilight. The other movie in the franchise is Twilight Saga: Eclipse.

Teen romance also blossoms between two unlikely characters when a high school troublemaker is forced to take part in the school play to avoid police prosecution in A Walk to Remember. In an earlier career role, Kristen Stewart stars as a distracted teen that is left in charge of her younger brothers in Zathura.

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