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THE TWILIGHT SAGA: NEW MOONMovie Reviews
Dramatic thriller romance and second in the series about a young woman who pines when she is separated from her vampire beloved, until she befriends another young man who happens to have a supernatural secret. Cast:Kristen Stewart, Robert Pattinson, Taylor Lautner, Ashley Greene, Rachelle LefevreDirector:Chris WeitzRelease Date:November 20, 2009DVD Release:March 20, 2010From:Summit EntertainmentRating:PG-13Length:2 hr. 10 min.
The Twilight Saga: New Moon played to moderate reviews. • Moira Macdonald wrote in the Seattle Times, "...an earnest yet often unintentionally funny depiction of the perils of youthful romance.... gives fans exactly what they want but doesn't offer too much for the rest of us." • And Lisa Schwarzbaum wrote in Entertainment Weekly, "...a durable, recognizably faithful adaptation..." More Reviews Below...
The Twilight Saga: New Moon Positive Reviews (42 Reviews, reviews below)
Leah Rozen, People: MODERATE(cg) "You'd have to be an already ardent 'Twilight' fan -- girls and moms, you know who you are -- to get moony over this teen twaddle."(See all of Leah Rozen's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 191 words, 11/19/09
Nancy Gibbs, Time: GOOD "Taylor Lautner's Jacob is warm, tawny, genial and able to get Kristen Stewart's shrink-wrapped Bella to stretch out and relax a little onscreen."(See all of Nancy Gibbs's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 836 words, 11/20/09
Louisa Thomas, Newsweek: FAIR "...could have been as brave a movie as the first... If only director Chris Weitz had managed to tease out the real drama -- Bella's fear of aging -- instead of a tired one."(See all of Louisa Thomas's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 696 words, 11/20/09
David Germain, Associated Press: WEAK(cg) "The real rivalry between the werewolves and vampires is to see which species can behave with greater preposterousness and pretension.... boring, eternally so."(See all of David Germain's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 817 words, 11/19/09
Claudia Puig, USA Today: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "The werewolves have it all over the blood-suckers... When these oversize, hirsute creatures burst onto the screen, they inject life into a rather inert story."(See all of Claudia Puig's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 601 words, 11/20/09
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NEW YORK/LOS ANGELES/CHICAGO/TORONTO (13 Reviews)
Manohla Dargis, New York Times: WEAK "...juiceless, near bloodless... Alas, Bella, whose palpable hunger for Edward gave the first movie much of its energy and interest, has been tamped down..."(See all of Manohla Dargis's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 970 words, 11/20/09
Elizabeth Weitzman, New York Daily News: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "...if you've come to this movie looking for fancy filmmaking or an original voice (other than Stephenie Meyer's), well, director Chris Weitz frankly doesn't care."(See all of Elizabeth Weitzman's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 392 words, 11/19/09
Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times: POOR(cg) "...takes the tepid achievement of 'Twilight' (2008), guts it, and leaves it for undead.... this experience is like driving a pickup in low gear though a sullen sea of Brylcreem."(See all of Roger Ebert's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 710 words, 11/19/09
Kenneth Turan, Los Angeles Times: MODERATE "...marks the franchise's entrance into the self-protective, don't rock the boat phase of its existence, which is inevitable but a bit of a shame."(See all of Kenneth Turan's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 680 words, 11/19/09
Kyle Smith, New York Post: WEAK(cg) "...it's supposed to be an exciting love story plus monster action. So where's the excitement? Where's the action?... moves like the line at the post office."(See all of Kyle Smith's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 499 words, 11/19/09
Michael Phillips, Chicago Tribune: VERY GOOD(cg) "...pretty good... Weitz lets the material breathe, and his actors interact. The film does not try to eat you alive. Kristen Stewart and Robert Pattinson are interesting to watch."(See all of Michael Phillips's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 612 words, 11/19/09
Rafer Guzman, New York Newsday: MODERATE(cg) "...seems almost perversely obsessed with self-denial... This is a teen movie whose climax involves a desperate rush to keep clothes on, not tear them off."(See all of Rafer Guzman's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 375 words, 11/19/09
David Edelstein, New York Magazine: MODERATE "Kristen Stewart is, as always, lovely and believable... But director Chris Weitz's compositions have no spark, though, and his pacing is flaccid..."(See all of David Edelstein's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 836 words, 11/19/09
Liam Lacey, Toronto Globe & Mail: MODERATE(cg) "Scenes that adults can only snigger at their suggestiveness may still delight younger female fans, who can enjoy collectively screaming along to onscreen tease."(See all of Liam Lacey's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 719 words, 11/19/09
Ella Taylor, Village Voice/LA Weekly: WEAK "...professional filmmaking applied to sub-literary euphemistic trash, in this case couched in the jejune crush-fantasies of a Mormon mom stranded at home..."(See all of Ella Taylor's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 591 words, 11/19/09
Norman Wilner, Toronto Now: WEAK(cg) "Michael Sheen, in a brief appearance as vampire royalty, totally gets it, but by that point it's too late to do anything but ride it out..."(See all of Norman Wilner's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 414 words, 11/19/09
KEY CITIES (16 Reviews)
Michael O'Sullivan, Washington Post: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "Despite melodrama that, at times, is enough to induce diabetes, there's enough wolf whistle in this sexy, scary romp to please anyone."(See all of Michael O'Sullivan's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 683 words, 11/20/09
Mick LaSalle, Houston Chronicle/San Francisco Chronicle: MODERATE(cg) "...people will watch this second installment and think, 'What was that?'... this movie is not really a movie. It's an excuse for a lot of people to dream."(See all of Mick LaSalle's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 824 words, 11/20/09
Joy Tipping, Dallas Morning News: WEAK(cg) "...an instant inductee into the Putrid Movie Hall of Fame.... bears little of the sass or humor that made the first one so much fun."(See all of Joy Tipping's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 663 words, 11/20/09
Bill Goodykoontz, Arizona Republic: MODERATE(cg) "It's too long, it's poorly acted, the story's clunky and the dialogue is laughable.... 'New Moon' at least has more of a sense of humor..."(See all of Bill Goodykoontz's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 626 words, 11/19/09
Carrie Rickey, Philadelphia Inquirer: VERY GOOD(cg) "...swoony... a potent stew of fairy tale and romance-novel fantasy set in the primeval woods of the American Northwest."(See all of Carrie Rickey's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 490 words, 11/20/09
Ty Burr, Boston Globe: MODERATE(cg) "Sorry, girls: The thrill is gone.... an anemic comedown after the full-blooded swoon of 'Twilight'.... a sequel that's a morning-after mope-fest."(See all of Ty Burr's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 756 words, 11/20/09
Moira Macdonald, Seattle Times: MODERATE(cg) "...an earnest yet often unintentionally funny depiction of the perils of youthful romance.... gives fans exactly what they want but doesn't offer too much for the rest..."(See all of Moira Macdonald's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 639 words, 11/20/09
Julie E. Washington, Cleveland Plain-Dealer: EXCELLENT(cg) "...fans will be too busy squealing to notice that 'New Moon' is a richer and more enjoyable movie than its predecessor. Just go with earplugs in hand."(See all of Julie E. Washington's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 438 words, 11/20/09
Mike Russell, Portland Oregonian: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "...solidly crafted and insults its audience quite a bit less than its predecessor, and it sets up several nice emotionally complicated cliffhangers for the next installment."(See all of Mike Russell's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 1,196 words, 11/20/09
Kevin C. Johnson, St. Louis Post-Dispatch: VERY GOOD(cg) "...feels new, often in ways that are good for the series.... fresh without sacrificing what fans liked about the original movie, and the special effects are more convincing."(See all of Kevin C. Johnson's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 441 words, 11/20/09
Steve Persall, St. Petersburg Times: WEAK(cg) "...you have to admit that this is an improvement over the first 'Twilight' flick, which is kind of like saying you prefer e.coli to swine flu."(See all of Steve Persall's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 590 words, 11/20/09
Roger Moore, Orlando Sentinel: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "...a movie in on the joke that the most luscious girl in a rural Forks, Washington, might be fought over by pale, aged vampires and buff, Native American werewolves."(See all of Roger Moore's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 766 words, 11/19/09
Rene Rodriguez, Miami Herald: MODERATE(cg) "What came across as intriguing and underplayed in the first film feels silly and clichéd... reminds you what a terrific job Catherine Hardwicke did directing the first..."(See all of Rene Rodriguez's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 252 words, 11/20/09
Carla Meyer, Sacramento Bee: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "Infinitely more polished and better acted than its predecessor... still suffers from the goofiness that hampered 'Twilight.' "(See all of Carla Meyer's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 360 words, 11/20/09
ALTERNATIVE/INDIE PRESS (6 Reviews)
Ella Taylor, Village Voice/LA Weekly: WEAK "...professional filmmaking applied to sub-literary euphemistic trash, in this case couched in the jejune crush-fantasies of a Mormon mom stranded at home..."(See all of Ella Taylor's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 591 words, 11/19/09
Peter Travers, Rolling Stone: MODERATE(cg) "I can't comment on the acting because I didn't catch Pattinson, Stewart and Lautner doing any. They basically primp and pose through the same humdrum motions..."(See all of Peter Travers's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 220 words, 11/27/09
Norman Wilner, Toronto Now: WEAK(cg) "Michael Sheen, in a brief appearance as vampire royalty, totally gets it, but by that point it's too late to do anything but ride it out..."(See all of Norman Wilner's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 414 words, 11/19/09
HIGHBROW PRESS (3 Reviews)
Manohla Dargis, New York Times: WEAK "...juiceless, near bloodless... Alas, Bella, whose palpable hunger for Edward gave the first movie much of its energy and interest, has been tamped down..."(See all of Manohla Dargis's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 970 words, 11/20/09
David Edelstein, NPR Fresh Air: WEAK "...a small, rather turgid romantic horror film that under different circumstances would barely attract notice... an overwrought view of the peril of surrendering to the flesh."(See all of David Edelstein's reviews...)(Listen to the full review...) 310 seconds, 11/20/09
Kenneth Turan, Los Angeles Times: MODERATE "...marks the franchise's entrance into the self-protective, don't rock the boat phase of its existence, which is inevitable but a bit of a shame."(See all of Kenneth Turan's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 680 words, 11/19/09
MOVIE INDUSTRY (4 Reviews)
Jordan Mintzer, Daily Variety: GOOD "...as good as 'Twilight' and arguably a shade better... indisputably darker in its depiction of the throes and woes of adolescent love..."(See all of Jordan Mintzer's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 909 words, 11/18/09
Kenneth Turan, Los Angeles Times: MODERATE "...marks the franchise's entrance into the self-protective, don't rock the boat phase of its existence, which is inevitable but a bit of a shame."(See all of Kenneth Turan's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 680 words, 11/19/09
Manohla Dargis, New York Times: WEAK "...juiceless, near bloodless... Alas, Bella, whose palpable hunger for Edward gave the first movie much of its energy and interest, has been tamped down..."(See all of Manohla Dargis's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 970 words, 11/20/09
17.4 Percentage Points Average Difference Between Reviews (Norm is 18.4pp; <18.4pp = More Consistent; >18.4pp = More Mixed)
The Twilight Saga: New Moon's reviews are separated by an average 17.4 percentage points. The norm for this measure is 18.4 percentage points. Less than 18.4 indicates more consistent reviews; greater than 18.4 indicates more mixed reviews. In the chart below, each dot represents a review, with the dots at the top more positive than the dots at the bottom. From left to right, the dots represent reviews in big, bigger and biggest publications. Roll over each dot for more detail.
The Twilight Saga: New Moon (42 reviews) Roll over dots for each review
Coverage:The Twilight Saga: New Moon's reviews cover 85.8% of potential readers (average is 67.9%). Volume:The film's reviews total 24,938 words involume (average is 20,172 words). Length:The film's reviews average 594 words in length (the norm is 517 words).
The Twilight Saga: New Moon Coverage, Volume & Length (42 Reviews, reviews below)
Reviews Broke 7.4 Hours After Release (Norm is 1.2 Release)
The Twilight Saga: New Moon's reviews on average broke 7.4 hours after opening. Norm for this measure is 1.2 hours before. The chart below shows reviews on opening day and the days before and after opening; the left side is earlier and the right side is later. The red bars extending above the horizontal mid-line represent more positive reviews, and the red bars extending below represent more negative reviews. The white space/red bar in the middle is The Twilight Saga: New Moon's opening day. Click on any bar for a list of the reviews for that day.
The Twilight Saga: New Moon (42 reviews, click on bars for reviews)
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