HYPEBy Lin Zicheng
If you thought that Stephanie Meyer‘s Twilight series is all about a steamy fairytale romance between a perfect vampire and a regular teenage human girl, New Moon will definitely make you think twice.
Compared to its fluffy romantic prequel, New Moon is driven by the internal turmoil and paranoia that faces Bella when Edward leaves her abruptly after the fact that Edward and his family are endangering Bella.
Shortly after, Bella sinks into a brooding depression for most parts of the book, where she befriends a werewolf Jacob. The complicated relationship results in a messy love triangle between Edward, Bella and Jacob.
Instead of Catherine Hardwicke, the film adaptation of New Moon will be directed by Chris Weitz (The Golden Compass) due to “time restrictions”. Fans of the first movie will be thrilled to know that both Kristen Stewart and Robert Pattinson reprise their roles as Bella and Edward.
Also, Taylor Lautner rejoins the cast as the werewolf Jacob Black, after much confusion when his name was not listed in the initial official cast list. Due to Taylor’s underdeveloped frame, he was deemed unable to physically portray the transformation of Jacob to a werewolf. That has changed since Taylor began working out and putting on the pounds.
Another member of the cast to look out for is Dakota Fanning, who is the latest addition to the vampire brood as she plays the Vulturi guard Jane with the ability to torture people with illusions of pain.
So, with stellar additions made to the original cast, what can fans expect in this sequel to the phenomenal Twilight film, which grossed almost US$400 million worldwide since its release in 2008?
There will be action from both werewolves and vampires. Chris Weitz has promised in an official press release to protect the characters, themes and story that captivated fans in the first place. But it remains to be seen if New Moon will bring something more to the game, or just be another one of those sequels that are in it for the fans’ money.
Fans were quick to point out one tiny problem though: How would Edward be portrayed in the upcoming film, since he plays a minor role in the book, appearing only to Bella in short dream sequences? In a nod to Robert Pattinson’s star power, the director has responded to this by extending those dream sequences to give him more screen time.
Still, you have to admit that with such attractive leads, a big budget and a commercially viable storyline, New Moon is pretty much guaranteed a top spot at the box office. So while you wait for the arrival of one of the most anticipated movies of the year, be sure to get your daily vampire fix by reading or rereading the books that started it all.
New Moon will hit the silver screens on Dec 20.