The Twilight Saga: New Moon (2009)

If you're like me you've been waiting for the The Twilight Saga: New Moon DVD to hit store shelves since the movie came to an end in theatres. So to no one's surprise I rushed out to get my copy as soon as it was released.

If you've been living under a rock for the past two years this cultural phenomenon that has set women's hearts a flutter is the brainchild of author Stephanie Meyer. While it's true the The Twilight Saga is geared to the female persuasion due to its forbidden romances in a Romeo and Juliet updated kind of way, only with humans, vampires and werewolves as central plot figures, I think men can find much to like about the series.

If you missed the theatre screenings of New Moon, the second installment of the series picks up where the previous Twilight left off: Edward (Robert Pattinson) and Bella (Kristen Stewart) walking around the sun starved Pacific Northwest, professing their everlasting love to one another. Things get a little crazy because it's Bella's birthday and she will technically be one year older than Edward. This causes Bella to have anxiety about being a “cougar” as she ages and Edward remains handsomely young. Trouble soon follows when at a birthday celebration with the vampire Cullen clan when Bella exposes the family to a paper cut, causing some of the Cullens to lose their self-control. It did make me wonder though that most of these Cullen “kids” go to school where you'd think on occasion they may be exposed to blood, but I digress.

The incident seems to trigger the departure of the Cullens from Forks, and a rather nasty break-up, that leaves Bella having nightmares, and rather sullen. Bella soon finds that exposing herself to high risks evokes images of Edward, who in a creepy mirage kind of way tries to discourage her from taking risks.

The highlight of the flick of course is watching the budding friendship between Bella and Jacob Black (Taylor Lautner)… a soon to be werewolf. The timing of this, of course, couldn't have been worse because as soon as Jacob was about to get the “friendship” he really wants with Bella, he gets the fever that turns him into a werewolf and he must put his desires on the backburner. We then find out that the werewolves in Forks are there to protect the humans from the bloodsuckers that from time to time wander into the area. A highlight of the flick is that Jacob and his werewolf buddies spend a considerable amount of screen time bare-chested in knee length shorts, and boy, is he ripped. These aren't your grandfather's Lon Chaney Jr. typical werewolf characters.

And while most people sympathize with Edward, I just can't get past the white pasty face and thought of cold hands touching me. No, I like my men a little hairy and warm like Jacob.

Things get a little crazy at the end when Edward thinks Bella has died and he's off to Italy to have himself killed by the ruling vampires. Needless to say Bella rushes to Italy to save the day, and the romance is soon restored. We're left with the lasting image of Bella loving two men but choosing Edward… and having her dream of becoming a vampire in the future agreed to by the Cullen clan.

On the two disc DVD release of New Moon, you can enjoy a behind-the-scenes documentary that takes you all around the landscapes, showing the making of the movie, the development of the characters' wardrobe and other insights into the movie. There's a six-part making of that helps generate a greater insight into the movie. There's also a commentary provided by director Chris Weitz and editor Peter Lambert, guiding viewers through the production process. If you like the soundtrack you can soak up music videos by Death Cab for Cutie, Anya Marina and Mute Math, plus special Twilight-inspired band-rehearsal footage of Muse. The highlights of these special features though for me is being able to see the actors out of character on set and discussing their roles and the impact the series has had on them.

If you're a fan of Twilight I suggest you go out and pick up the DVD if you haven't already, you won't be disappointed.