The Twilight Saga: New Moon

January 9, 2011 - A werewolf and a vampire compete for the love of a sullen teenager in this 2009 sequel to Twilight. Robert Pattinson and Kristen Stewart reprise their roles as Edward and Bella. Taylor Lautner is Jacob, the young werewolf.

As the movie opens, Bella (Stewart) is celebrating her 18th birthday. Edward (Pattinson) and his family of vampires decide to throw a little party for her. But, things get out of control when Bella cuts herself and one of the vampires loses control. Edward protects Bella but, soon after, he and the rest of the Cullen clan pack up and leave town. Edward's parting words to Bella warn her against doing anything reckless.

Edward's departure throws Bella into a funk. She starts to come out of it by doing exactly what Edward told her not to do. Also, she starts hanging out with her slightly younger friend Jacob, who turns out to be a teenage werewolf with some really good abs. He loves Bella, but she still pines for vampire Edward, who is prepared to do something really stupid because he's miserable without Bella.

Overall review: ** The movie isn't terrible, but it clocks in at 2:15, which is longer than it needed to be. It also seems to lack the energy of the first film. Maybe that's because the overall mood here is one of heartache rather than the rush of new love. The film does, however, serve the purpose of moving the plot along and it ends with a little bit of a cliffhanger to keep fans interested.