SCREEN IT! PARENTAL REVIEW: THE TWILIGHT SAGA: NEW MOON

"THE TWILIGHT SAGA: NEW MOON"
(2009) (Kristen Stewart, Robert Pattinson) (PG-13)

Alcohol/ Drugs	Blood/Gore	Disrespectful/ Bad Attitude	Frightening/ Tense Scenes	Guns/ Weapons
Mild	Moderate	Extreme	Moderate	Mild

Imitative Behavior	Jump Scenes	Music (Scary/Tense)	Music (Inappropriate)	Profanity
Heavy	Mild	Extreme	None	Mild

Sex/ Nudity	Smoking	Tense Family Scenes	Topics To Talk About	Violence
Mild	None	Mild	Heavy	Heavy

QUICK TAKE:: Drama/Horror: A teen must not only contend with her vampire boyfriend suddenly dumping her and moving away, but also the discovery that her best friend is a werewolf.

PLOT:

Bella Swan (KRISTEN STEWART) still lives in Forks, Washington with her dad, Charlie (BILLY BURKE), the local chief of police. It's her 18th birthday and she'd seem to have it all, especially with the love of Edward Cullen (ROBERT PATTINSON), a peaceful vampire who, like the rest of his family that includes parent figures Carlisle (PETER FACINELLI) and Esme (ELIZABETH REASER), as well as siblings Rosalie (NIKKI REED), Emmett (KELLAN LUTZ), Alice (ASHLEY GREENE) and Jasper (JACKSON RATHBONE) -- only feed on the blood of animals.

Yet, since they never age, Edward informs Bella that others are becoming suspicious of Carlisle looking too young and thus all of them must move away. Bella wants to go with them, but just as he refuses to turn her into a fellow vampire as she desires, Edward won't allow that and thus breaks up with her.

She's devastated and falls into deep depression, quickly losing contact with her classmates such as Mike Newton (MICHAEL WELCH) and Jessica Stanley (ANNA KENDRICK). Instead, she turns to her childhood friend, Native American Jacob Black (TAYLOR LAUTNER) who enjoys spending time with her, with it quickly becoming obvious his feelings have turned more romantic. But she's still fixated on Edward, especially now that she's found that engaging in any sort of risky behavior cause visions of him to appear to her, warning her to be safe.

That's especially important since two surviving members of a clan of bad vampires, Victoria (RACHELLE LEFEVRE) and Laurent (EDI GATHEGI), want their revenge on the Cullens, and their best and seemingly easiest option is to kill her. While she might appear vulnerable, she has unexpected allies in the form of a small group of werewolves led by Sam Uley (CHASKE SPENCER). Even more shocking to her is that Jacob is now one of them, and he wrestles with his newfound curse and what means regarding their long friendship and his desire to be with her romantically.

At the same time, and while Charlie and his friend Harry Clearwater (GRAHAM GREENE) head off into the woods to find some supposed man-eating bears, Edward is just as forlorn as Bella. Thinking things have taken a turn for the worse, he then decides to take his own life the only way he can, by angering the Volturi vampire royalty and their leader, Aro (MICHAEL SHEEN).

As Bella tries to stop that while sorting out her feelings toward Jacob and Edward, the tension between the werewolves and vampires increases, thus threatening the truce between them.

WILL KIDS WANT TO SEE IT?: If they're fans of the first movie or book series on which they're based, that's a definite yes.

WHY THE MPAA RATED IT: PG-13: For some violence and action.

CAST AS ROLE MODELS:: KRISTEN STEWART plays an 18-year-old girl who desperately wants to become a vampire like her lover and isn't happy that Edward won't grant her that wish. But that's nothing compared to the deep depression that sets in when he breaks up with her. That causes her to lose contact with her classmates while engaging in risky behavior once she learns doing so causes her to experience apparition type contact with Edward. She must also contend with Jacob wanting to take their friendship in another direction, and then the discovery that he's a werewolf. She's generally unhappy and conflicted throughout most of the film.
ROBERT PATTINSON plays her boyfriend, an immortal vampire who only feeds on the blood of animals and loves her dearly, but knows he must move away to protect her from the bad vampires. To do so, he breaks up with her, but that devastates him just as much as her, especially when he later believes she's dead. Accordingly, he develops suicidal thoughts.
TAYLOR LAUTNER plays Bella's long-time friend who lives on the local Indian reservation and eventually wants to take their relationship to the next level. But he must then contend with the discovery that he's actually a werewolf and thus acknowledged enemy of the vampires. He's often seen shirtless and sports a tattoo.
ASHLEY GREENE plays Edward's sister who can see into the future and has a strong friendship with Bella.
CHASKE SPENCER plays the leader of the werewolves, initially depicted as a bad guy, but we then learn he's a protector of humans from the vampires. He's often seen shirtless and sports a tattoo.
BILLY BURKE plays Bella's dad, the local police chief who's concerned about her mental state.
MICHAEL SHEEN plays the leader of the vampire royalty Volturi who isn't happy with Edward's actions but is intrigued by Bella's mysterious nature.
ANNA KENDRICK plays Bella's self-absorbed friend, while MICHAEL WELCH plays a fellow classmate who likes Bella and asks her on a date, but isn't happy when Jacob comes along.
RACHELLE LEFEVRE and EDI GATHEGI play bad vampires who want to get their revenge on Edward and his clan by killing Bella.; ROBERT PATTINSON plays her boyfriend, an immortal vampire who only feeds on the blood of animals and loves her dearly, but knows he must move away to protect her from the bad vampires. To do so, he breaks up with her, but that devastates him just as much as her, especially when he later believes she's dead. Accordingly, he develops suicidal thoughts.
TAYLOR LAUTNER plays Bella's long-time friend who lives on the local Indian reservation and eventually wants to take their relationship to the next level. But he must then contend with the discovery that he's actually a werewolf and thus acknowledged enemy of the vampires. He's often seen shirtless and sports a tattoo.
ASHLEY GREENE plays Edward's sister who can see into the future and has a strong friendship with Bella.
CHASKE SPENCER plays the leader of the werewolves, initially depicted as a bad guy, but we then learn he's a protector of humans from the vampires. He's often seen shirtless and sports a tattoo.
BILLY BURKE plays Bella's dad, the local police chief who's concerned about her mental state.
MICHAEL SHEEN plays the leader of the vampire royalty Volturi who isn't happy with Edward's actions but is intrigued by Bella's mysterious nature.
ANNA KENDRICK plays Bella's self-absorbed friend, while MICHAEL WELCH plays a fellow classmate who likes Bella and asks her on a date, but isn't happy when Jacob comes along.
RACHELLE LEFEVRE and EDI GATHEGI play bad vampires who want to get their revenge on Edward and his clan by killing Bella.; TAYLOR LAUTNER plays Bella's long-time friend who lives on the local Indian reservation and eventually wants to take their relationship to the next level. But he must then contend with the discovery that he's actually a werewolf and thus acknowledged enemy of the vampires. He's often seen shirtless and sports a tattoo.
ASHLEY GREENE plays Edward's sister who can see into the future and has a strong friendship with Bella.
CHASKE SPENCER plays the leader of the werewolves, initially depicted as a bad guy, but we then learn he's a protector of humans from the vampires. He's often seen shirtless and sports a tattoo.
BILLY BURKE plays Bella's dad, the local police chief who's concerned about her mental state.
MICHAEL SHEEN plays the leader of the vampire royalty Volturi who isn't happy with Edward's actions but is intrigued by Bella's mysterious nature.
ANNA KENDRICK plays Bella's self-absorbed friend, while MICHAEL WELCH plays a fellow classmate who likes Bella and asks her on a date, but isn't happy when Jacob comes along.
RACHELLE LEFEVRE and EDI GATHEGI play bad vampires who want to get their revenge on Edward and his clan by killing Bella.; ASHLEY GREENE plays Edward's sister who can see into the future and has a strong friendship with Bella.
CHASKE SPENCER plays the leader of the werewolves, initially depicted as a bad guy, but we then learn he's a protector of humans from the vampires. He's often seen shirtless and sports a tattoo.
BILLY BURKE plays Bella's dad, the local police chief who's concerned about her mental state.
MICHAEL SHEEN plays the leader of the vampire royalty Volturi who isn't happy with Edward's actions but is intrigued by Bella's mysterious nature.
ANNA KENDRICK plays Bella's self-absorbed friend, while MICHAEL WELCH plays a fellow classmate who likes Bella and asks her on a date, but isn't happy when Jacob comes along.
RACHELLE LEFEVRE and EDI GATHEGI play bad vampires who want to get their revenge on Edward and his clan by killing Bella.; CHASKE SPENCER plays the leader of the werewolves, initially depicted as a bad guy, but we then learn he's a protector of humans from the vampires. He's often seen shirtless and sports a tattoo.
BILLY BURKE plays Bella's dad, the local police chief who's concerned about her mental state.
MICHAEL SHEEN plays the leader of the vampire royalty Volturi who isn't happy with Edward's actions but is intrigued by Bella's mysterious nature.
ANNA KENDRICK plays Bella's self-absorbed friend, while MICHAEL WELCH plays a fellow classmate who likes Bella and asks her on a date, but isn't happy when Jacob comes along.
RACHELLE LEFEVRE and EDI GATHEGI play bad vampires who want to get their revenge on Edward and his clan by killing Bella.; BILLY BURKE plays Bella's dad, the local police chief who's concerned about her mental state.
MICHAEL SHEEN plays the leader of the vampire royalty Volturi who isn't happy with Edward's actions but is intrigued by Bella's mysterious nature.
ANNA KENDRICK plays Bella's self-absorbed friend, while MICHAEL WELCH plays a fellow classmate who likes Bella and asks her on a date, but isn't happy when Jacob comes along.
RACHELLE LEFEVRE and EDI GATHEGI play bad vampires who want to get their revenge on Edward and his clan by killing Bella.; MICHAEL SHEEN plays the leader of the vampire royalty Volturi who isn't happy with Edward's actions but is intrigued by Bella's mysterious nature.
ANNA KENDRICK plays Bella's self-absorbed friend, while MICHAEL WELCH plays a fellow classmate who likes Bella and asks her on a date, but isn't happy when Jacob comes along.
RACHELLE LEFEVRE and EDI GATHEGI play bad vampires who want to get their revenge on Edward and his clan by killing Bella.; ANNA KENDRICK plays Bella's self-absorbed friend, while MICHAEL WELCH plays a fellow classmate who likes Bella and asks her on a date, but isn't happy when Jacob comes along.
RACHELLE LEFEVRE and EDI GATHEGI play bad vampires who want to get their revenge on Edward and his clan by killing Bella.; RACHELLE LEFEVRE and EDI GATHEGI play bad vampires who want to get their revenge on Edward and his clan by killing Bella.

CAST, CREW, & TECHNICAL INFO

HOW OTHERS RATED THIS MOVIE

Curious if this title is entertaining, any good, and/or has any artistic merit?
Then read OUR TAKE of this film.

(Note: The "Our Take" review of this title examines the film's artistic merits and does not take into account any of the possibly objectionable material listed below).

OUR WORD TO PARENTS:

The following is a brief summary of the content found in this drama/horror film that's been rated PG-13. Profanity consists of at least 11 uses of hell, while a few other expletives and various colorful phrases are also uttered. A young couple kisses on various occasions (but nothing graphic), while various young men are often seen shirtless and a little bit of cleavage is present.

Violence consists of supernatural-based fighting (some involving death including the non-graphic beheading of a character) and some accidental injuries. There are some bloody results from that, while those scenes, moments of potential peril and some visuals of monsters might be unsettling, suspenseful and/or scary for some viewers. Some of the action and other behavior might be enticing for kids to imitate, while bad attitudes are present as is some tense family material. Thematic elements (including that related to suicidal thoughts) are present, as is some brief beer drinking.

Should you still be concerned about the film's appropriateness for yourself or anyone else in your home, you may want to look more closely at our detailed listings for more specific information regarding the film's content.

For those prone to visually induced motion sickness, there are varying amounts of camera movement (as well as some spin-around and running/chasing point of view shots) at various points in the film. For those with vertigo issues, there's a scene where Bella looks down a sheer cliff to the sea below.

ALCOHOL OR DRUG USE: In a painting of the Volturi, we see a figure with a goblet raised (but we don't see or know what's in it).
Some punks call out to Bella and Jessica that they have beer and bikes, and we see a few holding bottles of beer (outside in the town).
Charlie has a beer.

BLOOD/GORE: We see split-second flashback images of violence at the end of the first movie (hitting, struggling, and Bella getting a bite on the arm -- with bloody results -- to save her life).
We see a flashback to a vampire grabbing the head of another character (causing veins to start protruding in it) and then yanking that off (we don't see any blood, or the severed head).
Bella accidentally gets a paper cut and we see blood drip down to the floor. That quickly arouses Jasper's vampire instincts and he charges toward her. To protect her, Edward shoves her backwards (unintentionally causing a bloody wound to her arm). We then see a close-up of that wound as Carlisle sews it up, with blood also seen in a water bowl as well as some gauze that was used on the wound.
Bella takes off on a motorcycle, loses control and wipes out. She falls off the bike and hits her head on a rock, bloodying her head (with blood then on her hand after she touches that).
While watching a violent movie (we don't see the footage), Mike says he's going to throw up and rushes off to the bathroom (we don't see anything related after that beyond him coming out of the restroom and looking ill).
We briefly see an image of a dead person or vampire on the ground with a werewolf near the body (no blood that we saw).
Sam's fiancée has old, large claw mark scars on her face (from him briefly losing his temper sometime in the past -- not seen).
During a fight, Edward is slammed to the floor, cracking it, while his face also cracks but then instantly heals.

DISRESPECTFUL/BAD ATTITUDE: We see a flashback to some punks bothering Bella in the first movie.
Victoria and Laurent want to get revenge on the Cullens by killing Bella.
About Mike getting sick from watching a violent movie, Jacob sarcastically states, "What a marshmallow." Moments later, he's suddenly and surprisingly mean and angry toward Mike (the beginning of his transformation into becoming a werewolf).
Jacob and Alice have bad attitudes toward each other.

FRIGHTENING SCENES: Scenes listed under "Violence," "Blood/Gore" and "Jump Scenes" may be unsettling, suspenseful or scary to younger viewers and/or those with low tolerance levels for such material. The same holds true for the notion and/or sight of the vampires and werewolves.
Bella has a nightmare where she's running through a crowd, frantic to get somewhere, and then ends up out in a field where she sees an old woman across the way. They eventually come face to face and Bella then realizes it's her as an old woman, while Edward is still young and handsome.
We see glowing werewolf eyes and exhaled breath in the woods at night.
Thinking acting risky will allow her to summon Edward (or at least talking visions of him), Bella takes various risks at various points in the film, including accepting a ride on the back of a motorcycle of a questionable stranger. As he speeds along a deserted street at night, she freaks out and makes him stop.
Bella has various nightmares that leave her screaming in real life in bed, thus alarming her dad.
We see Sam and his followers shirtless up on a seaside cliff. They push one member off that, and Bella is alarmed, but Jacob explains they're cliff diving and not hurting the guy.
Laurent confronts Bella where she's out in a field by herself. As visions of Edward tell Bella to bluff her way through this peril, the bad vampire knows her protection is not around, and he states he's going to kill her. As he raises his arm and she closes her eyes, a huge and menacing werewolf suddenly comes out of the woods and then gives chase, as do others (including one that briefly stares at Bella before joining the chase).
Bella purposefully leaps off a tall cliff into the sea below. She's okay from that, but large waves crash into her, sending her under the surface. There, she sees Victoria swimming underwater toward her, and Bella recoils back, hits her heads on some rocks, and is knocked out. We then see an image of Edward floating near her as she sinks, followed by Jacob pulling her from the sea and briefly performing CPR on her until she comes to.
Jacob worries that Bella is in danger, but states he can't protect her inside her house. She goes in anyway, in the dark, and when she turns on the light, Alice is right there (but not in a bad way).
Bella rushes through a crowded village, hoping to stop Edward before he reveals himself to the public as a vampire and thus cause the Volturi to have no choice but to kill him (that being Edward's way of committing suicide since he thinks Bella is dead).
Bella learns that if Edward or anyone in his family bites her (to turn her into a vampire as she desires), that means the truce between the Cullen vampire clan and the werewolves will be over.

GUNS/WEAPONS: We see an old sketch that shows the image of a dagger that's sticking out of a figure's eye socket.
Bella lies that guns and adventure are her thing when it comes to movies, so she, Jacob and Mike attend such a movie. We don't see any footage, but hear guns being cocked and then fired.
Charlie, Harry and others carry rifles as they hunt for the killer "bears" in the woods. When Victoria suddenly shows up behind Charlie, Harry aims his rifle, but she's instantly at him, lifting Harry off the ground by his throat.

IMITATIVE BEHAVIOR: Phrases: "Hello, biceps," an incomplete "Piece of crap," "It's scaring the hell out of me," "Dude," "What the hell /is wrong with you/were you doing out in the woods/are you doing/were you thinking?" "You're insane," "God, that was such a rush," "Awesome," "Loser," "Where the hell have you been?" "Age is just a number, baby," "I'm not into the whole cougar thing," "Scary as hell," "Hall monitors on steroids," "Kinda starting to freak me out," "You're just trying to get lucky," "I heard it sucks," "Or I'll blow your freaking head off," "What a marshmallow," "Dude is weird," "My kung-fu is strong," "I guess the wolf's out of the bag," "Will you shut up?" "Chick," "Freaked out yet?" "You're good with weird," "It's a wolf thing," "Why in the hell would you try to kill yourself?" "What is that God-awful, wet dog smell?" "You and your pack of mutts," "You can go to Hell," "Hell yeah" and "You stay the hell out of my head."
The fighting, action and other stunts might be enticing for some kids to try to imitate.
Jacob, Sam and other young men are often seen shirtless.
Thinking acting risky will allow her to summon Edward (or at least talking visions of him), Bella takes various risks at various points in the film, including accepting a ride on the back of a motorcycle of a questionable stranger.
We see Sam and his followers shirtless up on a seaside cliff. They push one member off that, and Bella is alarmed, but Jacob explains they're cliff diving and not hurting the guy.
Sam has a large tattoo on his shoulder.
Jacob has a new tattoo on his shoulder after joining Sam's group.
Jacob does various quick acrobatic moves up a tree and the side of a house to get into Bella's bedroom window. After they briefly talk, he jumps out the second story window and lands on the ground without injuring himself.
Bella purposefully leaps off a tall cliff into the sea below.
Edward tries to commit suicide by angering the Volturi in the hopes that they'll kill him.

JUMP SCENES: A werewolf suddenly knocks Victoria aside.
Jacob worries that Bella is in danger, but states he can't protect her inside her house. She goes in anyway, in the dark, and when she turns on the light, Alice is right there (but not in a bad way).

MUSIC (SCARY/TENSE): An extreme amount of ominous and suspenseful music plays in the film.

MUSIC (INAPPROPRIATE): None.

PROFANITY: At least 11 hells, 1 damn, 1 incomplete crap, 3 uses of "Oh my God," 2 of "God" and 1 use of "God-awful."

SEX/NUDITY: Bell and Edward briefly passionately kiss (clothed and standing).
Alice shows some cleavage.
Bella and Edward kiss again (clothed and standing).
Jessica shows some cleavage.
A shirtless Sam carries Bella back to her dad after she's been missing for a while.
About Jacob's friends who are younger than her, Bella jokes that she's not into the whole "cougar" thing.
We see Sam and his followers shirtless up on a seaside cliff.
Jacob removes his shirt to use it to apply pressure on Bella's head wound (she's okay and the scene is meant to titillate by showing off his buff body).
About a story one of Bella's male friends is telling the group, a female friend jokes that the guy is just trying to get lucky.
We see Bella's bare lower back as her shirt rides up a bit.
We see Jacob shirtless in the rain.
Laurent's shirt is open, revealing his bare chest.
We see Jacob shirtless again.
Sam and his male crew are seen shirtless again.
Jacob and Bella nearly kiss, in different scenes, but stop or are interrupted right before their lips touch.
We see a brief image of Edward shirtless.
We see Edward shirtless as he's about to commit suicide, but Bella stops him, hugs him, and the two kiss like that (standing, she fully clothed).
Edward and Bella passionately kiss in her bedroom while she's in bed under the covers and he's kneeling beside the bed.
We see Jacob shirtless.

SMOKING: None.

TENSE FAMILY SCENES: A shirtless Sam carries Bella back to her dad after she's been missing for a while, thus worrying him.
Charlie is concerned about Bella's nightmares (that lead her to audible screaming) as well as depression regarding Edward breaking up with her. At one point, he wants to send her back to live with her mom, but Bella says she'll be okay.

TOPICS TO TALK ABOUT: Dealing with romantic and friendship break-ups.
Edward comments on being jealous of humans having the option of suicide, whereas his kind doesn't. He later tries to arrange a unique version of that for himself.
Thinking acting risky will allow her to summon Edward (or at least talking visions of him), Bella takes various risks at various points in the film, including accepting a ride on the back of a motorcycle of a questionable stranger.
The comment that age is just a number.
The comment that you have to learn to love what's good for you.
Bella uses a car analogy to explain herself to Jacob in that she's never going to run right.
The analogy of the werewolves' quick transitions to their animal sides related to people who are quick to fly off the handle and use violence.

VIOLENCE: We see split-second flashback images of violence at the end of the first movie (hitting, struggling, and Bella getting a bite on the arm -- with bloody results -- to save her life).
We see a flashback to a vampire grabbing the head of another character (causing veins to start protruding in it) and then yanking that off (we don't see any blood, or the severed head).
Bella accidentally gets a paper cut and we see blood drip down to the floor. That quickly arouses Jasper's vampire instincts and he charges toward her. To protect her, Edward shoves her backwards (unintentionally causing a bloody wound to her arm) and then blasts Jasper across the room where he lands on and crushes a piano.
Bella lies that guns and adventure are her thing when it comes to movies, so she, Jacob and Mike attend such a movie. We don't see any footage, but hear guns being cocked and then fired.
Bella takes off on a motorcycle, loses control and wipes out. She falls off the bike and hits her head on a rock, bloodying her head (with blood then on her hand after she touches that).
There's talk of hikers being killed by bears in the woods, but we don't see any of that and later learn it's not bears that are responsible.
Laurent knocks one pursuing werewolf aside while he's chased.
Mad at Sam for indoctrinating Jacob into his group, Bella pushes him backwards and then slaps one of his followers. That causes that teen to turn into a werewolf, prompting Jacob to change as well so that he can protect Bella. The two werewolves then viciously fight through a field and then into the woods, biting at, hitting and tumbling around each other (later both are okay with no hard feelings).
We see a brief flashback image of the werewolves attacking and biting Laurent in the woods (no blood).
Charlie, Harry and others carry rifles as they hunt for the killer "bears" in the woods. When Victoria suddenly shows up behind Charlie, Harry aims his rifle, but she's instantly at him, lifting Harry off the ground by his throat. Just then, a werewolf knocks her down and then gives chase, as do others (we then see Charlie giving Harry CPR, but later hear Harry had a heart attack from this and has died).
Bella purposefully leaps off a tall cliff into the sea below. She's okay from that, but large waves crash into her, sending her under the surface. There, she sees Victoria swimming underwater toward her, and Bella recoils back, hits her heads on some rocks, and is knocked out.
Thinking Bella is dead, Edward crushes a cell phone in his hand.
We see a brief image of a neck being snapped.
A telepathic vampire causes Edward pain using her mind, but can't do the same to Bella.
Edward hits one vampire, but is then thrown back, followed by a fight with him and others (during which one grabs Alice by the throat to prevent her from helping Edward). As the fight continues, Edward is slammed down hard to the floor, cracking it (while his face also cracks and then instantly heals). He's also thrown back against a wall and then slammed down hard onto some steps. The other vampire then grabs Edward's neck to break it, but Bella offers herself to be killed and the fight stops.
We see vampires leading unaware tourists to their doom, and then hear the group screaming when they're attacked (not seen).
Edward knocks Jacob backwards, with Jacob then turning into a menacing werewolf, but Bella gets between them and nothing else violent happens.

Reviewed November 18, 2009 / Posted November 20, 2009

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