I have to say, I was pleasantly surprised.

Walking into the theater to see New Moon this afternoon I’d had my doubts about the movie. I’d read the reviews and watched all of the trailers and clips and reread the book (well, reread all the books really) and I was half expecting the movie to leave me wanting more.

And yet I was as engaged in the movie from start to finish, the same as I was with the book.

That’s not to say that the movie followed the book perfectly - movie adaptations rarely ever do justice to their literary counterparts - but the acting and cinematic momentum of New Moon was undeniably captivating.

The basic plot of New Moon is not thoroughly action-oriented. In fact, it’s character relationships and interactions that drive a large part of the story. It begins with a celebration. Bella (Kristen Stewart) is turning 18 and her new vampiric family, The Cullens, throw her a little shindig. Unfortunately, a minor accident (oopsie, Bella gets a paper cut!) during the festivities causes Jasper (Jackson Rathbone) to lose control and Edward (Robert Pattinson) and the rest of the Cullens have to grab their newest family member and make like a tree before there’s a feeding frenzy.

It’s all too much for Edward to bare and he decides that the safest thing for Bella is to leave her. The Cullens take off and Edward leaves a dazed and heartbroken Bella behind to try and restart her life all over again in Forks, Washington - as if he’d never existed.

Well, Bella doesn’t exactly handle the loss too well and after a few catatonic months finds herself seeking danger and foolhardy risk taking in order to cope cause, um, she sees and hears Edward whenever she starts to do something dangerous. But she’s not crazy, right?

Anyway, in Edward’s absence Bella also finds solace in a renewed friendship with Jacob Black (Taylor Lautner), her childhood friend from the nearby Quileute reservation.

Of course, things can never be simple. There’s more to Jacob than just a warm smile and bulging biceps and soon, not only is Bella struggling to get over Edward and figure out her true feelings for Jacob, she has to also come to terms with the fact that Mr. Black moonlights on all-fours and that he and his packmates are tracking the vengence-seeking Victoria (Rachelle Lefevre) who has it in for Bella. Edward put the smackdown on Victoria’s mate James when James tried to kill Bella and Victoria thinks there should be an eye for an eye.

…And then more things happen. I won’t go into more detail because I think you all should see the movie and read the Twilight series.

However, I will say a few things about the movie. One, I think Bella wore more makeup than was absolutely necessary in the movie. I mean, she’s supposed to be a plain, no frills kind of girl and there were a few times in the movie where she’s napping in eyeshadow, lipstick and blush.

And, I rarely come across a movie where an actor, not an actress, is showing too much skin (and no, I’m actually not about to complain about the Quileute wolfpack running around in human form bare-chested) but in one of the last scenes in the movie, Edward removes a cloak and bares his chest and his pants are so low on his body I did a double-take. I’m not saying that he was obscene…but almost. Had he been standing with his back to the camera I would have most definitely seen more of his rear end than I’m comfortable with.

In the end, it’s a move to see for Twilight fans. For those of you who saw the first film and thought, “well, I would have liked this had it not been so hokey - I mean, sparkly vampires and what was with that part where he calls Bella ‘Spider monkey‘?” I can safely say that New Moon is a hokey pokey step up, exuding a realness within all its make-believe and monsters that grabs viewers and keeps them watching from beginning to end (even if secretly, they only agreed to see the movie because their girlfriend’s begged them.)

And in case you’re wondering, I’m still Team Edward. (Read, A Friendly Suggestion to hear more on my views of Twilight and the Team Edward/Jacob phenomenon.

Tell me what you thought of the movie and what you think of the books. Are you a fan? Do you think author Stephenie Meyer doesn’t hold a candle to JK Rowling? Do you think we should be talking about The Grapes of Wrath and Lord of the Flies instead? Maybe you think we should be spending less time on Twilight and more time on The Men Who Stare at Goats?

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