One week after its U.S. premiere, the eagerly-anticipated premiere of “New Moon,” the second movie installment in the Twilight series based on the bestselling books by Stephanie Meyer,
hit The Cinemas in Paseo Herencia Mall on Thursday evening. Local entrepreneurs put together an exciting opening event, with island models presenting live stand-ins for the principal characters Bella Swan and Jacob Black; circumstances resulted in a rather ironic reflection of the movie plot, Edward Cullen was noticeably absent during most of the action.
Theater Manager Aneke Lampe could not recall ever seeing such excitement for a movie premiere in Aruba as anxious fans lined up over an hour earlier than show time to insure themselves a good spot in the 225 seat theater; latecomers had to settle for sitting on the floor at the back.
When selecting from the wealth of movie posters available to illustrate this film, I chose this one of Jacob Black and his buff new bod, as it was demonstrated by the screams of dedicated Aruban female teenage fans at the opening when he first took off his shirt, this was most definitely a “Team Jacob” audience. When questioned afterwards, somewhat more mature women expressed
a preference for Rob Pattinson’s smooth but tortured Edward Cullen. Unquestionably, Taylor Lautner’s extreme effort to muscle up was central to the storyline, and Aruban audiences reacted exactly as the filmmakers wanted.
“I can’t believe this,” commented one male audience member, “I turn and the girl to the left of me is crying, then I see there one to 
my right is in tears, and the ones sitting behind me are sobbing like mad; I don’t get it, what was there to cry about?”
As one Internet critic said, “If you loved Twilight, you will love New Moon; if you hated Twilight, you will hate New Moon.” Veteran Director Chris Weitz demonstrates a complete understanding of the series’ fan base, pandering to what they want to see, but adds more film making finesse to the Twilight sequel. He has also injected quite a bit of humor that is lacking in the books, possibly making the movie enjoyable for the man that MUST accompany the woman in his life to the film, so many viewers who are not fans of the franchise will likely find “New Moon” more enjoyable than the first film. Where “Twilight” focused on the developing romance between Edward and Bella, “New Moon” most definitely 
has a developing romance, but there is a better balance with more action, faster pacing (believe it or not!) and sly humor, for a broader appeal. Audience members who are not fans of the franchise expressed they found the film dragged at parts; I did not find that so, which I suppose makes me a fan. I must say, even as a follower of the series, there is one scene in 
particular that I have to wonder at the director’s intentions. There is a point where Edward’s sister Alice saves him and Bella from death at the hands of the vampire aristocracy, the Volturi, by sharing her vision of Bella being turned into a vampire. If Chris Weitz meant to parody every romantic fantasy by the fanatic Twilight fans, than he has succeeded; if not, the scene is just silly, and elicited a burst of raucous laughter from even this audience of Twilight devotees.
Anyone not familiar with the books likely does not realize that some of the points which they considered rather slow were necessary to build the back story and create empathy and understanding of the characters and situations. Some aspects of the books are difficult to translate to the screen without a slowdown of the “action,” but the Twilight series is not your typical horror movies, and if this is what a viewer comes to the cinema expecting; non-stop gore and attempts to scare you witless, they will be disappointed.
Nevertheless, as the first weekend gate in the U.S. proved, “New Moon” will be the blockbuster money-maker for 2009; breaking all previous records for this year with $140 million dollars in receipts in the U.S. alone. “Eclipse” is only six months away. Film fans can then witness Bella’s response to the cliffhanger finish. (Readers of the books will know.)
Kudos to Elizabeth Guinapa for arranging a fun opening event and Alejandro for some great catering to keep everyone busy while waiting for the doors to open
After the official Aruba opening, fans gathered at Gari & Wasabi in Palm Beach for an impromptu “after party” with sushi and cosmopolitans to discuss the merits of the film, and general consensus was “we loved it!”
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