The Twilight SAGA: New Moon
Rated PG-13
Starring Kristen Stewart, Robert Pattinson, and Taylor Lautner

GENERAL THOUGHTS...

I'm always interested to see how Hollywood will choose to bring a book to life on the big screen, and I have to say that the New Moon movie crew did a good job of adhering to the spirit of its namesake novel. Overall, the film was entertaining throughout with its fast-paced action, great special effects, good acting, humorous one-liners, and engaging soundtrack. While it would take something more like a full moon to earn this one an Oscar from the Academy, the 130 minutes I spent in the theater did go by quickly. (SPOILER ALERT - plot details follow)

SIX-PACKS SELL MOVIE TICKETS...

Today I stepped into a theater filled with teen girls, moms, and other Twilighters eager to catch a glimpse of Robert Pattinson's or Taylor Lautner's chest. But in the end, I'm pretty sure that the respective "Team Edward" and "Team Jacob" camps weren't complaining that they got to see both...a lot.

Judging by the number of gasps, screams, and applause when each actor bared his chest (and it happens often enough that I wondered why there was even a need for a costume designer onset), I'd say most of the moviegoers got what they paid for. But I wonder if this objectification is something we would "object" to if the shoe were on the other foot? How would we respond if the guys in the theater so audibly communicated their approval of a woman's body up on the big screen?

Yahoo! Movies contributor Lindsay Robertson shares some interesting thoughts on this duality:

"Magazines, websites and TV are blanketed with images of 17-year-old star Taylor Lautner, shirtless and showing off the body he trained for months to perfect for the role. And yet none of the cultural critics who turned Miley's photos into a full-blown 'scandal' have said a word about the sexualization of Taylor, who, at 17, is just two years older than Miley was during her 'scandal' and is also a minor. So, does Hollywood have a double standard?"

Hmmm...interesting point, Lindsay. But I'm not sure any of the teen girls in the theater with me cared about a double standard when Jacob (Lautner) removed his shirt and held it to Bella's (Stewart) forehead to stop the bleeding of her motorcycle accident-induced injury. Guess there just weren't any towels or Band-aids around.

But the constant chest baring and the salivating it seems to produce aren't the only causes for concern in this film.

DAREDEVIL LOVE LEADS TO BROKEN HEARTS AND BONES...

Early in the movie, Edward (Pattinson) and Bella share some interesting conversations about life, death, suicide, and souls. While watching scenes from Romeo and Juliet in English class, Edward shares his envy of a character like Romeo who can end his life easily with "a little poison." He laments the difficulty of suicide for the undead, declaring that he would never want to live in a world where Bella did not exist.

At one point, Edward even opines, "You are my only reason for staying alive." This expression of obsessive passion is truly the thread weaving together the fabric of the Twilight saga, both in the books and the films.

Our heroine responds in kind to Edward's declarations of devotion, claiming that she cares nothing for her soul if it means a life without him. In her love-struck mind, the loss of her soul pales in comparison to the loss of his love.

During a painful (yet totally relatable) break-up scene, Bella is crushed when Edward shares his decision to leave the city of Forks and her behind. While his true motivation is love and a desire to protect Bella, he lies repeatedly in their final conversation to convince her that he has simply grown disinterested.  "You don't want...me," she cries in response. Vowing never to return again, he promises, "It will be as if I never existed."

After months gripped by depression and isolation, Bella soon dovetails into a series of reckless choices, each made in hopes of eliciting a hallucinogenic image of Edward who begs her to be safe and vanishes into mental smoke.  Her careless behavior manifests itself in a variety of frightening ways, first by hopping on the back of a motorcycle with a stranger whose pick-up line is, "We've got beer and bikes!" She goes much deeper into the danger zone as the film continues, crashing her own bike and body into a rock and then cliff diving into water with deadly currents and a blood-thirsty redheaded vampire, all in hopes of seeing Edward just one more time.

When Edward thinks the cliff dive has killed her, he rushes off to Italy to seek a gruesome beheading death at the hand of some creepy red-eyed vampires called the Volturi.

While love this intense may seem romantic and passionate on the big screen, it is downright alarming in real life. Devotion that leads to daredevil recklessness and suicidal behavior is neither healthy or love-ly. There is a reason why stories like Romeo and Juliet are known as tragedies, and therefore should not be emulated for those who deep down are longing for a "happily ever after."

IDENTITY CRISIS...

In a world where girls are already struggling so much to find their true identity, it's important for us to teach that relationships should only enhance who you are - not cause you to lose yourself in another person (or vampire). While the Bible teaches the concept of "one flesh" in the context of marriage intimacy, it certainly is not promoting the idea of "one brain." You should not cease to exist if/when your relationship ends. Sadly, Bella seems utterly lost when Edward leaves, and only begins to find herself again when she engages in a new relationship with Jacob.

WEREWOLF WITH BENEFITS...

With Edward out of the physical picture (smoky hallucinogenic Edward hangs out through most of the movie so Pattinson can earn his paycheck), teen wolf Jacob Black is now free to woo Bella with his mechanic skills, winsome smile, and Ab-Flex body.

Bella describes the loneliness caused by Edward's departure as "a huge hole [that's] been punched through my chest," but confesses that life is easier when Jacob is around to fill the Edward-sized void.  While it is evident that Jacob's feelings go far beyond the confines of friendship, Bella persists in deepening their relationship.

When Jacob blatantly declares his intentions, Bella rebuffs his advances but in the same breath begs him to "never leave." She declares her need for him and his presence, acknowledging that it is completely selfish on her part. Bella obviously cares for him, yet she is unwilling to be sacrificial for his sake. In the absence of Edward, he is her 108-degree security blanket and shoulder to lean on...a hot-blooded friend with benefits.

Jacob's love for Bella is so intense that he is willing to participate in this friendship charade, enjoying whatever affection or attention she is willing to bestow in hopes that one day she will love him more than Edward.

It's a classic case of unrequited love, and Bella is admittedly willing to emotionally string Jacob along in order to meet her own needs. Sadly, girls are pretty good at that.

THE SAVIOR COMPLEX...

Many girls enter into relationships thinking they can either change the guy or save him, maybe both, and unfortunately we can do neither. Bella definitely falls on the "saving" end of the spectrum.  Let me explain...the condition of souls is certainly a pervasive theme in Bella and Edward's conversations, with Edward ultimately confessing his belief that vampires are "damned." But she views him as pure and good, and therefore incapable of having a damned soul.

As a pivotal scene plays out in the great hall of the Volturi, Bella offers her life in exchange for Edward's. Aro, the leader of the Volturi coven, finds her offer intriguing, asking her why she is willing to sacrifice her life for a "monster" whose soul is already lost. Bella responds fiercely, "You don't know anything about his soul!" Refusing to lose the one she loves (either in body or soul), she assumes the role of savior by offering her very blood for his life. Not unlike the sacrifice of someone else I know...except His offer was more than a line in a movie script.

A CURE FOR THOSE BITTEN BY THE VAMPIRE CRAZE...

In closing, I want to highlight one key phrase from New Moon, but it wasn't spoken by one you might expect. As Bella's dad awakens her from one of many nightmares, he shares an insightful piece of advice, "You've gotta learn to love what's good for you." While he is addressing the personal and emotional havoc left in the wake of Edward's departure, there are some spiritual applications we can make as well.

Everyone wants to be loved deeply and passionately. It doesn't even have to be a love of epic, literary proportions. We just want something real, something good in a world that's often not. And when we can't find that "something," we often fill the void with the make-believe. The romances found on a novel's pages or a Hollywood set sustain our hopes that a real love is out there waiting for us. And when that's not enough, we often try to find "someone" to fill the role of leading man in our lives.  But when the boy next door doesn't live up to our "James Dean meets hopeless romantic vampire" expectations, we are disappointed...frustrated...angry...bitter...depressed...heartbroken...and the list goes on.

But there's only one cure for those bitten by the love bug, and that's Love Personified - Jesus Christ. He's the only one capable of filling the hole in every human heart. He is the good thing everyone is searching for.  As the psalmist says in Psalm 16:2, "You are my Lord; apart from you I have no good thing." So Bella's dad is definitely right on this one - we've gotta learn to love what's good for us.

Edward and Bella's love may shine bright on the big screen, but it pales in comparison to the love of God.

1 John 3:1 (NIV) says,
"How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God!"

His love is great...His love is lavish...His love never fails. Edward Cullen may promise the same thing, but only God can deliver. So take a bite of the love God's offering - it's sure to satisfy.

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