The long awaited second instalment of the Twilight series, New Moon has finally landed opening in the cinemas on Friday 25 November. The opening weekend saw the film smash box office records in the US taking $44m in the first 24 hours. Following the success of Stephanie Meyers' Twilight series where books flew off the shelves, it appears everybody is in love with a vampire and Robert Pattinson  (R-Patz to his fans) has been catapulted into sex god stardom. So how does the second film live up to expectations? 

The opening scene sees heroine Bella Swan (Kristen Stewart) looking across a field to an old woman. Edward (Robert Pattinson) emerges pouting, with his eternal skin sparkling in the sunlight. As the devoted couple walk towards the elderly figure we realise that the older woman is actually Bella, highlighting the distinction between mortal Bella and immortal Edward. The inability for Edward to age and Bella’s ever ageing humanity is a serious preoccupation for old Bella and rightly so, at 18 she is sooo old.

For those of you unfamiliar with the Twilight series the second film is a complicated love triangle between Bella, Edward, and Jacob (Taylor Lautner), set in the sleepy town of Forks, Washington. The second film charts broken- hearted Bella’s attempt to get over the stunningly beautiful Edward Cullen, who dumps her following an ill-fated birthday party where his ‘brother’ Jasper could not resist the urge to drink Bella’s blood. A fundamental problem when dating a vampire, I suppose.

Dejected and miserable in a way only a teenage girl can be Bella sees months pass by with numbness and repetition; her days spent staring out the window, her nights screaming over bad dreams. Bella finally finds comfort in Jacob Black, a 16 year old Quileute tribe member, who has the body of a 25 year old weightlifter. Shirtless for the majority of the film Jacob manages to fill the ‘hole in her chest’ but alas also rejects Bella, (albeit briefly) upon learning that he is a werewolf and enemy of vampires. Another monster to add to the list then Bella.

With Twilight unearthing the vampire world, New Moon invites us into the wolf pack realm which also unknown to almost all humans except Bella. That is however where the similarities end as the tanned bodies of the human wolves and their high temperatures are in stark contrast to their pale cold ‘blood sucker’ enemies. Jacob ends up fighting for Bella’s attention while he also fights a deadly vampire stalking her, but Bella barely notices - too busy chasing near death experiences hoping to have a vision of her dear Edward.

After a cliff dive which left Bella in troubled water, Edward believes her to be dead and tries to get himself killed, by visiting the vampire royalty the Volturi. Bella travels to Italy to try and save the day and her beloved  but will she get there in time?

If you have not already bought into the Twilight saga this film could be long winded and drawn out, with some very cheap looking special effects despite the huge Hollywood budget. When the wolf pack first appeared I have to admit, I wondered if it was a joke. Male viewers may be put off by Jacob’s permanently half naked torso, and the sickly sweet declarations of young love may induce nausea.

 For Twi-hard fans the next instalment seduces you the way Meyer managed effortlessly with the literary depiction of the tale. It is a guilty pleasure, you know that you shouldn’t enjoy it but that makes it all the more appealing. The acting among the young cast has improved since the first film, and the chemistry between Bella and her Edward is gripping. The final scene brings a shock twist which will undoubtedly leave you eagerly awaiting more monsters in the next episode.

Vampire addicts may have missed Edwards’s absence in New Moon, his sultry nonchalance replaced with Jacob’s wholesome American cheesiness. Will affections start to waiver from the R-Patz crowd in favour of Taylor and the wolf boys? The verdict is out but it is apparent that there is more than one monster to lust after and Taylor may find himself the centre of attention following the early success of this film. Are you Team Edward or have you turned to Team Jacob?