New Moon-

My wife Linda and I just went and viewed New Moon. Over the years, as they were introduced, our family read the books. We viewed the first movie. Stephanie Meyer is a pretty good story teller, and I have enjoyed the stories.

Yes, when I read the first novel I recognized it was written for teen aged girls. As my wife and I found seats in the theater we were not surprised to find the theater filled with young women, mostly early and mid-teens. There were several dads there with their teen daughters, a few families. Mostly, however, it was clutches of teen aged women.

I still find the young man who plays Edward a bit of a James Dean parody, though most likely not intentionally so. What is lacking in the movie that I had noticed in the books was the sexual tension. It was the driving force in the books, but less so in the movie. The film can carry a lot in the visual elements, and perhaps the level of sexual tension was not required or even desirable.

Having never experienced life as a teen aged girl, I have no idea just what impact that form of tension has on the psyche. It did contribute to the reading of the tale, serving as a pacing element to keep the pages turning and the reader waiting for the next book.

I have also read The Host, Meyer’s science fiction adult novel. She demonstrated a fine creative mind in approaching the idea of alien invasion in a most unusual way. That particular book is not driven by such a convenient tool as sexual tension to keep the pages turning. My wife could not make it through the book.

I found the story conceptually interesting enough to read all of the way to the end. I am, after all, a big fan of science fiction and fantasy, and the tale was a very interesting take on the whole alien invasion theme. Alien invasion is a very popular science fiction theme, and any unusual take on a common theme is inherently interesting.

So, New Moon. Worth seeing. A must see for fans. Probably a must see if you are a teen aged girl. Not a terrible experience if you get dragged there by someone you care for. If you have an inappropriate interest in pre-adult females the parking lot may be better than the film. Just stay in your car.