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The Twilight Saga: New Moon

Here's what we found in The Twilight Saga: New Moon. Every family is different — get a report that reflects yours.

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General Review

Parent's Guide to The Twilight Saga: New Moon

The Twilight Saga: New Moon is a 2009 vampire romantic fantasy film and the second installment in the Twilight series, based on Stephenie Meyer's novel. Directed by Chris Weitz, the movie follows Bella Swan as she navigates deep depression after her vampire boyfriend, Edward Cullen, leaves her to ensure her safety. She finds solace in her friendship with Jacob Black, who subsequently discovers his identity as a werewolf. The narrative delves into a complicated love triangle and Bella's intense desire to become a vampire to remain with Edward. While focusing on themes of love, loss, and self-discovery, the film is geared towards a young adult audience, particularly teenage girls, and contains elements of supernatural conflict and emotional intensity.

Things to Consider

High4

Violence

The movie contains significant supernatural violence, including physical confrontations between vampires and werewolves. While graphic gore is generally minimal, the depictions of attacks, injuries, and dismemberment are intense. Characters are thrown, slammed, and threatened with deadly force, contributing to a high level of aggressive action.

During Bella's birthday party, Jasper Cullen loses control and lunges at Bella after she gets a paper cut, demonstrating the dangerous bloodlust of vampires. In the climax, Edward is engaged in a violent battle with Felix of the Volturi, where Edward is overpowered and slammed forcefully into the ground. A scene also describes a vampire being dismembered, with its head and limbs torn off, though it is depicted as turning to stone and crumbling rather than showing excessive blood.

Witchcraft & Occult

Witchcraft and occult themes are central to the film's narrative, revolving around vampires and werewolves with various supernatural abilities. These include powers such as mind-reading, precognition, pain infliction, and physical transformations. The concept of ancient vampire covens (Volturi) and indigenous shapeshifting lore (Quileute) are fundamental to the storyline, heavily influencing the characters' lives and conflicts.

Scary & Intense Content

The movie contains high levels of scary and intense content, primarily stemming from Bella's severe emotional distress, themes of suicidal ideation, and dangerous supernatural threats. Bella's prolonged depression leads to reckless self-endangering behavior, while the Volturi vampires and aggressive werewolf transformations create significant suspense and fear.

Anti-Christian Themes

The film presents a worldview that centers on obsessive romantic love, with characters, notably Bella, expressing a willingness to disregard spiritual consequences for the sake of their relationship. Discussions around vampires having or losing their souls and potential damnation are explicit, with Bella stating she does not care about her soul if it means being with Edward. The narrative heavily integrates occult and pagan elements as core tenets of its supernatural world.

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Medium4
LGBTQ & Gender IdentityRomance and Sexual ContentProfanityDisrespect & Rebellion
Low1
Substance Use

Additional Context

Best For Ages

The film is rated PG-13 by the MPAA for 'some violence and action.' Parental and educator reviews suggest a more cautious approach, recommending it for ages 13 and over with parental guidance due to mature themes, including intense emotional distress, suicidal ideation, supernatural violence, and suggestive romance. Younger viewers may find the themes of depression and reckless behavior disturbing.

Good to Know

Parents should be aware of the intense emotional content, particularly Bella's depiction of deep depression and reckless behavior, which some sources interpret as glorifying unhealthy coping mechanisms. The film's themes of obsessive love and the blurring of moral lines for romance may warrant discussion with younger viewers. The increased focus on werewolf lore introduces more animalistic and tribal themes compared to the first film.

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