photo courtesy of FILMOFILIA.COM

Verdict: 2 Stars

If you can survive the screaming teenyboppers, the disgruntled boyfriends and the obsessed moms at the opening weekend of “New Moon,” then sitting through the movie itself should be a piece of cake.

This is, of course, the moment “Twilighters” around the world have been waiting for all year long — the release of the second installment of “The Twilight Saga.” “New Moon” is based on the bestselling novel by Stephenie Meyer, which picks up where the first book and film, “Twilight,” left off. Bella has finally found her soulmate, falling in love with Edward. The only problem is that Edward is a vampire. This obviously

puts a damper in their relationship.

Edward realizes that, for Bella’s own good, they can never be together, so he leaves her indefinitely

to wallow in self-pity. This is supposed to be better for her, but it’s obviously anything but. It’s at this point that Bella’s best friend and would-be lover, Jacob, enters the mix. Just as things begin to return to normal for Bella, it turns out Jacob’s a werewolf. Who knew teen angst could be such a downer?

The movie brings back all of the original cast members from the first film. Dreamy Robert

Pattinson takes another bite out of Edward. Sulky Kristen Stewart proves to audiences yet again that she has mastered the fine art of pouty lips. And hunky Taylor Lautner – whose role is much larger in this second film – sulks around, showing off a spectacular set of abs that make us wish we’d been rooting for “Team Jacob” all along.

“New Moon” is the type of popcorn fluff girls can really swoon over. If the books weren’t popular enough, the films have taken on a life of their own. It’s not pretty. “Twilight,” at least, seemed genuine. It didn’t set out to be a huge blockbuster, even though it was destined to make millions. Instead, it lulled the viewer into a mesmerized stupor. Underneath its spell, no one could see how stupid “Twilight” really was.

“New Moon” takes none of the same initiative

as its predecessor. It moves along at a clunky pace, throwing in the occasional, but necessary, bits of action. The clichéd, lovey-dovey dialogue is even worse than it was in the first film. “New Moon,” unlike “Twilight,” doesn’t lull you into anything. Instead, it slaps you in the face with its unabashed sappiness.

But, of course, none of this really matters. You’re either going to love the film because you love the books (and eye candy), or you’re going to hate it because you were dragged to it by a desperate friend. Judging from the screaming fans in the movie theater, “New Moon” appears to be doing at least something right. You’d think it had just been nominated for best picture at the Oscars. Or, at the very least, a really cool MTV movie award. This movie gets two stars.

THEATERS & SHOWTIMES: THIS WEEK

Carmike Cobblestone 9
8501 Hickman Road, Des Moines
1:00 2:00 4:00 5:00 7:00 8:00 9:50 p.m.

Century Des Moines Jordan Creek 20
101 Jordan Creek Parkway, West Des Moines
11:00 11:35am 12:15 12:50 1:25 2:00 2:35 3:15 3:50 4:25 5:00 5:35 6:15 6:50 7:25 8:00 8:35 9:15 9:50 10:25 p.m.