New Moon

A thick, yellow moon slowly transforms into the title "New Moon."

We hear Bella Swan (Kristen Stewart)'s voice, quoting Friar Lawrence from "Romeo and Juliet": "These violent delights have violent ends.." and, although we don't know it yet, she is having a nightmare. She fights through a crowd of group of red cloaked strangers in the noon-day sun. She looks up to see a clock tower and the big hand that moves to 12:00. Suddenly she emerges from the woods into a glade of flowers, looking across to her grandmother (Christina Jastrzembska). Edward Cullen (Robert Pattinson) comes up behind Bella. She tries to warn him away, "Don't. She'll see you." He keeps approaching, however. She seems to welcome his decision to reveal himself and, as she takes his hand says, "Okay." They approach Bella's Grandma and Bella says, "Gran, I'd like you to meet Edward," but the words come out of the older woman, as well as Bella. She realizes it is her, older, wrinkled, and her Grandma is really her reflection, standing next to an eternally youthful Edward. He leans over and kisses her wrinkled forehead.

Charlie (Billy Burke), Bella's father, wakes her up from the nightmare. She's fallen asleep reading "Romeo and Juliet."

He wishes Bella a happy birthday. He gives her two gifts, a digital camera from him, and a scrapbook from her mother. She protests weakly as she'd thought they'd agreed that she wasn't going to get any presents. He jokes that she is obsessed with aging and points out a grey hair on her head. Bella scurries to the mirror, relieved that he was kidding.

As Bella drives to school in her old brick red, beat-up Chevrolet truck (license plate 24G-7HI) the radio relays that three hikers are missing, presumed dead. When she arrives at the parking lot she talks to her friends, Jessica, Mike, Angela, and Eric, all of who seem to know nothing of her birthday. She takes a picture of them as Edward drives up in the parking lot in a brand-new, black Volvo 2010 X60 (license plate 57F-6D3). The rest of the group depart when he arrives. Edward wishes her a happy birthday. Bella tells him shes not very happy about it. She's eighteen now, which is a year older than him. Edward discounts her worry. After all, hes 109. They kiss passionately but he breaks away, saying that they need to go to class. He also stops her because Jacob wants to see her, even though he hasn't arrived yet.

When he does Edward backs away. Bella marvels at the changes that have come over Jacob (Taylor Lautner), teasing him about taking anabolic steroids. He too gives Bella a gift. It's a dreamcatcher, a woven band meant to keep bad dreams away. "That's kinda perfect," says Bella, reflecting on her nightmare. Jacob departs.

Edward asks Bella why Jacob Black can give her gifts but he cannot. She tells him the reason is that she cannot give him back anything.

In the hallway of the school the rest of the school-age Cullen clan arrive. Though Alice Cullen (Ashley Greene) is glad to see her, Jasper Cullen (Jackson Rathbone) remains aloof, staring at her from the other side of the hallway. Alice gives her a present which, using her vampire ability of augury, tells Bella she will love. She also invites Bella to a birthday party they're going to have for her that night, which starts at 7:00. Bella agrees but then realizes that Jasper has altered her mood to make her happily agree and gently chides him for it.

In class Edward and Bella are talking during the movie that is being shown. Edward says how doesn't like Romeo because he is so quick to act after he sees Juliet dead, but he is jealous of him for one reason. Bella believes this to be of Juliet, but he says it is of the ease of suicide humans have, since it is almost impossible for vampires. He later tells Bell that he began to think along these lines when he thought Bella might not have survived the attack by James a few months before. He says he would have gone and provoked the Volturi. Bella is horrified by this thought and says he should never say it again. Edwards is then questioned by their teacher, Mr. Berty, who believes he's not been paying attention to the BBC version of "Romeo and Juliet" they've been watching. Edward responds by quoting Romeo's final soliloquy from the play.

"O, here Will I set up my everlasting rest, And shake the yoke of inauspicious stars From this world-wearied flesh. Eyes, look your last! Arms, take your last embrace! and, lips, O you The doors of breath, seal with a righteous kiss"

This silences their teacher.

Bella goes to the Cullens' house for a birthday party. Before the proceedings Edward and Bella stand before a painting of the Volturi, which includes Edward's vampiric father Carlisle Cullen (Peter Facinelli). The painting comes to life, showing an earlier time, as Edward explains that Carlisle lived with them for a few decades and that the Volturi are the closest things the vampire race has to royalty. They have no respect for human life but they do respect the arts, the sciences and, above all, the law. The Volturi have simple rules: to not make spectacles of themselves, to not kill conspicuously. The penalty for disobedience is death. During this exposition the Volturi tableau shows Aro (Michael Sheen), the supposed leader, Marcus (Christopher Heyerdahl) who has long-flowing black hair, and Caius (Jamie Campbell Bower), who has long-flowing white hair, taking a transgressor, laying their hands upon him, and tearing him apart as Carlisle turns away, disturbed.

Edward has broken the law by telling Bella, a human, too much. He also predicts that Victoria will come for him some day. Bella tells Edward that they would never have to think about this if he would turn her into a vampire. He says firmly that won't ever happen.

Label: Movie Synopsis