New Moon (12A TBC)

Special preview

By Robbie Collin, 15/11/2009

VAMPIRES, bloody vampires. In simpler times (ie 2008), they couldn't have been any duller.

Then one young English actor called Robert Pattinson came along, with dreamy blue-grey eyes, a reasonable American accent and one hell of a rubbish haircut.

And turned a series of books about sexy young bloodsuckers into the biggest thing to hit teenage girls since Marlon King last had a night out.

Twilight, scoffed at by the likes of me not 12 months ago, is now a global megahit. And to be fair, it's still scoffed at by the likes of me - except now it's got £230million in the bank and a global army of fans happy to tear "the haters" a new jacksie. New Moon, the second film in what we apparently now have to call "The Twilight Saga", is out next week.

And it's a measure of the huge amount of respect I command as a film reviewer that the film company hasn't let me watch it yet. Mainly so I can't pass judgment before the US premiere tomorrow night. (Lord knows what influence I'm meant to have over four million hormone-fuelled teenagers - it'd be like trying to throw Hurricane Katrina off course with a well-timed guff - but hey, it's flattering.)

As with the original Stephenie Meyer novel, New Moon picks up shortly after the original Twilight film.

Bella Swan (Kristen Stewart) is 18, and Edward Cullen (Pattinson) throws her a party. But Bella gets a paper cut and the smell of her blood drives the other vamps crazy.

For her own safety, Ed calls off the relationship. Then Bella finds some new friends among the local werewolf population. However, her knowledge of vampires brings her into conflict with their royal family The Volturi - led by Michael Sheen - and R-Pattz has to come to the rescue once again. The first Twilight film got made (relatively) cheaply for £22 million by a Y-list director (Catherine Hardwicke), because Hollywood had no idea it was going to be a global smash.

This time, there's an extra £8million, better special effects, and About A Boy helmer Chris Weitz with his hand on the tiller.

We already know the target audience will watch it five times over. But will this be the film to take Twilight mainstream in the same way as Harry Potter? Check back here next week for a full review or read my gut reaction online on Tuesday at www.notw.co.uk/go/movies

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