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Quick disclaimer: I have read all four books, I'm upset Midnight Sun will never published, I have seen the two current movies and know of all the hatred towards anything Twilight, and I'm disgusted by all the merchandise too, but I am NOT a Twilight fangirl, I am NOT a Twihard, and if any comments show up with "i h8 Twilight" it will just be ignored.
Also, there may be spoilers.
But honestly... who hasn't seen the movie?

Alright, New Moon, what an experience. Not just the movie itself but because of the Twilight grandmas behind me at the theater. Shirtless men on screen, all I hear is, "Oh baby, Momma likes! I need a cigarette." Ummm... ew? Ew! No one wants to hear that from a stay-at-home mom who does nothing but write fanfiction all day of Edward banging Bella and ignores their children completely. No offense to you who do that.

First things first: the cast.
Kristen Stewart, Robert Pattison, and Taylor Lautner revive their roles as the three leading characters Bella Swan, Edward Cullen, and Jacob Black. Elizabeth Reeser, Peter Facinelli, Ashley Greene, Nikki Reed, Kellan Lutz, Jackson Rathbone, and Billy Burke (to name a few) have returned as well. The newest additions are, of course, surrounding the Volturi and wolf pack. Let's start with the wolf pack.
Solomon Trimble was Sam in the first movie, and I thought he looked good in the part. When he was recast by Chaske Spencer there was an uproar on the internet that he wouldn't suit the role, but I have to say... I don't believe Solomon would be able to put on the performance that Chaske did. You could tell exactly who he was on screen by the energy he gave off, basically screaming, "I am Alpha and you will listen!" He had the gruff moments down well, and when shown together with Tinsel Korey (playing Emily, Sam's fiancé) it was perhaps the sweetest moment. You could feel their love a lot more than you could Bella and Edward's.
Alex Meraz was brilliant as Paul, the hot-headed one. I do feel sorry for him that they had 15 takes of Kristen continually clocking him upside the face, but the scene was excellent. The CGI was beautifully done, but I'll get to that part later. The atmosphere between the wolf pack--you could really tell that they spent time bonding off set. I've watched the interviews, all they do is joke. It's cute. In the same vein, Bronson Pelletier made a great Jared, and Kiowa Gordon a great Embry. Their joking was brilliant, and watching Kiowa wrestle with Taylor, that was something the movie needed. Humor. And it was brought this time around.
All in all, I'm glad they recast the wolf pack. They all had terrific performances... except Tyson Houseman, as Quil. He seemed a bit forced. Perhaps by the next one he'll have relaxed.
The Volturi was excellently done. Michael Sheen has always been after my heart (Lucian, anyone? From Underworld, you know who he is!) and I was ecstatic that he was cast as Aro; I knew he would be good and, of course, he was. So as the three ancient vampires we have Michael Sheen as front man Aro, backup singer Caius played by Jamie Campbell Bower (you might know him from the Sweeney Todd remake, with Johnny Depp, as the young man Anthony), and roadie Marcus played by Christopher Heyerdahl. Dakota Fanning played Jane, one of the feared enforcers, and Cameron Bright as Alec. Yes, I was disappointed as the rest when Dakota was cast (I've never liked her since she ruined My Neighbor Totoro), and that Jane and Alec weren't depicted as twins like they are in the book, but I'm still surprised with how well they did. Of course, I still feel that Charlie Bewley (Demetri) and Daniel Cudmore (Felix) outshined the two younger ones. Charlie looked so demented and, honestly, had more presence than his companion Daniel, who was just physically imposing.
Michael did an excellent job as Aro. He was eerie, lovely to watch, greedy, and just all around spot-on. When he first approaches to read Edward's thoughts, he didn't even ask--he just grabbed. And I feel that's how it should go; Aro is ancient, he is powerful, he doesn't need to ask for anything. I loved how he could never seem to focus directly on someone other than Bella; even speaking to Edward his eyes continually flickered to the girl beside him. His curiosity and fascination was touchable. Beautiful job, no other man for the part, really.
Jamie was imposing as Caius. I was upset he didn't have many lines since Caius is supposed to counter basically anything Aro says. He should have been the one pushing Aro to continue, not Marcus. But I understand why they gave Marcus those lines. Although I'd like to see more from Caius in Breaking Dawn, since obviously Jamie's skills weren't even tested with this character, I have a feeling it won't happen. He looked nice, though.
I have to say that when the promotional pictures were released, I was a little unsure about Christopher. He certainly looked the part of depressed Marcus but I never really saw the guy in action, even though he's been in many many shows. Watching him on screen, I think he did the part very well. He seemed the most fragile of the three, his voice just a whisper, and I was pleasantly surprised. Still, they didn't touch on his ability, which is okay since it provides nothing for the film, but you figured it would have been mentioned in passing. Also, giving Marcus those few lines: perfect. Really, it was. Marcus is tired of trivial things, it takes time away from his moping, and pressing for Aro to get the show over with was definitely his job.
Dakota was not as great as she could have been. Jane is supposed to be a scary little thing, she's supposed to enjoy watching people suffer. I barely saw a hint of satisfaction or anger when she was messing with Edward and Bella. You didn't see much of Cameron except for perhaps, what, two lines? But as I said, Charlie and Daniel stole the show. The brilliantly choreographed fighting scene was my favorite scene. Thankfully the theater was quiet during the film (besides previously mentioned old women), I was nearly squealing in my seat watching Edward get thrown about like a rag doll. I was upset it was over so quickly. Oh, by the way, that small glimpse of Noot Seer (Heidi, who delivers a nice batch of humans to the Volturi) one word for her: SMOKIN'! I would have loved to see her a bit more, and that playfulness between Heidi and (I believe it was) Demetri, was just too cute.
Onto the rest! Anna Kendrick (Jessica), Michael Welch (Mike), Justin Chon (Eric), and Christian Serratos (Angela) were much better this time around. Justin and Christian didn't have much screen time, but what we see was enough to ensure that their characters are growing. Anna, on the other hand, was perfect this time around--again. I love her as Jessica. After movie night in Port Angeles, the way she babbled was just brilliant. And it was ad-libbed, meaning it wasn't scripted, she was pulling it from the top of her head. Wonder how many takes they did, and what all she said? Her anger was still a little short, but we all know Jessica wasn't really that upset with Bella, and plus anger gives you wrinkles. Or at least, that's what you would expect to hear from her.
Oh Michael, you brilliant fool. I couldn't believe they weren't going to include the night out between Bella, Jacob, and Mike--could NOT believe it! I'm so glad Kristen and Taylor fought for that scene, otherwise we wouldn't get the awkward cuteness that is Mike Newton. Before the movie, FACE PUNCH, apparently the greatest action movie in their universe, watching Mike and Jacob interact was funny; it's a testosterone thing between men. After he gets sick and meets up with Jake and Bella, the tension is so amazing. The awkwardness nearly invaded the theater. And by the way, movie critics, that mood swing Jacob has is believable.
Okay, I'll take the Cullens in one blow. Unfortunately, allow me to stress how unfortunate, UNFORTUNATELY the scene after the birthday party where Carlisle is stitching up Bella was still there, but with the wrong dialogue. I was so looking forward to hearing Peter voice Carlisle's passion for humanity and how Edward sees his and Bella's relationship; of course, Peter still did a lovely job, he certainly put emotion behind Carlisle in that scene, but without the correct dialogue the audience doesn't get the impact of what exactly it means for Edward to go the Volturi. Kellan only had two lines, one in the beginning and one in the end, and that's a shame; Emmett has a lot of potential on the screen, but then again they weren't supposed to have a huge part in this movie. I loved Nikki's scenes; they are a huge contrast. In the beginning she rudely shoved a gift at Bella, and at the end she looks so saddened that Bella wants to throw her life away. Jackson Rathbone did great with his scenes; my favorite of his had to be where he was about to wish Bella a happy birthday, but then immediately shuffled away. It was wonderful! Definitely better than an uptight Jasper. Elizabeth had less screen time in this movie but she looked lovely, as always. And by the way, thank you make-up department! The vampires make up and contacts were definitely an improvement; it looked natural, and the contrast between the vampires and humans is amazing.
Now, like most people, I had a slight problem with Alice's outfits. She is very fashion-forward but with how they dressed Ashley, I just wasn't feeling it. I didn't mind the dress or the blue (you see it at school) or white (when Alice returns to Forks) outfit, but I don't know, just doesn't seem right for Alice. However, Ashley was perfect in this movie, just like Alice: smart, emotional, and all the little quips in between. "Not until you put the dog out" or "When you put the dog out," I can't remember which it was, but it was funny and needed to be there. Excellent job.

Robert. Robert, Robert, Robert. He's still struggling. A lot of people will disagree with me, but I just feel that his acting is stressed as Edward. I saw the trailer for Remember Me, his American accent is spot on, so why does it sound so scratchy in the Twilight films? Maybe it's just me. However, he did a good job at portraying emotions. These vampires can't cry, but so often I saw the emotions fly across his face and he looked like he really did want to cry. During the break up scene, I know it was supposed to be stressful to both parties, but this was where I felt he was really aching as an actor, like the cables were about to snap, if you know what I mean. I know Edward was very flat and brisk with Bella when lying to her, but it just seemed too forced for me. Seeing him again in Volterra, yeah, it got a little better. I loved his murmured line of "Heaven" when Bella tries to push him back. The end was getting better, when Jacob confronts them. He was sincere, he looked miserable that he had to admit what a failure he had been, but it was working; I believed that scene. However, the marry me part, that could have been done with more of a smile, don't you think?
This was Jacob's movie, and I wasn't sure Taylor could live up to it, but boy was I wrong. Before and after Jacob were both great. He was playful and loveable before, watching him bond with Bella was as if he had his lasers on stun, but after Jacob was just as amazing. You could feel his stress, you could believe his heartache not being able to tell Bella anything, and of course everyone loved his abs. No longer will Taylor be one person; there will be Taylor Lautner, and then Taylor Lautner's abs. They should have their own IMDB page. Oh, the scene where Bella first confronts Jacob after his change, where you see this hulking beast of a boy swaggering through the yard, it had to be more heart wrenching than the real break up scene. The emotion Taylor put behind it was amazing, and I will call that scene a masterpiece, and probably only watch that scene over and over when the DVD comes out.
Kristen, as always, was excellent. Now I know there aren't a whole lot of supporters for her, but I have always loved Kristen's attitude and acting. She definitely stepped it up a notch in this movie and I can't wait to see how she handles Eclipse. I have to admit, I loved the playfulness at the beginning between her and Edward, I'll give Robert that much, and in Jacob's scenes you'd think she'd get lost in the background with Taylor's passion, but Kristen was just as passionate. I had wanted to see the scene where Bella snaps back to life and throws a fit over having to leave for Jacksonville, and I thought they included that in movie, but watching the awkward conversation between her and on-screen dad Billy Burke (much love to him, he's an amazing person and actor) was just as good. Her depression, and afterwards, indifference was believable. The scene that hit me the most was what happened to be shown in the book with those few pages. Where Bella was completely out of it for months, and in the book I didn't really care to understand what it was like between that time and coming back to life, but in the movie it was palpable. All that time, Bella did nothing, she was a shell, she watched life go by without actually seeing it. I loved it. And her nightmares--no other actress would be able to do what Kristen does for Bella, absolutely no one.

About the plot.
The opening sequence, the shot of the moon slowly disappearing as if we all didn't know already what a new moon is, was excellent; an artistic touch the movie needed to capture the attention of those who were dragged along but didn't care.
Of course, the plot would be a little different from the slow moving book, but I felt that Melissa Rosenberg did a great job with the screenplay, just like with Twilight, and she's also doing Eclipse. There wasn't a huge difference. I loved the addition of emails to Alice since it was the perfect way to narrate the depression without actually being a whole boring monologue. It showed how much Bella missed her friend, that she wasn't just attached to Edward. Actually getting on the motorcycle, instead of walking away, and nearly running into invisible Edward was brilliant. The dream catcher was a smart detail, but didn't he give her a bracelet, or was that in Eclipse? Showing details from the wolves’ side was an excellent addition, just what I hoped to see. Watching the wolves chase Victoria (I'm still very sad Rachelle Lefevre will not be reprising the role) through the forest where she jumps into the ocean, only to show up near Bella, was definitely a plot point needed in the film. I still would have liked to see Edward trying his hand at tracking, it wasn't even mentioned in the film, but that's okay. I have no complaints with the plot at all, I feel that the whole movie was superb and did the book justice. I just wish they wouldn't have been so short on time that the Volturi didn't get a lot of screen time; you blinked and you missed the whole debacle! At least, that's what it felt like.
The CGI was much better this time around, and it had to be because of the wolves. The sparkling effect was definitely more believable than in Twilight, I wasn’t having church giggles this time around. I loved the wolves, absolutely adored them! The research behind this part really shows in the way they move and have that dog-like way of showing emotion; seeing reflections in their eyes was nice. The only problem was with the wolf pack, when they were shown cliff diving; the first few shots, it didn’t seem like they were really there, but when Sam went to jump, that was believable.
Overall, it was very good, really no complaints here, and I'm definitely going to see it again sometime.