While it's admirable that the plot doesn't deviate in any major ways from the book, it was slightly less exciting or intense because there were no surprises-- it may have been better had I not read the book. Special effects were incredible (phasing of the wolves), and the finer details were consistent with the first movie and made you settle into your seat with a comforting sense of familiarity. Overall, I would recommend -- it was a much better cinematic production than it's Twilight counterpart, probably due to the vastly greater budget. If you can get past a little bit of bad acting (Bella), you should go see it- it's entertaining and the eye candy aims to please.