There are very few franchises with fan bases as rabid as that of Twilight. The book series has quickly become a pop culture phenomenon since first being published in 2005, and as a result, the first film adaptation performed well above most analysts’ expectations upon release just one year ago.

As New Moon opens, Edward Cullen (Robert Pattinson) informs Bella (Kristen Stewart) that he is leaving the town of Forks and that they should never see each other again. Enter the stereotypical teen-wolf heartthrob, Jacob Black (Taylor Lautner). After enduring months of emotional stress from Edward’s absence, Bella is guided out of her teenage love-loss by Jacob’s shoulder to cry on until he confesses his secret lineage to Bella and forces her to question where her loyalties truly are: with Jacob or Edward.

One cannot hide the fact that the source material is a youth-friendly version of a dollar store romance novel or the HBO series (and book series that pre-dates Twilight even) “True Blood.” The franchise is entirely driven by “tween” girls, “Twi-moms,” and cougars looking to relive their high school experiences. But after one gets beyond the teen angst that is ever-present in the story, the characters are an admitted guilty pleasure to watch as they partially redeem some entertainment value. Stewart and Pattinson have an undeniable chemistry that made the first film entertaining from a non-fan’s point of view but that is sorely lacking in New Moon, as Edward is barely even present until the climax. Michael Sheen also provides a noteworthy supporting role as one of the key Volturi, a Vampire council that plays a pivotal role in the series.

Overall, New Moon is a vast technical improvement over the first film, with director Chris Weitz (The Golden Compass) stepping in and eliminating some of the shaky-cam action scenes that bogged down Twilight. On top of that, the visual effects have also improved but still remain far below the standards of most blockbusters today. If you hated the first film, New Moon isn’t going to change your mind. If you’re a hardcore fan, then the film should appease your appetite. For the rest of us, there is lingering interest to see where this story is heading, but the depth of the writing is usually too shallow to ever make the series as relevant or beloved as most of today’s other film franchises.