Is that…chemistry I smell in the new Twilight film, Eclipse? Has the real-life romance between its stars Kristen Stewart and Robert Pattinson actually helped their onscreen interludes: all that snuggling in the meadow and desperate makeout sessions when the vampire parents are out? For the first time since Stephenie Meyer’s girl-loves-ghoul tale went celluloid, you sense that its characters have some personality; they’re growing into their roles—maybe even growing up a little, delivering flirtatious banter with dryness (finally, a sense of humor about vampire love!) and less of that “mouth-slightly-agog” look. The vampire-human-werewolf love triangle of Edward (Pattinson), Bella (Stewart), and Jacob (chiseled Taylor Lautner) carries a new heft, as Bella struggles with mixed emotions for her undead and hirsute suitors. Though her decision in the third installment of The Twilight Saga isn’t typical of teenage drama—do I become a vampire, or not?—the overarching conflict is accessible. Who do I really love? Am I too young to make a lifelong commitment? Should I trade in my V card? Does my breath smell?

Meanwhile, director David Slade keeps a tight leash on what could have been an unwieldy narrative, in which Bella learns how vampires and werewolves are made; tries to escape vengeful red-headed blood-sucker Victoria (played here by the too-button-nosed-to-be-villainous Bryce Dallas Howard); has to avoid both evil "newborn" vampires and the Volturi; and, while she’s at it, graduate from high school. The film moves briskly, though as a consequence, we see less of standout supporting actors like Anna Kendrick (Bella’s schoolmate Jessica) and Billy Burke (Bella’s father Charlie Swan).

As for the vampire war and action sequences touted by the film’s stars, those scenes are just a blip in an otherwise gooey-eyed teenage love story. Still, it’s the best this film franchise has been. And that’s…saying something?

The Twilight Saga: Eclipse is in theaters nationwide June 30.