As any fan of Stephanie Meyers’ series of "Twilight" books knows, the third installment is the one where the majority of the good stuff happens. Battles and back stories and more sexual tension than you’d see in a season of True Blood. After the slow pace and distinct lack of Edward Cullen in our last trip to Forks, Washington, Eclipse promises a non-stop thrill ride for little girls in love with vampire fangs and shirtless werewolves. And Eclipse almost delivers on that promise, stopped just short by too much talking, lethal levels of overacting and Kristen Stewart’s horrendously distracting wig.

The film picks up right where the action left off in New Moon. Bella has a marriage proposal from Edward (Robert Pattinson). Edward is now charged with taking Bella’s humanity. And Jacob (Taylor Lautner) is a seriously pissed wolf, having just missed his opportunity to claim Bella as his own. The supernatural teens are temporarily thwarted in their teen angst as they discover that an army of "newborns" or newly turned vampires are headed their way with the scent of Bella in their noses. Jacob and Edward most temporarily put aside their differences to band together to protect the girl they both love. But will Jacob’s close proximity put Bella’s love for Edward to the test?

It’s hard to approach any of the 'Twilight' films as serious, dramatic fare. The world of Stephanie Meyers is pure pulp and should be graded by those standards. As a reviewer, I’ve spent the past two movies coming to terms with this problem. It’s easy to see the filmmaking flaws in 'Twilight'—the various directors' refusals to reign in their actors, the mediocre special effects, and the soap opera style of shooting that makes it virtually impossible to take this movie seriously.

But with Eclipse and the movies that came before it, the most important aspect of the film to judge is how it plays with the fans, the hungry teenage (mostly) girls that squeal at every moment of a soulful Pattinson or shirtless Lautner. And on those terms, these movies can’t be judged as anything other than a massive success.

After resigning to look at the 'Twilight' movies as very expensive B-films, they become truly enjoyable. It’s possible to get pulled into the Edward/Bella/Jacob love affair, because even at its corniest, these three actors know how to do engaging. It’s fun to pull for the plucky werewolves of the Quileute tribe because those furry CGI creatures are infinitely better actors when out of their human form. And when taken as pure camp, a quiet scene between Edward and Jacob in a tent can bring to mind other Oscar-nominated films that bring the sexual tension to a new level altogether.

This is not to say that all of Eclipse is meant to be mocked. There are moments of real cinematic fun to be found. All of the fight scenes, but particularly the climatic newborn/were/vamp fight that closes the film are visceral and exciting, if maybe a little shorter than the audience deserved. Dakota Fanning has gleeful fun with her few brief moments onscreen, completely aware of the level of film she’s mixed herself up in.

And regardless of their relentless insistence on chewing the scenery, both Robert Pattinson and Taylor Lautner make formidable romantic foes. As opposed to the books, where it’s clear there is no contest as to whether Edward or Jacob will win Bella’s heart, Lautner gives Jacob a real chance for the win. Jacob’s love for Bella is painful and heartfelt and in the screening I attended, Team Jacob was clearly the majority. But Pattinson comes on strong in the final act of the film, reminding the audience why teen girls around the world long to be bitten by a bloodsucker. It’s a shame that Kristen Stewart’s overly mannered performance can get so grating so easily. It feels as though there are more worthy vampire or furry girls out there that should be winning these boys’ hearts.

In the end, it doesn’t much matter what any reviewer thinks of Eclipse. The fans of the books and the movies would come in droves regardless, if only to see the many, many, many shots of Lautner’s shirtless abs. But it is a relief to know that while these teens aren’t spending their money on high art, they are certainly getting their money’s worth. When taken in the right light, Eclipse is exactly the kind of movie that it should be.