As the saga continues, battle lines are drawn and Twilighters everywhere are choosing sides: Team Edward or Team Jacob. On its opening day, “The Twilight Saga: New Moon” broke midnight and first-day box office records, leaving even blockbusters like “The Dark Knight” and “Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince” in its wake — an impressive feat considering much of the film’s target audience can’t even drive to the theater.

“New Moon” picks up where “Twilight” left off, with one huge difference –“New Moon” is just so much better. Maybe the improvements are due to a new director (Chris Weitz, “The Golden Compass”), a bigger budget or a more experienced cast. Whatever the reason, “New Moon” will surpass all expectations set by its predecessor.

Based on the second book in the series by Stephenie Meyer, “New Moon” follows the relationship between Bella Swan, a high school senior, and Edward Cullen, a vampire. Kristen Stewart (“Adventureland”) plays Bella. Although she still looks like she smells something rancid all the time, Stewart’s acting is much improved.

The chemistry between Edward (Robert Pattinson, “Twilight”) and Bella has improved as well. It’s nice to see Edward not looking so pained all the time.

In “New Moon,” Bella turns 18 — one year older than Edward, who’s been 17 years old for 109 years since vampires never age — and begs Edward to turn her into a vampire so they can be the same age forever. But Edward has other plans and he breaks things off with Bella, promising her that she’ll never see him again.

The scenes that follow are painful to watch. In the book, the corresponding chapters are left blank, but in the film, months pass and Bella barely moves except to scream and thrash around in her sleep. Soon, she discovers when she puts herself in danger, Edward appears to her as a shadowy vision. Unable to keep herself out of trouble, Bella convinces her old friend Jacob Black (Taylor Lautner, “Twilight”) to fix two old motorcyles so they can ride them together — and so she can crash into boulders, split her head open and see Edward.

Bella’s tendency to hang out with monsters is what really puts her in danger though. In “New Moon,” she discovers the loveable, always loyal Jacob is actually a werewolf who hunts vampires. Lautner packed on 30 pounds of muscle for the role and the extra time at the gym obviously paid off. The first time Jacob peeled off his shirt, jaws dropped and sighs filled the theater — careful, ladies, he’s only 17. Even if you’re a fanatic member of Team Edward, though, it’s hard to take your eyes off of Lautner’s killer (literally) bod.

In addition to the triangle of love, lust and loyalty between Edward, Bella and Jacob, “New Moon” delves into the details of vampire treaties, legends and laws. The Cullens broke vampire law by sharing their secret with Bella, so they must make a pact with the Volturi, a group of ancient and very powerful vampires, which will change Bella’s life forever.

Dakota Fanning (“Coraline”) plays Jane, one of the Volturi, who has the power to torture people with her mind. She’s pretty fierce, to say the least.

In “New Moon,” most of the characters become more endearing as we get a closer look at their personalities. The whole can’t live without each other thing between Bella and Edward is still a little weird, but the story wouldn’t work without that dynamic.

“New Moon” could be confusing for those who haven’t read the books. If that’s the case, just sit back, relax and enjoy staring at Pattinson and Lautner for two hours. Fans who have read the book might be disappointed with the ending, but a few things have to change when a two-hour film is adapted from a book that is 563 pages long.

“New Moon” is a surprisingly beautiful film, especially compared to “Twilight,” which looked like a bad school project. The scenes featuring the Volturi are particularly striking and the fight scenes in the Volturi court might even appeal to guys — if they can make it that far into the film. The special effects that allow Jacob and his cohorts to morph into wolves midair are pretty cool, too. The film’s soundtrack is another highlight, featuring artists like The Killers, Death Cab for Cutie and Bon Iver.

“New Moon” is definitely a chick flick, but it’s light-years ahead of its predecessor. The special effects and fight scenes are well done, the soundtrack is hip and the eye candy will really make this film worth your while. If you can ignore the shrieks and giggles of the preteen girls in the theater, give “New Moon” a try.

3 1/2 stars out of 5.