Review of Vampire Academy (2014) by Reel And U — 08 Mar 2014

Her Review:

Rose Hathaway (Zoey Deutch) is a Dhampir, half-vampire/half-human and she is a guardian in training at St. Vladimir's Academy. St. Vladimir's Academy is also home to the Moroi who are full vampires that practice magic and live peacefully with the humans. Then there are the Strigoi, blood-sucking, evil vampires who drink to kill and are at war with the Moroi and Dhampir. Rose will eventually be responsible for protecting the Moroi. There is one Moroi in particular that Rose feels responsible for and that is Princess Vasilisa Dragomir (Lucy Fry). She is Moroi royalty and the last of her line. Rose and Vasilisa have a special and almost unbreakable bond. Vasilisa is special not just because of her royal blood but also because of her special powers. It is up to Rose to protect Vasilisa, figure out who is after the princess and help Vasilisa handle her special powers. Starring Danila Kozlovsky, Gabriel Byrne, Dominic Sherwood, Olga Kurylenko, Sarah Hyland, Cameron Monaghan, Sami Gayle, Ashley Charles, Claire Foy, Joely Richardson, Dominique Tipper, Edward Holcroft, Bronte Norman-Terrell.

Vampire Academy directed by Mark Waters is based on the teen fiction book series so it looks, feels and is a teen fiction movie. That being said as a film it is poorly written, flat and lacks any real meat that a broader audience could sink its teeth into it.

I am a 30-year-old woman who admittedly has not read the book series Vampire Academy and has not desire to do so - especially after seeing this film. The problem is that the whole Vampire thing has been done before. What does this offer in a film that we haven't seen already? I can't quite distinguish this movie from the others with exception of the strong female leads and a lesser focus on the romantic nature of being a vampire. That alone is not enough to make this a movie worth seeing however as a casual movie goer.

If the topic were the only thing downside to the movie then it wouldn't be so bad but the list of negatives stacks high. The use of tired pop culture references and poorly executed humor brings the film down. Then there is the flat performances by all involved. Seriously....there isn't a single performance to praise here. I am not sure if it could have been cast better considering the topic and the content but surely someone out there could have brought something more substantial to the film.

Perhaps Vampire Academy the film will please the Vampire Academy books series fans...we shall see. However, this movie isn't for a random movie goer looking for an entertaining time. I can't recommend it to anyone except perhaps a group of teenage girls looking for something to do together away from the parents.

4/10 Stars - I think I would have enjoyed this better if I was a 15-year-old girl!