Review of Vampire Academy (2014) by Tiffany W — 16 Feb 2014

Vampire Academy was a beautifully executed movie, and I was absolutely astonished at how well they did in transforming it from a book to a movie. Quite possibly one of the best book-to-movie adaptations I have ever seen! The writer and producers did a phenomenal job in capturing the essence of Richelle Mead's world on the big screen and they just added to it, making it even more fascinating and intriguing for us long-time fans and potential fans. Zoey Deutch just shines as our beloved Rose Hathaway. She took that role and just really made it her own. She embodies our girl just perfectly--she wasn't just the actress who portrayed the character, she was, for all intents and purposes, our badass warrior dhampir, Rose Hathaway, all ready to start kicking Strigoi ass and taking names, and keeping the Dragomir princess safe, no matter what the cost. On that note, Lucy Fry did a brilliant job at capturing the elegance and regality of our dear Princess Lissa Dragomir. These girls had such wonderful chemistry together, making it seem like they really had been lifelong friends, more than ready to lay down their lives for one another. They were outstanding at conveying the depth of emotion that hooked us in from book one. Lucy nearly had me in tears with her speech at the end there, all ready to take her place in the royal line and do the Dragomir name much justice. Zoey and Lucy really reminded me what true friendship is meant to look like, and I can only hope we get to see more of them down the line.

Their chemistry was just off the charts with their on-screen beaus as well. Danila Kozlovsky was INCREDIBLE at bringing our Dimitri Belikov to life and really brought out and amplified all his best qualities, reminding us yet again why we love him so much! Danila/Zoey had such amazing chemistry together, and I am astounded at the lengths they went to in order to bring us the characters we all know and love. The physical side of things alone and all the training they willingly subjected themselves to, all for us, just amazes me. Their dedication and tremendous work ethic clearly mirrors that of their characters, and I think they were perfect for the roles cast. After this, I could imagine no one better to portray these characters and do them justice. Dimitri Belikov and Rose Hathaway are my favorite fictional couple, and they have been ever since my best friend introduced me to the series back in high school, and Danila and Zoey only reminded me why I love them so much! I can only hope and pray we get the rest of the movies, if nothing else so that we can get more Dimitri/Rose. They were just amazing together, and I look forward to seeing them kick some Strigoi ass and start making the Strigoi nations fall to their knees together. I am just in love with this movie--I've already seen it three times and if I didn't have homework dragging me down, I'd be in that theater watching every showing possible.

And of course, Dominic Sherwood was fantastic as Christian Ozera, and once again, his chemistry with Lucy was amazing. Honestly, it's a wonder that theater didn't spontaneously combust with all that underlying sexual tension between the two of them. I really wish I had the words to capture this movie and do it justice, but I just can't seem to find one that even comes close! All I can say is thank you so much to all the cast and crew and producers who worked nonstop and put in many long, sleepless nights to bring us this movie. You all did a brilliant job, and a heart full of gratitude goes out to you for doing this for us fans. There might be a few here and there that refuse to watch it or might say "you ruined the books", but frankly, they are missing out on something pretty spectacular and that is just their loss. I, for one, am beyond thrilled to have had the opportunity to see my favorite book series come to life, and I thank you so very much for all the hard work you all put into this. I mean, Danila, having to learn English so fluently in such a short time had to have been quite a difficult feat, but you sure rose to the challenge and spoke English perfectly! I am quite awed and inspired by anyone who takes it upon themselves to speak more than one language, and I just want to say thank you. Thank you so much for caring enough and expending so much time and effort to bring us our Dimitri Belikov. And then, both Danila and Zoey, I am just amazed by the physical efforts you put forth in training and building yourselves up for these roles. I get worn out just driving by the gym, much less going to it! I am so grateful to you both for everything you did to bring these roles to life, and I hope you know just how much it means to all of your fans. It certainly couldn't have been easy, but we greatly appreciate it and we only hope we get to see more of you both! Excellent, excellent job to everyone involved, and here's to hoping we get Frostbite!! After all, we've gotta get our Adrian Ivashkov, don't we??