Dhampir Life's Movie Review of Vampire Academy (No Spoilers)

*Edited January 15, 2014

Back in November, we were very lucky to see a private audience test-screening for Vampire Academy! It was not the final cut of the movie, but it was still everything we had expected and more. We believe that the film was executed in a way that will satisfy both devoted fans of the books and newcomers to the movie alike. Check out our initial thoughts and reactions to the film!

Characters:

Zoey Deutch: Zoey is the perfect Rose. She had just the right amount of sass, humor, and sex appeal; it was never too over-the-top. Every aspect of her character was convincing throughout the entire movie. Rose’s growth in the film mirrored what happens in the book, resulting in a very authentic portrayal.

Lucy Fry: Lucy's Lissa was spot-on. She is exactly how we had pictured Lissa in the book. She had such poise and a regal air about her, as well as a little bit of spunk at the appropriate times. Lucy was perfect with both Zoey and Dominic - in fact, we couldn't tell which pairing's chemistry we loved more.

Dominic Sherwood: Dominic blew us away. You literally stop breathing the first time you see him on screen. Not only did he have great chemistry with Lissa, but his scenes with Rose were exactly on point. He was romantic, sarcastic, swoon-y, comedic, and even had that "creep" factor on screen. He brought a wonderfully acted performance to the screen.

Danila Kozlovsky: Danila's portrayal of Dimitri was impressive throughout the film. He spoke English so well with his heavy Russian accent. He. Was. Guardian. Belikov. He owned this character, kicking ass, making our hearts swoon and drawing you closer to the screen to hear his voice. We were most impressed with his action and stunt scenes. His hard work and training were apparent as he made everything look effortless. And those muscles.....WOW.

Sarah Hyland: Sarah as Natalie was hilariously entertaining. Her whole demeanor was a perfect blend of goofy, silly, awkward, and nerdy. We can promise that she definitely did not disappoint towards the end of the film!

Cameron Monaghan: Cameron managed to squeeze his way into our hearts with the way he played Mason. He made you feel for him, just as you felt for Mason in the book. He also had a really playful relationship with Rose. He was very charismatic on screen.

Chemistry 

(Rose/Dimitri, Lissa/Christian):

The chemistry between these two duos was phenomenal. Both couples had magnetic attraction. One second you're rooting for Christian and Lissa, and the next you're eager to get more from Rose and Dimitri. It was so amazing to see them brought to life right before your eyes.

Rose and Lissa's Bond: 

We had a few worries about how this was going to be conveyed, but the way they accomplished this was very creative and brilliant. It was easy for the audience to tell if Rose was inside Lissa's head. Switching POVs was neither difficult nor confusing. This was one of the best parts of the book-to screen translation.

Story Plot:

All main key points and elements of the book's plot were present in the film. Mark Waters, Richelle, and the cast have previously said that sometimes it is necessary to make a few changes in order to create a better translation from book to screen. The changes were understandable and fit well with the film adaptation. They also did a good job explaining the terminology used in the book (dhampir, moroi, strigoi). As for the comedy, it was incorporated perfectly and not over-the-top. 

Music:

*What we heard in the unfinished film was not what was listed on the official soundtrack list (see HERE). Therefore, we are just as curious and excited to see where each song is placed and how it plays out in the movie!

Richelle's Cameo:

*As many of you have already heard, yes, Richelle does have a cameo in the film (see her interview with Fangirlishness HERE). She plays a school teacher passing by. It was a very brief and quick scene so don't blink or you'll miss her!

Ending:

The movie team's creativity was evident at the end of the movie more than anywhere else. It finished with the potential for possible sequels in the future, which presents exciting prospects. It leaves the audience with something to hope for! Overall, we were very impressed the Vampire Academy movie - it was more than worth the wait!

*There may have been tons of movie stills released, but trust us when we say there is a lot more you haven't seen. We'd also like to point out that although it is only a month away until the film's release, they've been doing some last minute editing (see the cast back in London again for the second time on January 10  HERE). The purpose of the screenings were to identify the things that the fans loved/hated and we are very pleased to see that they've taken all the input they got from the several screenings and have gone back and actually done something with it.This means that they are really trying to perfect the film as much as possible to satisfy fans and viewers alike. If the unfinished version of what we saw was already good, we can't imagine how much better it is now!