Movie Review: “Vampire Academy”

OVERALL: Well that was fun.

POINTS: Wonderful heroines, great scenery, and heck, if you enjoy vampires you will certainly enjoy this.

PITFALLS: There were times when scene/acting almost hit GOOD but then it backed away. It showed, IMHO, a director that almost was there. Plus what was also really odd was how the time in the movie did not seem to happen. When you watch a Harry Potter film you get the sense of time passing. In Vampire Academy you got no sense of time. I couldn’t tell if one minute had passed or one month. This also lent the actors seeming to not have enough time to react to and with each other about situations and dialogue. Issues were glossed over very quickly. I think movies suffer when the motivation of the characters makes no sense and/or is rushed. The movie might have done better had it been longer. It was only one hour and 44 minutes. I think if it had gone to two hours to give a sense of time passing and character growth, it would have been better.

FEMALE CHARACTER(S): Yup! We have two fun heroines – one of them is REALLY FUN – and we get to see them interact with the world and themselves. Also check out High Points for more about the heroines.

CULTURAL PITFALL(S):

1.) Fashion models. Yes I know this movie is about teenage vampires, but, well, staring at teenage fashion models got old. Seriously. There needed to be a wider range of beauty in this movie. I wonder if it would have done better at the box office if there had been a larger sample of humanity. I think I even remember seeing the previews in the theater and thinking “Gosh they all kind of look alike – save for the hair color.” I do not, however, want that to reflect on the talent of the cast. They were all fine and did well. I think if they had been made to looks less “vampirey” it might have helped. IMHO.

2.) Slut-shaming. I get really angry and sick and tired of women being made fun of for their sexual feelings/actions. I call BS. I am get furious when boys, and girls, feel they can shame someone by expressing real or fake sexual activity of a women. Furious. So when this happened in the movie, I got really angry. However my anger was dispelled at the end – see High Points 3.).

HIGH POINT(S):

1.) The main heroine Rose Hathaway played by Zoey Deutch. Oh goodnesss but she was amazing. You don’t often see a woman character like her. She had the all the great qualities of a partially comedic action hero: Funny; Sassy; Smart; and Witty! Her verbal skills were great! I often see this type of character – one who takes up the screen and commands – in male characters so it was AWESOME to see this in Rose. Zoey Deutch may be small but she is mighty as Rose.

2.) The second main heroine Lissa Dragomir played by Lucy Fry. She cold have been just another vapid spoiled princess, but nope. Lucy Fry was allowed and able to show some character growth in the movie, AND, most important to me, loyalty to her best friend Rose. I love how the two of them had an unbreakable bond of friendship. It was good.

3.) Lissa Dragomir’s last speech. It is not often a young woman gets to speak with poise, depth, AND authority. Lissa’s call to be kinder to one another and stop, among other things, slut-shaming, made me crazy happy. Huzzah to the movie/book for being that smart. I liked it.

BECHDEL TEST (Website): 3 of 3. No surprise there!! The movie opens with a scene between two women and no it is not about a man or even any men at all. Our heroines, Rose and Lissa, have an unconventional love/friendship and they are not ashamed or afraid to admit it.

RACIAL BECHDEL TEST (Website): 1 of 3. Sigh. There was at least on PoC who was a friend of the heroines. Hopefully this will change in future movies.

IMDB: Vampire Academy (2014)

OFFICIAL MOVIE WEBSITE: Vampire Academy

DVD/BLU-RAY WORTHY: Yup. In fact I own it and that is how I saw it.

LION PAW PRINTS: 2.5 of 5.

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