Staff Writer
There is every reason to be excited about “Vampire Academy,” as the film boasts the same director, Mark Waters, who directed “Mean Girls,” one of the most beloved films of this generation. However, unlike “Mean Girls,” “Vampire Academy” is an utter failure of a film.
Between the lacking plot and horrid special effects, further bogged down by mediocre acting, “Vampire Academy” proves to be no more than a frustrating and unsatisfactory film.
The film is based on the novel of the same name by Richelle Mead. It takes place in present day, set around the conflict between two groups of warring vampires, the peaceful Moroi and the savage vampires, the Strigoi.
The narrative follows two 17-year-old girls, Lissa (Lucy Fry), a royal vampire who is soon to take over as queen of the Moroi, and Rose (Zoey Deutch), Lissa’s protector. The girls are taken to an academy for peaceful vampires and their protectors, where they learn how to control and perfect their magical powers, but more importantly to fight and kill the Strigoi, who threaten their safety.
Jumping from one unfinished idea to the next, “Vampire Academy” has an unprioritized, chaotic story line. One minute the main characters are fighting demonic vampires, and the next their biggest concern becomes dealing with classic teenage social issues, including manipulative girls in school. The constantly-changing conflicts are confusing and become superficial, making it unclear what the film’s real purpose is.
This lack of concentration is also seen in the sloppy and unrealistic special effects. The computer-generated images of monsters are so blatantly fake that the film is ,at times, laughable. Such poor attempts at special effects serve only to kill any sense of believability or immersion in the film.
A lack of talent is just as evident in the acting. Deutch and Fry fail to sell themselves as developed characters, let alone vampires. Their performances come off as forced and one-sided. The pair acts arrogant and obnoxious, greatly hindering the film by making the protagonists excruciatingly unlikable.
“Vampire Academy” is horrible in every regard. The story, acting and effects are some of the worst in the industry, and the film proves to be no more than yet another forgettable vampire flick.
“Vampire Academy” is rated PG-13 and is playing in theaters nationwide.
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