Common Sense Media Review
By Jeffrey M. Anderson
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
Blood and sexy stuff in teen-targeted supernatural spoof.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 14+?
Any Positive Content?
Where to Watch
Videos and Photos
Vampire Academy
Parent and Kid Reviews
Based on 12 parent reviews
Based on 17 kid reviews
Kids say the movie adapts the book series well, capturing its action and themes of friendship, though it contains some inappropriate language and scenes, making it more suitable for older children and teenagers. While opinions vary regarding the quality and enjoyment of the film, most agree that it serves as an engaging introduction to the supernatural genre, despite occasional critiques of acting and storyline.
- engaging adaptation
- appropriate for teens
- friendship themes
- mixed reviews
- some inappropriate content
Summarized with AI
Summarized with AI
What's the Story?
Rose (Zoey Deutch) is a Dhampir, a half-vampire whose job is to serve as a guardian for the pureblood vampires, known as the Moroi. Rose is bonded to princess Lissa (Lucy Fry). For mysterious reasons, they have run away from their school, nicknamed the VAMPIRE ACADEMY, but are found and forced to return. There they face a series of strange occurrences, such as warnings written in blood and dead animals left as omens. This could be the work of a race of evil vampires, the Strigoi, or it could be something even more sinister. Meanwhile, both Rose and Lissa must deal with ordinary high school stuff, like crushes, bullies, and the big upcoming dance.
Is It Any Good?
Unfortunately, what the Water Brothers deliver is not a very good movie. To start, it looks bad, like waxy video with bad computer-generated effects stamped on top. The writing is filled with exposition and explanations, trying to get all the information of this vampire world across in the most direct and graceless way possible. This writing often leads to bad acting, even by such veterans as Gabriel Byrne. However, with its particularly unique attitude, it has a chance to become a classic "good-bad" movie.
Screenwriter Daniel (Heathers) and director Mark (Mean Girls), are no strangers to this kind of material. And even though Vampire Academy is very clearly meant to capitalize on franchises like Twilight and Harry Potter, the brothers are more interested in creating something snappy and irreverent. It's not a bad spoof, like Vampires Suck, but rather its own welcome entity. Certainly the spunky Zoey Deutch helps, with her boundless energy and funny line readings.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about the movie's violence. How does seeing blood affect the intensity of the violence? What's your reaction to seeing violence onscreen?
How much does this fictional high school have in common with your own high school?
How does the movie compare to the books? What is the appeal of these kinds of supernatural/young adult stories?
Movie Details
- In theaters : February 7, 2014
- On DVD or streaming : May 20, 2014
- Cast : Danila Kozlovsky , Lucy Fry , Zoey Deutch
- Director : Mark Waters
- Inclusion Information : Female Movie Actor(s)
- Studio : Weinstein Co.
- Genre : Action/Adventure
- Topics : Book Characters , School ( High School ) , Fantasy
- Run time : 104 minutes
- MPAA rating :
- MPAA explanation : violence, bloody images, sexual content and language
- Last updated : September 29, 2025
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