Vampire Academy ~ Lost in Adaptation

[@msmalice6007]

this movie is terrible but the happiness i get from the actor delivering the line “dmitri is a god. but i’m an atheist. an atheist with a big gun.” makes it worthwhile. the way he delivers that line is just pure camp magic

[@becauseimafan]

😂😂 that's _fantastic_ omg! 🤣🤣

[@happyjellycatsquid]

Wow you just unlocked some deeply repressed memories 😆😆

[@katelynw3213]

"Do you know what it's like to be second best?" "No."

[@SingingSealRiana]

ok, this is hilarious

[@petrfedor1851]

Oh yes, new anser for JW once I run out of Stargate quotes!

[@koalasandwich567]

"Now for the obligatory cafeteria scene" I'm saying that whenever I go get lunch from now on

[@trinaq]

Ditto, it's made me realise how many teen movies contain a cafeteria scene! 😂

[@Phantom86d]

If it is anything like my cafeteria scenes played out... Not much happened. If it is like the ones I pictured when going to other cafeterias at different schools... There is a good reason cafetorium sounds like crematorium.

[@amymak93]

@@trinaq Yes, it happens a lot, but it’s not really a trope. Essentially all high school students spend an hour of every school day there, and it’s where there’s the most opportunity for social interaction. It would be pretty much the same as saying ‘Here’s the obligatory kitchen scene’ when a character was at home. A trope would be ‘Here’s the obligatory scene where the new student can’t find somewhere to sit in the cafeteria.’, or something like that. Making the narration particularly inane and unnecessary in this case.

[@shibuyaneko5741]

@@amymak93 yeah, scène à faire although in my case i can't help but think "ha! joke's on you, i ate in the library!"

[@Nevae_696]

@@shibuyaneko5741are you allowed to do that it’s seems like you wouldn’t be able to do that but I don’t know I didn’t even make it to Second grade

[@hexreviews]

I read the books as they came out and the really spoke to me as a depressed, self-harming, inappropriately in love with an older person, teen. I think one of the additional reasons the film didn't work was it was made so late in the game. The last book in the series came out in 2010, I was in the middle of college and more into Meads adult series like Succubus Blues. By 2014 when the film came out vampires were so overdone even my affection for the series couldn't interest me in seeing what looked to be a bad adaptation.

[@maggiewayland5770]

Yes cause and this show coming out like the vampire phase is gone tbh

[@maggiewayland5770]

Gonna fail tbh

[@trinaq]

I'm so glad that the books were a comfort to you. That's the dangers of pandering towards trends. By the time your film/book/TV show has been released, then what was once cool has now been long forgotten.

[@maggiewayland5770]

@@trinaq yes or gets compared to others like this book got compared to Twilight or Harry Potter

[@MadameChouette800]

Succubus blues is so good!

[@diddles3383]

One thing I appreciate about this piece of media is the deep friendship between Rose and Lisa - YA stories tend to solely focus on romance only, so it's nice to see an MC have a meaningful friendship.

[@Princess_Weekes]

These books were my passion as a teenager and young adult xD

[@shinyagumon7015]

I like how the threat of the Scirori is largely contained outside the school, after the boy who didn't die lots of VA School series felt the need to include an obviously evil house or social clique for the audience to hate. So it's refreshing to see the school bullies just being bullies and not secretly the next generation of the big bad.

[@moxiebadger]

Not so much an evil house but there is indeed a secret society amongst the royals in the books called Mana. However, it's merely a subplot and later machination of reflection on how the powerful stay as such especially once you get to the later books and spinoff series

[@bthsr7113]

HIVE is another that went differently. Sure, there were some bullies in the enforcer track, but that wasn't necessarily an indictment of the full track. The threats were from outside the school too.... mostly. I'd go into specifics, but it's YA worth a read. Imagine if instead of magic users, you have an academy for young Artemis Fowl types, IE supervillains.

[@timothymclean]

As hilarious as it can be to see school bullies try to act like they're Real Villain Material, it is nice when the two groups are kept naturally separated.

[@Starmadien2019]

Right! Ok, picture this, a pure blood student gets to school. Parroting all the propaganda adults in their lives, thinking this is how the world works. Only to see the truth and that half-bloods and muggleborns are just human beings. Capable of good and cruelty and being smart or dumb. The student begins to question everything they've been told. And as the war intensifies, they stand on the side of good. On the side of everyone is equal(magical creatures aren't, though? Seriously, the elves and goblins didn't deserve their treatments by the "good" guys.) You go against your family and who you thought were friends. To speak out against hate. How compaling would it have been if in the 6th book. Draco stuck to the idea of his life being filled with lies. Of him secretly helping the resistance where he could without getting caught? To have him fight in the battle, not on the side of Ol' moldy but on the side of the school? If I wrote it, one the kids would be diverse and challenge what they're taught more. And there would be Syltherins who were on the side of the good guys. . . . It really broke my heart, that my favorite author hates trans and gender nonconforming people so much. When she said all were welcome at the school. We all believed it.

[@הייויוםטובאדוני]

is that a gender-swapped speedwagon?? because if so, i have to say, i love that!

[@CarterAvalon]

Oh my God, when he said Kozlovsky can't act.. This is so funny. He is actually famous in Russia, he has a lot of fans that will defend his acting skills, and so he is cast in a lot of movies. But on the internet he is a meme, every movie reviewer makes fun of him. Sorry, this is just so funny, I cant form a coherent comment explaining why. The best roast I've seen.

[@adorabell4253]

Oh Kozlovsky. I will never understand the appeal.

[@kellharris2491]

I wonder if it's the difference between Russian acting and western. I mean different cultures have different appeals. I mean I love K drama and C drama but it takes a little getting used to the different styles.

[@adorabell4253]

@@kellharris2491 oh, no. He's just not that good an actor. There is a reason all the reviewers tend to roast him. I think it's that he has a rugged pretty boy appeal and that's all the modern Russian movies seem to care about.

[@annet4611]

​@@adorabell4253 As a Russian I absolutely agree with you, Kozlovsky is a mess of an actor but, like pretty much every famous actor, he's got his fangirls (as well as haters of course). Another reason that most reviewers and movie critics make fun of him I think is his being conceited and arrogant. No one would roast his bad acting so much (after all there many mediocre/bad actors and actresses out there) if he weren't so full of himself, setting himself up as a genius actor

[@Caernath]

Dom: “Were the vampires planning to go to space at some point?” Neil Suckstrong: “One small bite for vampire, one giant bite for vampirekind.”

[@Gloomdrake]

We went from Gnorts, Mr. Alien! to Gnorts, Kcu Slien!

[@thuranz2773]

Neil Suckstrong, sounds like a porn star name XD

[@Dragonshade64]

I guess they're preparing for the onlyfans exclusive adaptation of vampires in space.

[@jasonblalock4429]

Brian Lumley's "Necroscope" series managed to mash up vampires and sci-fi / space opera elements, although in a straight-laced-campy sort of way.

[@becauseimafan]

😂😂

[@HotDogTimeMachine385]

I love how we keep being told Strigoi are unfeeling monsters who cannot be reasoned with and the first Strigoi we meet at the end of the first book was reasonable and following her Moroi dad's orders. Tell but show the opposite lol

[@yasminemixon9340]

This is something I was upset was never addressed in the books. The moroi and dhampirs believe that strigoi are mindless monsters that don't even like to work together but we see time and time again that this just isn't true. You would think it would have ended up a plotline but it's never really touched on in the series.

[@silverbrumbyfan]

@@yasminemixon9340 It sort of is and isn't where Christian is concerned, Christian is messed up because he saw his parents murdered before his eyes, his parents who didn't try to eat him simply because he was Moroi and they were Strigoi

[@abookishmess]

@@yasminemixon9340 I do think that's kind of the point. Like it's easier to train to kill the idea of outright evil beings, and the higher up Morai didn't wanna make the problem seem as bad or complex as it is that would make them feel more unsafe and powerless. Also I think the book didn't so that they antagonist felt more real and less cartoony

[@idab9958]

​@@yasminemixon9340 Didn't the fourth book explore that a little bit? It's been forever since I read it, but I think there was like a group of strigoi who were working together, but it's also made clear they're only using each other and will gladly turn on each other and kill their own allies if it benefits them.

[@mophead_xu]

@@abookishmess same!! (also, hi again! hehe.) like sure, strigois _were_ the evil counterpart of morois, and even when we saw them organising as a group, there wasn't really a sense of genuine solidarity among them. but the reduction of them into mindless, blood-thirsty, killing machines, i feel like it was less of a plothole and more just ... an element of the world building. specifically, the more social (and, to some extent political) aspect of the worldbuilding.

[@alexmooney7474]

"...I don't want to talk about the cat, so...final thoughts." You're a real one, Dom. Thank you.

[@SheliakDragon]

I assume something horrible happens to cats somewhere in the book. I'm thinking of actually giving this series a go but this might be a dealbreaker for me, I just cannot stomach any animal cruelty, especially to cats and dogs. Do you think it's still worth giving it a go?

[@alexmooney7474]

@@SheliakDragon The movie has some animal cruelty in it, but they focus more on the emotional effect on the characters. The book is...a bit graphic. And there are multiple occasions of it. I'd say you don't see / read the cruelty happening in real time, but you see the aftermath and it's not pretty. If you're sensitive in any way to it, I might pass on it. However, it's really only in the first book and not the subsequent 5, if you wanted to muscle through it.

[@petloverspy]

@@alexmooney7474 thank you for the warning, I’m an extreme cat lover. I want to read the books so now I know to read the first one on a good day, not when I’m already down

[@abookishmess]

@@SheliakDragon I will say that this is a pretty good summary of the first book and all it's major events excluding one detail you could skip the first book into the second especially since it recaps things and it's really the tone for the series more so than the first one.

[@meredithvaughan5946]

I once read this entire series. The only thing I remember from one of the sequels is that they had a really detailed description of a fancy chocolate cocktail that I was really interested in. Plot- no idea. Desire for fancy alcoholic dessert- remains with me to this day.

[@AshleeKnowsNot]

Second book. I think it was like a chocolate mousse drink. You could probably make it with chocolate liqueur, vodka, heavy cream... And maybe even some sort of marshmallow whip or ice cream? And some version of added chocolate. Real chocolate would be best but chocolate mix/syrup would probably be okay. Mix it in a blender. It probably take a while to get the ratios right. It might need ice? But you could definitely make it. Trust me I know what you're talking about and I've been thinking about this for a while. 😭 There's a scene in the second book where they meet Adrian the rich guy who invites them to an underground spa. It's at the lodge in the mountains. That's what Rose was drinking when she got too drunk in the hot tub and ended up breaking up / getting into a fight. If that triggers your memory.

[@jacquelinelugo5518]

@@AshleeKnowsNot Adrian 😭, he was done so wrong in VA. But omg does he get such a character development in the Bloodlines series. Someone I think leaked that he is going to be in the show but like comes in the final episode. Which I wish they would have just saved him for season 2

[@RosesTeaAndASD]

@@AshleeKnowsNot Thank you🙂👍

[@timothymclean]

Hearing about this series surprised me on two counts: How mature and substantial a plot there is in what sounds like a bundle of YA cliches, and the overwhelming totally-not-lesbian-gal-pals energy Lissa and Rose exude through even a plot synopsis. I'm half-blind to romantic tension (straight or queer, intentional or no), and I picked up on it _immediately,_ so I can't imagine how wild _shippers_ went with it.

[@jacquelinelugo5518]

I Highly recommend anyone to Read VA. Honestly Rachelle Mead is one of those authors that plans out, how she wants her series to go. And it shows, cause she will have a throw away line in book and then that line comes back because it's a huge plot latter on. I still get chills when I finish the third VA book and a throw away line said in book 1. Becomes the whole plot point for book 4-5.

[@abookishmess]

I don't recall any shipping heavily for them. Especially since they wouldn't work and kind often times are not seeing eye to eye plus there's such a heavy power imbalance.

[@mophead_xu]

@@abookishmess yeah, there were definitely shippers of lisa and rose, but i think for most readers their dynamics were too ... heavily platonic, if that makes sense? of course, in addition to the mentioned power imbalance, with rose being basically pre-determined to serve lisa as her guardian and whatnot, personally i always got the vibe that because of it, rose never really saw lisa on the same level? like, sometimes she placed lisa above herself, sure; that one's obvious for reasons. but also, other times she kinda puts lisa "under" her? in the sense of, "she's much weaker than me, she can't fight, etc etc." almost like she sees lisa as someone younger, basically. then, _on top of all that,_ i just think that their own respective love interests are well developed and interesting enough, so there's also that.

[@abookishmess]

@@mophead_xu Agreed

[@wjzav1971]

To be fair, vampire bites were always seen as an allegory for sex. Even back when Dracula was made in the 1930s with Bela Lugosi, there was a studio note that Dracula can only bite women on screen so when he was about to bite Renfield, the film faded to black.

[@ribbonquest]

Imagine being one of her students and discovering this is what Ms Mead did the year after you finished middle school.

[@mophead_xu]

wasn't suzanne collins also a teacher at some point? and both women have written YA series that stood out amongst the rest. now i just need a third one to conclusively declare a pattern, lol.

[@CaptainJeanic]

I really love this series. Yes the age-gap in the relationship is a thing that I would fix, but I think this was one of the few YA bookseries where the main romance was actually well established. Rather than just based on "we are both hot, with the personalities of paper plates, that still somehow have nothing in common." they seem to have real chemistry and their own personalities.

[@Starmadien2019]

Age gaps that the adult takes the time to stand back and say "I'm an adult, you are a child. Boundaries have been set and it would be highly inappropriate for us to do anything but be friends." Is I feel a excellent way to set up that there maybe something in the future when both of them are old enough to know what they're getting into. But it's not going to happen now because one of them is a minor with a child brain that hasn't fully developed as of yet. So I the adult will stop this in its tracks. Feel so much better, my and my girlfriend have a huge age gap, 31. 53. But we met last year when we're both fully developed adults and knowing our brains and wants.

[@abookishmess]

Yes I like that he calls her out more often then not. He's telling her how immature she is and etc. A lot of these age gaps are gross because they're always trying push the "you're mature for your age" lines 😩. He was genuinely frustrated with her ass.

[@athenajaxon2397]

@@abookishmess yeah plus Rose never changes for him she never feels the need to not act her age to impress Dimitri which I really liked

[@petloverspy]

If it’s handled well, honestly I would leave the inclusion of the age gap. I feel like it’s a good thing to show teen readers that this is how the adult SHOULD act, and that it’s not because there’s something wrong with them but because it’s not responsible. Showing that being the kind and romantic thing to do could be very good?

[@catandrobbyflores]

I think it should be left alone. It shows that while it's ok to have feelings for someone older/adult it's not ok for said older/adult to act on those feelings.

[@zachariewinters2335]

Now, technically, dhampir can come from a vampire who got wet, as long as the vampire parent was the mother.

[@snoopygonewilder]

🤣🤣🤣🤣

[@DourdenAdam]

... i hate that I laughed at this

[@johannesseyfried7933]

@@DourdenAdam Yeah, it made me grin a little too.

[@becauseimafan]

🤔 Oh! 🤣🤣🤣

[@zinkheroofyoutube8004]

God damn you

[@RhyperiorRanger]

Ain’t no WAY this man is 35. Out here drinking that vampire blood

[@TheOnlyToblin]

Thank you Dom. Not for anything special. Just keep being you. You're part of a disappearingly small population of KZbinrs who manage to be "not an asshole", "nuanced" and "throught provoking" all at the same time. Thanks!

[@poppythedogofwonders]

God I truly do hate people like you who try and give compliments by shitting on others. "disappearingly small population" my ASS. You ain't looking hard enough and I doubt you even tried to look at all. I swear to God, I can't speak for anyone but myself but honestly 'compliments' like that feel like backhanded-slap. Disrespectful.

[@annajoules3033]

I loved these books as a YA, particularly as one that struggled with borderline personality disorder and (undiagnosed at the time) adhd, their portrayal of adult and mature themes in a cathartic and respectful way made me feel a lot less alone. While the action and romance were great selling points from an enjoyment point of view. The character development and human drama from Mead in this book and many of her others I could rival to GRRM and Stephen king - in a YA novel way. That being said, they’re one of a few in this genre that aged well…

[@annajoules3033]

Also, loved your coverage of this Dom, as always, prime KZbin entertainment provided with intelligence, charisma and wonderfully dry British humour ☔️🏳️‍🌈

[@OcarinaSapphr-]

As opposed to some: Looking’ at you, House of Night....

[@TheoRae8289]

welp, you just sold me on giving it a try. Good on you, Anna.

[@DaniPetkova]

I've always considered VA as top tier in the genre. While it uses all the tropes that tend to get annoying when you are not a teen, it is well written, deals with serious issues and does not make a hash of things, and balances well between school drama, politics and monsters. Even the Dimitri Rose thing is not too horrible as the age gap is small, he does his best to keep away from her because he is aware it's wrong, and a lot of drama ensues before they actually get to do stuff. The reactions of the grown ups are also adequate which is surprising for a plot line that is basically a "I wanna have sex with my hot teacher" fantasy.

[@cooperminion825]

Also, 17 is the legal age of consent so it's not that terrible

[@Captaincory1]

@@cooperminion825 not everywhere, yeah some states and countries, but here in Texas and I believe most other states the legal age of consent is 18

[@jaginaiaelectrizs6341]

@@Captaincory1 The age of consent is 16yrs old in 31 States, 17yrs old in 6 States, and 18yrs old in 13 States...so, it's actually 16 in *most* States, but it's 18 in the State where I live too[ and I'm nowhere near Texas]. Lol The age of consent, so far as I can tell, is actually typically 16 in most other countries around the world as well. Although 18 is also a fairly common age of consent in a number of other countries too; although many places with 18 as an age of consent, actually allow consent even younger in certain exceptions, such as between individuals who are within a 1yr to 7yrs age-gap from each other(the exact gap allowable varies from country to country..or in some countries depends on the age of the youngest person involved)...just to name a couple of the most common exceptions. But a number of other countries actually have ages of consent set at 14 or 15, and even more rarely some countries' ages of consent is as low as 12 or 13. (I don't know why, but it seems like randomly 17 is a really uncommon age of consent, the whole world over.) Nevermind the countries that make it illegal to consent unless married[ although most of those have the legal age of marriage at 16 or 18 as well]-and neverminding countries where it's always illegal between same-sex individuals[ but most often esp. if male] as well. But most places prohibit consent between legal adults and legal minors, regardless of how young their local age of consent; although some places do allow some exceptions[ such as if the two individuals were within a certain/small age-gap or if they were already in an established/stable/ relationship together before the older individual became an adult].

[@abookishmess]

@@jaginaiaelectrizs6341 🤣 girl let me tell you it's never a good look to know that much about consent. But jokes aside I do appreciate that in this book the age gap isn't downplayed and he spends little time with her and if alone it's always teaching. Bruh was actively trying not to 😩

[@jaginaiaelectrizs6341]

@@abookishmess Lol 🤣🤣 ((I just have a fascination with the law, and how it differs &/or stays the same or similar from country to country, in general-I considered wanting to be a lawyer when I grew up when I was younger at one point, but mostly I just liked knowing when and what I was or wasn't legally allowed to do versus say what my parents could or couldn't legally prevent me from doing since(among other things) I'm a very willful person and my mother's the type that didn't even have a tv or allow watching Disney movies when visiting friends because of the "evil" magic use in them; I think I'd rather be informed than ignorant, especially since ignorance of a law rarely exempts anyone from prosecution for violating a law. But I'm also a writer, so I just have a fascination with cultures[/etc.] and how things work and are similar or differ & such in general too, the better to write stories set in other countries with &/or to borrow inspiration from to write new fantasy settings with.^-^)) But, yeah, I appreciated how the age-gap was handled in the VA books too.

[@DoctorandtheDoll]

I don't think it gets said enough: I love all the songs Il Neige does at the end. They're so well done and hysterical more often than not.

[@ggrarl]

The word strigoi is derived from the word strix, which is Latin for "owl", which just makes me anticipate when Guardians of Ga'Hoole will appear on this show.

[@Dragonspoetofdeath]

Interesting. I only knew that it is what vampires are known as in certain Parts. Not sure whether it was in poland, ukraine or rumania.

[@Daelyah]

My owl-loving middle sister would appreciate it!

[@happychaosofthenorth]

15:30 As someone who is chronically itchy from severe eczema, it really can cause crushing emotional distress since it is torture. Not sure how it's portrayed in the movie, probably as some mild inconvenience but it is truly awful.

[@lightworthy]

yeah it’s not portrayed as a serious or severe thing in the movie at all. they just get really itchy for a bit when she goes too hard using her powers and it stops the next scene, with no mention of it being that bad, just mildly annoying

[@trinaq]

SO many franchises in the late 2000's/early 2010's wanted to jump on the Twilight bandwagon with the vampire craze. Zoey Deutch gave a decent performance that was WAY too great for this movie!

[@katherinealvarez9216]

Yeah, I knew nothing about the books but I enjoyed her performance.

[@jaginaiaelectrizs6341]

Yeah-I was gonna say, her performance was NOT [in my opinion ]forgettable, at aalll!!!! # JusticeForZoey! 😅😅🙃😁 Lol She was the best part of the entire movie. (Also, Christian.^^)

[@CherryAwesome101]

As a 13/14 yo reading this series I remember the age gap romance feeling like fantasy fulfill to parallel a crush I had on one of my own instructors. Even then I understood it as something that could never come to fruition IRL, but my god was living the fantasy thru rose a lot of fun. And this is the demographic Romitri catered to. I was so excited when the movie cast a Russian man to play a Russian lead but boy howdy did Danila not know what to do with the script that was given. I’ve seen him in Russian productions so he’s not a bad actor, I’m willing to bet direction was literally lost in translation and everyone was just doing the best they could with what I have always said was a god awful script. The books showed us how vampire romance could be different from twilight, all the movie did was insist it wasn’t twilight so hard that it failed to be anything at all. My absolute favorite book series as a teenager and remains high on my list now as an adult. Most of the characters come out of this series changed people and that’s something I wasn’t finding in a lot of ya pnr at the time.

[@sabrinaloizides-merideth9874]

I discovered Richelle Mead through "Succubus Blues" and I was deeply invested in that series when this one came out. I am not the demographic for this series but I found it way more engaging that Twilight was. I do recommend her succubus series as it is amazing. This video has inspired me to do yet another re-read of the series as the Halloween season approaches.

[@Zulf85]

Sounds like a great idea to me! I want to get started

[@wildoneizzy]

Yes, that sounds like an excellent idea. It's been a few years since I've revisited the series.

[@ellien5014]

You really should check out her "Dark Swan" books. They are amazing and like Succubus Blues aimed at an adult audience.

[@ajkity]

All of her books are 🔥

[@trinaq]

Please cover "The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones." It had a promising premise, and an excellent cast, comprised of Lily Collins, Jamie Campbell Bower and Robert Sheehan, amongst others, but its potential was greatly squandered.

[@rynnightshade]

It also has a TV show Shadohunters

[@Elly-z7q]

And the film tried its best and the show started off that way then changed creators or something and those that followed decided to take a dump on Clary and Jocelyn and Isabelle (Isabelle making her addicted to yen fin and just getting over it you know the the drug that almost killed Jem in the infernal devices) I’m sure there is more shit they pulled but i never made it past season one (lack of interest then i learned about Clary and just went hard no)

[@marocat4749]

@@Elly-z7q As someone not reading th books, its prtty fine once th romane ce rama isnt the center, and season 3 is pretty good.Through i ont know how loyal it is.

[@TiredLex]

I remember being so upset that Clary wasn't a redhead and they casted such old looking people for Alec and Isabelle lmao. Imo the shadow hunters had a way better cast.

[@rynnightshade]

@@TiredLex same. The Shadowhunters cast I felt looked like they grew up as soldier, where the TMI looked like a bunch of people in a sort of uniform

[@msj5492]

These books are seriously underrated, its a lot of dealing with emotional trauma and I remember as a teen reading these and kind of growing. I heard they were doing and show and I really hope it turns out well like Shadow and Bones

[@pree381]

I read these books starting when I was in middle school and honestly really loved them. I really appreciated that they matured with their audience. And while the age gap still makes me a little... uncomfortable... I think overall the author handled it pretty well

[@MeredithRules]

I have a weird soft spot in my heart for this movie. I enjoyed the books and the movie isn’t really a good representation of them, but it’s a messy good time with a pretty killer soundtrack.

[@Elly-z7q]

Yup

[@cjskindaboring]

Glad I'm not alone! It works well enough if you can switch your brain off for a couple hours, and I remember going back to it quite a bit as a kind of comfort blanket when I was about 13.

[@lightworthy]

same, the movie is pretty bad but i love it, can’t stand to watch the leg breaking scene though

[@thegreenjellybean77]

It's one of the so bad that it's good movie

[@RAFAT9]

Watching this movie was one of the best theatre going experiences of my life. 2 friends and I watched the movie at 11pm on a Sunday with a theatre filled with 10 other people. 5 mins in I accidentally said a joke too loud and got a laugh, then my friend did the same, then some random guy. By the end of the movie at 1230am all of us were riffing and dunking on this movie. Young, old, men, women, all united in this shitty vampire movie

[@Olivia_Dreamrider]

Mystery science theater 3000's spirit lives on

[@Zulf85]

I still remember a similar experience my family had at home with the Assassin's Creed movie. We turned it off halfway, but until then? Absolutely roasting it

[@hannahelyse2671]

Oh. My. God. These books were my everything in adolescence. I loved them so much. I can't believe you're doing this, Dom. Thank you for such a lovely Friday night treat.

[@princeapoopoo5787]

I read half of this book (and due to unforseen circumstances never got around to finish it) and quite liked it, but I honestly forgot the title of it. I didn't even realise there is a film adaption of it, and I can't tell if it is because of how unremarkable the film is, the oversaturation of teen supernatural content, or both. Hopefully the rest of the series holds up because I'd love to give it another go.

[@AvengeTheTRexOfSteel]

The first one is just called Vampire Academy

[@idab9958]

If you're thinking of trying the books again, don't let this trashy film stop you. They're pretty damn good, probably among the best teen supernatural books I've read.

[@scorpio4500]

The later books go into it more, but Lissa actually does have a small amount of control over all the elements. Technically all moroi do. Then as they get older they “specialize” when it becomes clear that they have a natural talent for one particular element. But they never lose that low level of control over the others

[@TheLadyLiddell]

I LOVE this series, and honestly I think it's what really got me into vampire books (Vampire Academy leading to Vampirates and Blood Ninja). It's a crime that Twilight is the one that took off and VA was saddled with such a lackluster movie. It didn't help that the trailers for it made it look as much like a Mean Girls Twilight as it possibly could.

[@melinoel616]

I adore Vampire Academy, and I was so upset this film missed so many little details and nuances to the characters and their story arcs. Some scenes are well done, but the connective tissue and dismissive directorial tone killed a lot of good will. Really hope the tv series does a much better job, because this is one of the best YA vampire series of the Twilight era.

[@firebirdmaximus4279]

How strange, I literally just started re-reading this book today. One thing you didn't mention, in that the film whitewashed the main character. Here how the main character Rose Hathaway was described in the book: "My dhampir mother was Scottish-red haired, with a ridiculous accent-and I'd been told my Moroi dad was Turkish. That genetic combination had given me skin the same color as the inside of an almond, along with what I thought were semi-exotic desert-princess features: big dark eyes and hair so deep brown that it usually looked black". Also you wanna know how much more the film failed at the box office. It didn't even get a theatrical release in the UK, and went straight to DVD.

[@lindal7827]

I think it got a very limited theatrical release in the UK because I remember going to see it at the cinema in Aberdeen when I lived there.

[@pitofneverendingsarcasm8476]

You're so right about the white washing! Rereading as an adult it was particularly striking how much Rose's mixed race identity fed into the way moroi guys talked about her and sexualised her. I might not have picked up on it when I read them as they came out, but it definitely feeds into how "fuck the patriarchy and this system is racist" the vibe of the books is. It just smacks of someone not understanding why a text us meaningful to its central audience, and such a cowardly cop out to put zero effort into trying to cast a lead who isn't white.

[@EL-jq1sq]

She's half-Turkish?? I was uninterested but as a half-Turk starved for rep maybe I should give this series a try

[@Luanna801]

Yeah, I was hoping he'd mention that! It's very frustrating.

[@theandroidsentbycyberlife]

@@EL-jq1sq same

[@ShadowKaiserin]

I'm just going to admit that I love this book series. It's one of my favorites and I regularly reread it for fun.

[@tafelrunde906]

me and my friends were so obsessed with that movie and i even read the two first books but the best part was always sharing that love with my friends... we were at an age were we still used play play pretend a lot and our plots were based on harry potter, hunger games, twilight etc... i still have a lot of fond memories of how imaginative and invested we got :)

[@bookishgia]

I loved this series when I was 16-17. I did reread the first book last summer and still enjoyed it. I do want to go back and read the entire series and see if it’s as good as I remember. I think you can make an argument for the series being longer than necessary but I don’t recall much filler or “bad moments”. As for the student/teacher yikes of it all - yes while yikes, I think it was handled well that Rose and Dimitri remained friends and colleagues for some time. This was also the first form of media that I can recall where mental health issues are actually handled with care. I hear Mead’s Bloodlines series is also good and I want to give that a try too.

[@andurilcuivie]

Bloodlines is same universe with continuing timeline, but new story with new characters, not a rehash. I actually like it little bit better.

[@MadameChouette800]

I prefer bloodlines over VA. I love Sydney and Adrian.

[@jacquelinelugo5518]

Bloodlines is in my opinion way better. She did that with that series. I wanted more Sydney 😭

[@aliceb6248]

From what I remember, Bloodlines does a good job at representing a character who is unlearning prejudice, which is not something I found very much in YA.

[@kassiani_626]

I love VA, but Bloodlines is vastly superior. You can definitely tell she grew as an author between writing VA and starting Bloodlines

[@veronicablake5389]

I absolutely ADORE the casting of Dimitri, but to each their own

[@BenjiXAddictX4Ever]

So much better than the TV show, they actually put effort into get a Russian to play him.

[@n0thum4n]

@@BenjiXAddictX4Ever yeah, the show could’ve at least gave him his long hair if they were going to keep him British also dialect coaches 😭

[@BenjiXAddictX4Ever]

@@n0thum4n They didn't bothered, they proudly stated nobody told them what to do with the accents other then being their natural selves. 😭😭😭

[@n0thum4n]

@@BenjiXAddictX4Ever Everything about it was just a hot mess and some people had the audacity to rave about how book accurate it was and all I could think is how long has it been since you read the books and were they really are the correct series?

[@n0thum4n]

@@BenjiXAddictX4Ever Also did you see the interview where the cast members had to lie about it following the book storyline because quite a few of them were reading it as they filmed 😭

[@athenajaxon2397]

I'm re-reading the books now and was surprised by how much the books hold up. I'm so sick of reading protagonists who are shy, awkward and self-loathing Rose is so refreshing as a mature, confident and headstrong character. I related to her a lot and was really glad to read about a character who was half Turkish as I'm also half Turkish and it's really rare to see that in a main character

[@blackkitty369]

It's refreshing to see a relationship where the guy say no you're too young!

[@ETphonehome813]

I clicked on this video SO FAST! Vampire Academy has long been my favourite book series, and I'm so happy to see you do a video on it. The movie really missed the mark in so many ways, and I agree with every criticism you made. The exposition is especially hard to sit through. I'm glad to hear you found yourself enjoying the book, and I'd recommend reading the others too if you can find the time. They only get better, and the world gets much bigger, with lots of political drama and higher stakes in the later ones. Fingers crossed they show is a much better adaptation than the film. And I think it will be. They've made a lot of changes to the characters and the story, and are bringing in elements from each of the books into the first season, but I believe it will be to the benefit of the show to be exploring the Moroi world outside the Academy right from the start, as well as expanding the story beyond Rose's POV. Less than a week to go!

[@robertgronewold3326]

It's amazing how many films wanted to be the next Harry Potter, Twilight or Hunger Games, and COMPLETELY failed to properly adapt their otherwise excellent source material.

[@mimismsx]

As someone who loves this book series so much, this movie was so frustrating and infuriating to watch. They tried to make it a comedy and it just doesn't work! There is humor in the book, yes, but it is a not comedy series and and no one in the production/ writing team got the memo. I'm genuinely shocked that Richelle Mead approved this & liked it because this doesn't reflect the tone of the first book or the entire series IN ANY WAY. They followed the plot, but they failed in the tone and delivery and it just so disappointing. And none of these characters feel or come off as the characters I love in the books, they're all just so wrong. Also, me not being salty & bitter still 8 years later...

[@lauramartin7675]

I agree. I saw a couple of trailers and thought, "are they making a parody out of this?" then decided not to even attempt to watch the movie. Considering all the serious topics that are brought up through the series, this movie was never going to start a franchise out of the books. The "comedy" comes from Rose's dry, sarcastic sense of humour, not the actual plot or themes.

[@abookishmess]

I remember begging my friend to come with me. And I was so excited and like the books are so good overall. This movie was so embarrassing 😂😂

[@LukaWukaWatcher]

@@lauramartin7675 The trailers are exactly why I didn't watch this movie in theaters. I remember seeing one of the teasers where it was basically just the dance scene where Rose punched Mia and it had this stupid zoom onto her face and she deadpans her line. In that moment, I said "not for me thanks" and didn't watch it till it appeared on netflix in morbid curiosity. It was exactly as bad as the trailer suggested despite, like Dom says, having a lot of the plot remain the same.

[@andrear4954]

Have you seen the tv show? I thought the first episode was a bit slow but the season as a whole was pretty fun to watch, also Dimitri in the show is wayyy better than in the movie

[@mimismsx]

@@andrear4954 Hahaha, oh god, I'm going to sound like such a negative nelly but no. I refuse to watch it because 1) i saw the trailer and while i'm sure the cast is great, i was not happy with the changes she made with the story itself 2) bc i absolutely hate julie plec and everything she gets her dirty paws on, she ruins and I'm sure she's already ruined it. So, I know some of the story changes she made and she basically ERASED all of the most important story bits IMO and it just no longer feels like vampire academy. I have such a deep-rooted hatred for her, and it just PAINS me incredibly that she got this project bc well she's a TERRIBLE writer. I can only imagine what mess she made of my favorite books with this tv show. SIGH 😩

[@katsucandy]

"i do not want to talk about the cats" he says, aggressively petting his cat. Oh No.

[@ApequH]

What happend to the cats!!

[@Gokira666]

Sounds like a pretty cool series, if the rest of the books are as good as the first. Dom, I love your combo of vest, shirt, and nail polish! And that tie is KILLER!

[@brosmett6127]

The book series develops in complexity and stakes as Mead improves her craft, and ultimately sticks the landing, IMHO. Worth reading the rest!

[@keepperspective]

I remember picking up this book for a laugh because the title made it look so wonderfully trashy and being surprisingly hooked by the deep turmoil of depression.

[@kellharris2491]

The series handles a lot of serious issues very tastefully. As time goes own it becomes less school drama and more serious.

[@javk8673]

Damn finally can finish this I was shook when it went private midway...

[@lostjedi3380]

I will say this, Dom has the power to get me interested in things I wouldn’t normally be interested, Vampires just aren’t interesting to me, but now I’m kind of interested in Vampire Academy now.

[@amythyrstchryseum2141]

I loved this series growing up, and adored the spin off about Adrien and Sydney. If you enjoyed the first book Dom you will love the rest!! They just get better!

[@jacquelinelugo5518]

I Loved Adrian and Sydney, honestly how their relationship developed was such a slow sweet burn. You can tell Sydney really truly fell for Adrian for who he was. And he just didn't know how deal with that, since he was so used to girls falling for him for his looks or his money. Sydney was like nah, I love your sensitive moody self. And as someone who has Bi Polar disorder with depression. That just spoke to my soul when I read Bloodlines

[@DPWFG]

When my anxiety/depression gets really bad, I actually get itchy and have scratched to the point of drawing blood before. Not saying this is what they were intending, but it's the case for me

[@js66613]

That was the case with someone else I knew too. (It seemed pretty legit back then because though I no longer have it saved anywhere, they did show photos of the scars on their hands from the scratching. And yeah, they were pretty bad.) Whenever their anxiety was too much to contain they'd unconsciously scratch themselves until they left lasting marks on their arms. So, it can happen, but here it probably wasn't believably executed.

[@karibee4968]

I commented this on the one that went poof, but say what you will about this series (which was my favorite in middle school)... I've had the pleasure of meeting Richelle Mead three times at her UW book signings for The Glittering Court, and she is a super nice lady. She actually remembered my friend and I, which made me fangirl pretty hard. I haven't gone back and reread this series since early high school out of fear they're not as fun as I remember lol, but I may do a reread as we go into autumn.

[@AshleeKnowsNot]

Did you like glittering court? It keeps popping up in my recommended.

[@karibee4968]

@@AshleeKnowsNot The first book was pretty meh, but the second one was really good! I actually never got around to the third one, but my friend really liked it

[@roisinlinehan6334]

Oh my god watching this video reminded me I did actually watch this movie, and I had no recollection of that until now.

[@kristinaland]

I’m so excited you’re doing this one! Vampire Academy is one of my favorite series and I’ve tried to watch the movie but had to give up. And now I can just watch this to see what the movie is like 😄

[@thecrimsonwolf2456]

I’ve never read the vampire academy books but now I kinda want to.

[@neivilde.1242]

i really liked that book series, it was a lot of fun. i also like the movie, but I see them as separate entities completely

[@bloodblues85]

I love how you give the warnings at the beginning of the videos.

[@emeryrachelle224]

As a person with bipolar the "itchiness equals depression" is hilarious, one of my off-label bipolar meds is actually mainly prescribed for "itchiness" lol

[@gooblegal817]

I read all of these books and the spin off series about a secret society of hyper religious alchemists that protect humans from vampires/the knowledge of them. I don't remember how good they actually were, but pretty much all of the main characters being so relatable to an angsty teen, and the world building around their magic system made them one of my all time favorite series. I've been hoping you'd cover this book for a while, I'm probably gonna reread them at some point now

[@katsala918]

Yes! I loved these books and the sequel series, Bloodlines. It really spoke to me as a mentally ill teen, but it was also always fun. The movie holds a special place in my heart because, even though it’s not very good, it’s been the only way to see Rose and Lissa on a screen- hopefully the show will be amazing 🤩

[@andurilcuivie]

I like the initial story, but Bloodlines I re-read a couple times. I also have come to find the movie charming; first watch was disappointing, but it has its own chemistry.

[@catrinamason7817]

I have the whole boxset of the Vampire Academy books, got so hooked i read them in less than 2 to 3 months (maybe even less, i cant exactly remember) what i do remember and will never forget is crying for Dimitri in Shadow Kissed. MAN, BELIEVE ME WHEN I SAY I CRIED.... LIKE I CRIED HORRIBLY HARD. and the movie is great, idc what anyone says, It was a good adaptation. Sadly vampires had been so overdone by that time that i understand why the movie didnt work with the audiences.

[@maxschreck4095]

I missed your adaptation reviews so much! Glad they are back.

[@jamesatkinsonja]

I wondered why I'd never heard of this movie but finding out it went straight to DVD in the UK explained that. It's probably arguably most noticeable in hindsight for being an pre-The Crown entry on Claire Foy's CV. 13:04 Mean Girls main strength was certainly Tina Fey's script which of course is not present here.

[@helenl3193]

Also a great cast for Mean Girls, no weak links there

[@AknaSkier]

Dom, on behalf of Russian people, I apologize to you for having to endure Kozlovsky. This man's acting should be officially listed among Russia's worst crimes against humanity.

[@tova9229]

I'm not sure if you read old comments, or any comments at all for that matter. But on the off-chance that you do, I just wanted to let you know how incredibly fun and engaging your videos are. Recently I've been going through something terrible, and I've been looking for ways to distract myself, to get at least a few moments of joy; and your videos have really become that for me. I've been watching your videos for a few years now, and I've always enjoyed them a lot. I love books, and movies, so finding a channel that combines the two felt like striking gold. The fact that you're also incredibly fun, charismatic and intelligent, has made your videos and your channel one of my favorites. Thank you so much for sharing this content with all of us. It has brought me (and I'm sure many others) a lot of joy and comfort, both in happier times, and now when life is repeatedly punching me in the gut. I hope you're well and I look forward to your next upload. :)

[@joanaduarte1255]

i remember reading these books and being very addicted to them. as someone who was not yet aware of being saphic something about the relationship between the main characters spoke to me

[@garfreeek]

For anyone who didn'tcatch it: Il Neige kicked ass covering the song "Campus" by Vampire weekend! 😂 (My favourite band, this was awesome!)

[@maladypond]

Ah, another author for me to start reading. Great review! Love the cat cameo, of course. And I think this might be my favourite song from Il Neige. Also, I'm still chuckling over "the dhampir, which, to my great disappointment, are not vampires who got wet." Thank you for the clarification.

[@Candlekeepdeep]

'...and constantly heal his chronic illness.' Sigh. I'm so tired of the disabled villain trope. Thanks for covering this one!

[@aaronmartin6108]

This is some really great analysis. You especially do a great job exploring how the book succeeds and the movie fails at dealing with difficult topics.

[@RhyperiorRanger]

7:55 that’s Draco Malfoy in drag. You CANNOT convince me otherwise

[@Lisa-ol1ih]

This is one of my top 10 favorite series, and I was super surprised (but happy!) to see you do a LiA on it! I never saw the movie as I knew it could never live up to the books in my opinion, and I'm glad to see I made the right call.

[@susiearnold]

An obvious thought occurred to me recently "I don't recall ever seeing The Don's book comparison video on The Hogfather" so I looked it up and found out strangely enough it has yet to actually exist (or is no longer on KZbin). If he hasn't done that video yet maybe he can make it as a self-care video or a B-day/ other celebrated date treat? Considering some of the $#!+ books/movies he has reviewed over the years, dude deserves to do something that just brings him joy.

[@Deilume]

I read it as a teen! And honestly, I liked it very much, especially the friendship between the girls. At that point in my life I've never been in love, but I had a best friend, so seing this type of intimate friendship in a ya book was very relatable and refreshing. Honestly, I think we need more ya books that shows just girls being friends - without them fighting over a guy, or competing for something ridiculous, or some other shit.

[@tseroff027]

When I saw this movie, I could've sworn it was supposed to be a comedy. The dialog beats constantly felt like setups for jokes and I wish Waters had just leaned into it. A "Mean Girls" punch-up of this movie would have made it a classic

[@arymillarosewood8774]

The summary always made me say no but after watching this I'm thinking it may be exactly what I need for a easy read.

[@ZadnoleyaEdits]

The episode I didn't know I needed! This was one of my all time favorites when i was a tween. During the Panini I did a speed run of VA for the first time in almost 8 years and Jesus christ. To summarize: The age gap and abuse stood out waaaay more this time now that I'm an adult.

[@swifttoplay3047]

Sweet ever since I saw the trailer I’ve been waiting anxiously to see how butchered my semi decent vampire book series was gonna be. How EXCITING

[@excessivelyfangirlingbookw3339]

While the movie in itself is somewhat forgettable, I really enjoyed the ending, for the simple fact that the controversial couple did not end up together. I love that they the set up the expectation of „just one kiss to know what it’d feel like“ and then made her defeat/ trick him in combat instead. Also, the skipping away happily is absolutely adorable.

[@elizip5132]

Well... I waited ages for this!!!!!

[@alicehalvardsson3197]

Petition for Dom to continue and finish reading the whole series and then compare to the show that’s soon coming out :)

[@ForeversMine]

These books kept me alive long enough to beat the horrible depression that plagued most of my teenage and young adult years. I've reread them all at least 5 times and may once have been seriously addicted to fanfic 😂

[@rabijamanafova798]

Love love love this series, it just gets better with every book and deals with some stuff that other ya novels just don't. I wrote a whole essay about the class system and the allegories to elitism/classism because not only are the different types of vampires divided into classes but also since there is a whole royalty aspect to it with different families having different amounts of importance, it's really interesting once you dig into it. Also the love story between rose and dimitri was handled very well and healthily which is surprising for a ya novel

[@jordanne229]

Every upload of yours is a gift

[@blastname2920]

This was the series that sparked my love for reading at 16. I spent the entire summer out on a chair outside reading from dawn till dusk. I never even gave this adaptarion a chance because I just knew it couldn't possibly be good. I nearly got those tattoos on the back of my neck and kinda glad I was too young to do so because while I loved the books so much, I never actually gave the whole series a re read and moved on to bigger and better things. That was a summer well spent anyways and I will always love thos series regardless ♡♡ fingers crossed for some good exposure on the next adaptation so some other people may enjoy this series because it really is such a great story from beginning to end ♡

[@juneb4683]

i watched this movie with my bf when we were just scrolling thru netflix or whichever one it was on and it looked&sounded so bad we had to put in on, but i got obsessed and have wanted to grab the books ever since seeing it. i think i will actually make the trip to hpb now and grab whatever they have

[@fireflyanime6283]

The pacing of this movie alone was just wild. I felt like I was running a race watching it.

[@icanbwatevai1ab]

I'm still looking forward to the TV show!

[@HanamoriKuna]

Ooh this series sounds interesting. I like the split of the vampire types and support humans to their vampire friends.

[@kurathchibicrystalkitty5146]

Hey, Dom! Big fan of the channel! I'm so looking forward to your future Narnia videos on The Horse and His Boy and The Last Battle, especially a certain scene near the end of the former and...basically all of the latter.

[@chuckles222]

The great thing about your videos is that even when its a book and movie that I have zero interest in I can still enjoy watching

[@ArabellaTurner]

School aspects aside, it’s interesting how this is the closest take I’ve seen with vampires to that in my favorite vampire anime Vanitas no Carte. I highly doubt that show was inspired by this, but I wonder if they pulled from a lot of similar legends.

[@yltraviole]

Hey, as someone in the middle of an eczema flare-up, itchiness can definitely *cause* crushing emotional distress! >:(

[@LostMyselfInDreams]

What a weird throw back I haven't thought of this series in years ! The sequels get really weird but I can't say I didn't enjoy the books as a teen 🤷‍♀️ . It's not even in the same wheel house but I think a witcher episode would be hilarious especially considering they basically just threw the books in the trash while writing the show lol

[@joecope9935]

6:40 One of my pet peeves when it comes to vampire movies is when vampires bite their victim's shoulders instead of the neck (where the carotid artery is).

[@FH-zo6tq]

It’s a pitty, you didn’t adress, what was in my opinion the main issue with this book series: How Rose (and other Dampires) completely deny their self worth compared to that of any Moroi. This makes for an extremely unbalanced friendship between Rose and Lisa. And while that may be an interesting starting point for character development, the problem is that non of the Dampires ever seem to grow out of their selfdenying, selfsacrificing state and live lives centered around themselves. Rose never starts questioning the system.

[@bluesun4682]

I actually saw the movie before the book, and really actually liked the book, and got obsessed Dimitri for a few months in 2014, and will defend Danila Kozlovsky by saying when he was acting in Russian he was much better.