At a glance, the new trailer cutdown for Vampire Academy looks close to identical to the originally released trailer, however there have been a couple of add-ons. The black and silver text has been swapped for some green, pink and black graphics that pop a bit more and match the poster for the film. And then there’s the final moment, which throws in a bit more humor as we see Zoey Deutch’s character Rose Hathaway justifying mood swings. "The female — especially one who lives off blood and magic — is going to have her mood swings," Rose says.
Of course, Rose doesn’t live off blood and magic. As a dhampir (half human, half vampire), her diet is about as normal as a human’s. It’s her best friend Lissa (Lucy Fry), a Moroi vampire, that feeds off blood. And the trailer shows Lissa sinking her fangs into Rose’s neck, which may be a scene from the start of the story. Richelle Mead’s novel begins with Lissa and Rose on the run and living on their own. In absence of proper feeders to supply Lissa with blood, Rose is literally putting her neck out to sustain her best friend’s hunger. As a Moroi vampire, Lissa requires both human food and blood to survive. And it’s barely a spoiler to point out that the two friends soon find themselves back at St. Vladimir’s Academy, where vampires and dhampirs study and socialize together. Vampires work to improve in their magical abilities, while dhampirs train to protect the Moroi from the evil Strigoi vampires who pose a threat to all of them.
Mead’s series sets up a long history among the royal Moroi vampires and the dhampirs tasked to protect them. The first novel serves as a good introduction to that, and the film may do the same. Should things work out for Vampire Academy, there are numerous novels that follow the first book that could also be adapted.
One thing that’s well worth noting from everything we’ve seen from the feature adaptation, which is due to arrive in theaters this February, is the tone of the film, which appears to have a lighter side. With Heathers writer Daniel Waters having penned the screenplay, and Mean Girls director Mark Waters at the helm, some dark humor may be expected here, and that may not be such a bad thing in terms of tonally differentiating Vampire Academy from the other young adult adaptations out there. Given the plot of the book and the setting, not to mention Rose’s candid narrative, I think there’s some room for humor here without compromising the story or the potential for thrills and suspense.
Vampire Academy arrives in theaters February 14, 2014.
