Alex and Glenys reckon: "A high school paranormal romance, protagonist Rose Hathaway is the Dhampir guardian of Moroi (good vampire) Princess Lissa, with whom she shares a special bond. Together they face threats from the evil vampire Strogoi and enemies within their Vampire Academy. As the film is based on a series of YA novels, there was a little more exposition than I would have liked, necessary to explain the complicated world of the Moroi, Strogoi, and Dhampirs. While in many ways a typical teenage paranormal romance, it was certainly an improvement on Twilight thanks to the strong female lead characters, actual fight scenes, snappy dialogue, and self-awareness when it came to the obligatory high school clichés. The romantic element was present, but took a backseat to the friendship of the two main characters, Rose and Lissa, which was refreshing. A fun and suspenseful film, featuring a good looking cast, good soundtrack, and, of course, the forbidden love, angst, and vampires ubiquitous to the genre."