The latest trailer for The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones is all about the action. The adaptation of Cassandra Clare's young-adult novel introduces new fans to the dark world of Shadowhunters and downplays the story's romance to prove that this isn't yet another sappy teen supernatural movie.

There's a complicated story in City of Bones, and this trailer gives fans a better taste of it than the previously released one does. Lily Collins' Clary Fray is unwittingly drawn into the world of half-human, half-angel fighters known as the Shadowhunters as they seek to protect the world from demons and other creatures that go bump in the night. After her mother is captured and her world is turned upside down, Clary finds herself drawn to Jamie Campbell Bower's Jace Wayland to try to fend off those seeking to harm her.

Characters like Lena Headey's Jocelyn Fray and Jared Harris' Hodge Starkweather can be seen in this trailer, but Jonathan Rhys Meyes' villainous Valentine Morgenstern doesn't get any screen time. The focus is instead on Clary's story and the beautiful cinematography helmed by director Harald Zwart, best known for his work in movies like Agent Cody Banks and The Karate Kid remake. Clearly this is something of a change of pace for him.

When CBR caught up with Clare at WonderCon, she said that City of Bones will have plenty to attract male viewers.

“I have a lot of boy readers and they love it because there’s a ton of action,” she said. “There’s a lot of people’s heads getting chopped off, there’s a lot of monsters. It is really gritty and dark. One of the fantastic things about the young-adult category is that it blends millions of different genres. Twilight is romance to me. The Hunger Games is a dystopian science fiction. This is classic urban fantasy. It’s really a different thing.”

The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones is due in theaters Aug. 23.