Byzantium (2011) -- Vampire / Drama

 GRADE: C+

6.5 Stars

 I would recommend this movie, but only to vampire lovers. It's great for a rainy day, but unfortunately falls short of anything profound, despite its tone.

Netflix: No.

Byzantium was a strange movie for me. As many know, vampires are a guilty pleasure of mine. I'm actual a certifiable expert on them, including lore both imagined and "real". That said, I speak with some authority when I say this movie was true to vampire roots. No sparkling flesh eating space gargoyle bullshit.







Byzantium [2011] is a breath of fresh air into a genre that was desperately in need of it. The movie itself? It's mediocre. Basic. Nothing to write home about. But that's okay. It's vampires. Real vampires. Not surprisingly, it's by the same director as Interview With a Vampire [1994] (Neil Jordan).

I think if I could pick one word to describe this movie it would be "BASIC". There is nothing to it. It's a linear and highly predictable story with a character arc consisting of "vampire stuff". Unlike Interview With a Vampire [1994], this movie doesn't draw on a best selling novel, and that shows. The plot is thin. Generic.


The story takes place in like England...I think. It was never really specified, at least not that I remember. It's pacing can only be described as slowburn, but it does cover an extensive amount of "plot". I put plot in quotes because it wasn't so much a plot, so much as time continuity and forward leaps.

The blood and violence that usually accompany vampire flicks was present, but again, nothing to write home about. It fills the void, but doesn't leave you satisfied.

Byzantium has some somewhat realistic characters, which are probably better on paper than on screen.

Notwithstanding the double D acting performances, the rest of the actors and actresses were C or B class at best. Wasn't sold. In fact, I think one of the biggest problems with this movie was the main character being exceedingly more bland than Kristen Stewart (even when she actually tries). That's a problem when you're trying to sell us on someone brooding and deep.