Wonderfully offbeat film!

Plot so thin, it passes unnoticed.

I have absolutely never seen anything like this movie before. You have to see this movie.

The film makes a home in your brain and the only cure is to see it again.

This is a work of art in many ways and I regret not seeing it sooner simply because "I don't do vampire movies." This is not your usual vampire movie. If you like art cinema, try this.

A big problem which I see in most vampire stories is that they include too many supernatural elements. Byzantium goes for a more physical approach and I like that. Some elements which could be interpreted as supernatural are actually left to interpretation by the viewer. I think that it could have done better with the means by which people become vampires. But the rest is a purely physical tale. I also like the female orientation of the tale. The story also touches on some thought provoking sociological elements.

Byzantium follows two female vampires who move to a new place to live, when the youngest of them meets a boy who falls in love with her. Yeah, another young adult vampire romance story. Oh joy. It is more mature though, so maybe it's more of a mature young adult vampire romance story. Regardless of the bad reputation of it's oddly specific genre, it's not at all a bad movie. The characters are pretty likable, and for the most part well developed. I didn't care much for the boy, Frank, though. He was kind of annoying. Otherwise it's an interesting take on vampires. I didn't like how it didn't follow the classic vampire rules, but what movie does nowadays?Like I already said, I didn't like Frank. He was kind of weird and out-of-place, but oh well. On top of that, I didn't think the two love interests had much chemistry or relationship development. They kind of just fell in love, and I didn't realize it until they started kissing. The girl is actually pretty mean to the guy for most of the movie, yet they still fell in love. Overall Byzantium is a good movie. While there are small flaws, there are good things too. Unfortunately, there wasn't enough to like to bump it up any higher. It's just a decent movie, not much to like or dislike really. In the end I'd still recommend this movie.

Neil Jordan's Byzantium stars Gemma Arterton and Saorise Ronan as two-hundred year-old mother and daughter vampires who are trying to survive in an English coastal town. They're on the lam after the mother, Clara, played by Arterton, falls foul of her strip club employees and kills a mysterious man whom she is pursued by in a thrilling chase near the start of the film. On the coastal town, a series of flashbacks offer insight into the story of these two girls, telling how they became undead and revealing the source of Clara's fears and paranoia. Eleanor, her daughter, wants to tell their story and cannot contain her thoughts, so endeavours to write her experiences down on paper. When her sanity and safety is questioned by a college lecturer, danger and panic ensues along with their past catching up. This is a vampire film that establishes some of its own rules and avoids many of the known tropes of the genre. Daylight isn't a problem for these creatures, whilst, in place of fangs, a talon-like thumbnail is used to pierce the wrists of willing participants or be throttled into the necks of victims and foes. A novel approach, although the film is too self-aware on occasions, but is played entirely straight and with much style and atmosphere. Arterton is terrific here, impressing once again with an assertive, sexy performance, which plays in contrast to the soft-spoken Ronan, whose Eleanor is gentle and introspective. The primary cast is small, but also includes Jonny Lee Miller, seen in flashback as syphilitic creep, whose actions are pivotal to the story. Daniel Mays, as a grief- stricken sap, whom Clara plays on for her and Eleanor's benefit. And Caleb Landry Jones, as a young waiter whom Eleanor befriends. At times, this is an invigorating and exciting film, although it's free of genuine scares. The blood does flow thick and occasionally fast, with the emphasis on mood and the telling of an intriguing story emphasised over creating scares. Unfortunately, this is dashed by a slightly contrived and obvious climax that works, if only just. Byzantium does some new things for the vampire film, but won't be considered revolutionary or pivotal in doing so. Whilst it's unlikely to find the audience numbers of the Twilight films or more generic crowd-pleasers. But this is a worthwhile and involving film that suffers a few plot holes too many, but is largely satisfying. Especially with such fine performances by the two splendid female leads.