Byzantium

Name: Byzantium
Genre: Drama, Thriller, Fantasy, Horror
Released: June 28, 2013
Duration: 118 min
Rating: 66
Cast: Caleb Landry Jones, Gemma Arterton, Sam Riley, Saoirse Ronan, Thure Lindhardt

2013

METASCORE

Generally favorable reviews based on 23 Critic Reviews

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USER SCORE

Generally favorable reviews based on 83 Ratings

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7.0	User Score Generally favorable reviews based on 83 Ratings

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Byzantium

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Movie Details & Credits

IFC Films | Release Date: June 28, 2013 | R

Starring: Caleb Landry Jones, Gemma Arterton, Sam Riley, Saoirse Ronan, Thure Lindhardt

Summary: A mother and daughter vampire duo settle in a small seaside town where the daughter strikes up a relationship with a sick boy.

Director: Neil Jordan

Genre(s): Drama, Thriller, Fantasy, Horror

Rating: R

Runtime: 118 min

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Critic Reviews

Manohla Dargis

Jun 27, 2013

Again and again, as the story shifts between women, times and moods, Mr. Jordan adds a punctuating flourish...that exquisitely illustrates the once-upon-a-time mood. Read full review

Bruce Ingram

Jun 27, 2013

It takes a while, but the old-fashioned pleasure of watching a well-told story unfold eventually becomes the chief satisfaction in Byzantium, though there are other things to enjoy as well. Read full review

Stephanie Zacharek

Jun 25, 2013

Byzantium isn't Jordan's first movie about bloodsuckers—that would be 1994's Interview with the Vampire—but it's the right vampire movie for today, poetic and elegant in an artfully tattered way. Read full review

Betsy Sharkey

Jun 27, 2013

Byzantium's appeal is not so much its bite, which could use some refining, but the emotional journey its undead take. In Jordan's hands, the vampires are so very human. Read full review

Michael O'Sullivan

Jul 11, 2013

The joke seems to be that in 2013, it’s hard to teach an old bloodsucker new tricks. Still, Byzantium has a few moves that might surprise you. They have nothing to do with blood, but everything to do with the heart. Read full review

Ed Gonzalez

May 28, 2013

Forlorn depictions of love and death may dignify Neil Jordan's film, but narrative withholding ultimately drives a stake into its unmistakable heart. Read full review

Kyle Smith

Jun 28, 2013

Neil Jordan’s Byzantium dares to rework “Twilight” with twice the teen moping and Robert Pattinson replaced by a guy with the sexual magnetism of a sickly Ron Weasley. Read full review

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User Reviews

30la

Aug 15, 2013

This movie had a feeling of specialty, it had a whole new world of vampires and their living. Saoirse Ronan is electric.

Beautifully told, the story of Clara and Eleanor's past unfolds on the background of developing young love.

3 of 3 users found this helpful30

BeccaG

Dec 26, 2018

A fresh and interesting take on the vampire genre. The film’s beautiful aesthetics, original story and brilliant acting from the two female leads create a compelling story that anyone can enjoy.

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

tethysdust

Nov 9, 2016

A very good vampire movie, which is not a common thing. I liked the focus on the relationship between the mother and daughter, and the ideas on immortality and power.

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

Longo12

Feb 15, 2014

Very good vampire movie. Something I feel isn't said very often anymore. I thought it was very interesting and well done. The acting is good and the story is interesting. I'm really not sure why it took so long for me to hear about because I think it's very good and deserves some attention.Very good vampire movie. Something I feel isn't said very often anymore. I thought it was very interesting and well done. The acting is good and the story is interesting. I'm really not sure why it took so long for me to hear about because I think it's very good and deserves some attention. Also Gemma Arterton is not hard to watch either.… Expand

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

TVJerry

Jul 16, 2013

A vampire mother and daughter escape to a seaside village, where they struggle to continue their anonymous existence. While mom (Gemma Atherton) establishes a brothel to make money, the daughter (Saoirse Ronan) expresses her desire to tell the truth with lots of flashbacks into theirA vampire mother and daughter escape to a seaside village, where they struggle to continue their anonymous existence. While mom (Gemma Atherton) establishes a brothel to make money, the daughter (Saoirse Ronan) expresses her desire to tell the truth with lots of flashbacks into their "making." This is not an effects-laden horror flic. They don't have any superhuman powers or even fangs. It's a somber drama that takes it's time, but in the hands of director Neil Jordan (The Borgias,The Crying Game, Interview with the Vampire) it develops into a compelling climax.… Expand

1 of 1 users found this helpful10

adamjneve

Sep 7, 2015

A mother and daughter, who happen to be vampires, struggle to maintain anonymity while also struggling with the perils of being a vampire and falling in love. There are a lot of flashbacks to relate the story of the creation of Clara (Gemma Arterton) and her subsequent creation of EleanorA mother and daughter, who happen to be vampires, struggle to maintain anonymity while also struggling with the perils of being a vampire and falling in love. There are a lot of flashbacks to relate the story of the creation of Clara (Gemma Arterton) and her subsequent creation of Eleanor (Saorise Ronan). Eleanor struggles with identity and new love, while Clara struggles with parenting a rebellious teenager and keeping them safe from a looming secret.

It's a beautifully dark and brooding film, which comes as no surprise with Neil Jordan (Interview with a Vampire) at the helm. But where Interview was rich and developed, with drama and tension in the relationships it simmered up over its meandering course, Byzantium is flat, lifeless, and thin for most of its two hour running time, picking up speed and becoming interesting JUST before the credits roll.

Despite good casting, good performances, excellent cinematography, and a cool vampire mythos, there just isn't enough story here to drive a movie. If you're really into vampires you might dig it. Otherwise, you'll be fine without.… Expand

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

Delling

May 22, 2016

At last something worth (although different) of Interview with the vampire. Forget special effects, this is mostly about what being a vampire would mean.

A must see.

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

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