From the stunning compositions to Eleanor’s thoughtful narration to the poetic drama of Jordan’s treatment, the theme of storytelling itself unfolds and transforms what may be considered familiar vampire material into operatic fantasy.

| Original Score: 4/4 | Sep 2, 2022

An elegant, if slightly dull film, that tries to bring something new to the Twilightized vampire genre, but staked by flawed storytelling.

| Original Score: 2/5 | Jan 31, 2021

Occasionally bloody and violent, "Byzantium" is primarily a somber tale of a woeful, savage life.

| Original Score: B | Jul 8, 2020

Overall, Byzantium is an average film - the performances, story and direction are all watchable, but anti-Twihards may not embrace its unconventional approach to vampirism.

| Original Score: 2/5 | Nov 27, 2019

Arterton and Ronan's characters have the determination and brio of true heroines.

| Aug 29, 2019

Neil Jordan is not trying to reinvent the vampire mythos with Byzantium, but he does manage to give us something that tries to be new and different, and while it's predictable, sometimes manages to be engaging.

| Aug 5, 2019

What resonates most about Byzantium aren't its flaws, but its truly remarkable strengths-the themes of identity and trust; the richly textured, alluring imagery; the brilliantly acted relationships.

| Original Score: 7.8/10 | Apr 12, 2019

f you're looking for something a bit different, Byzantium may have something interesting for you but you'll have to dig through some muck to find it.

| Original Score: 6.5/10 | Nov 1, 2018

This did not quite do it for me.

| Sep 6, 2018

It's melancholia at its most trying.

| Sep 5, 2018

The smartest and most rewarding vampire movie of the decade.

| May 23, 2018

It's a Gothic tale with a twist of conspiracy and a radically different take on vampirism as ancient earth force tightly controlled by a male cabal who treat the transformation like a patriarchal right.

| Mar 2, 2018

"You don't have to be a fang-fetishist to fall in love with Jordan's evocative masterpiece. This is a movie that demands to be just as immortal as its startling heroines."

| Jan 3, 2018

In the end, the pluses just about outweigh the minuses, thanks to Ronan's performance, one delicious late revelation, and Jordan's enduring mastery of melancholic atmosphere and down-at-heel style.

| Original Score: 3/5 | Oct 31, 2017

A pensive, intelligent vampire-angst movie.

| Original Score: 3/5 | Sep 19, 2017

Arresting, gory and surprising, this flight-of-horror fantasy is wonderfully acted for post-Twilight vamp lovers craving something altogether eerier but emotionally resonant.

| Original Score: 4/5 | Sep 5, 2017

Female-forward and class-conscious, allegorical and adventurous, Byzantium is almost the anti-Batman.

| Original Score: 2.5/4 | May 30, 2017

[Clara and Eleanor] are not technically human, but it's the human relationship between them that the film is confident to show us. And Byzantium seems most comfortable, most intimate, when its two bright actresses give us just that.

| May 10, 2016

Some "vampire stuff" you've seen before, a few new ideas that work, two great performances, and a lot of skilled veterans behind the camera.

| Aug 24, 2015

evenly split between a character piece and a mystery thriller...if you're looking for an interesting and different take on vampire legend, check into the Byzantium...

| Original Score: 3.0/4.0 | Feb 14, 2015