Perhaps best described as the grown-up Twilight by the grown-up Tim Burton, Byzantium is a moody vampire tale anchored by strong performances.
Arterton and Ronan are both excellent. Sadly, while the two main characters are textured and fascinating, secondary ones aren't nearly as interesting. The Brotherhood is a poorly-defined diabolus ex machina, Darvell a walking contradiction (is he a compassionate man who despises evil or a ruthless individual who enjoys the company of a monster? Apparently both), Ruthven so one-note nasty and black-hearted he comes across as a boring caricature.
Jordan paints his Gothic tableaux (swirling clouds of bats, blood cascades over a black mountain) crafting an introspective urban horror - vampire mythology used not as juvenile wish-fulfillment but as a way to explore themes like eros and mortality.
6,5/10
Arterton and Ronan are both excellent. Sadly, while the two main characters are textured and fascinating, secondary ones aren't nearly as interesting. The Brotherhood is a poorly-defined diabolus ex machina, Darvell a walking contradiction (is he a compassionate man who despises evil or a ruthless individual who enjoys the company of a monster? Apparently both), Ruthven so one-note nasty and black-hearted he comes across as a boring caricature.
Jordan paints his Gothic tableaux (swirling clouds of bats, blood cascades over a black mountain) crafting an introspective urban horror - vampire mythology used not as juvenile wish-fulfillment but as a way to explore themes like eros and mortality.
6,5/10