Jim Jarmusch is no longer as prolific as he's been in the past with "Only Lovers Left Alive" being his first movie since 2009. Here he wrote and directed the vampire story of Adam and Eve (gotta admit I cringed a bit with these names) played by Tom Hiddleston and Tilda Swinton. Supporting performances include Mia Wasikowska and John Hurt. The former brings some sex appeal and comic relief as a troubled teenager vampire and Hurt plays a father figure and mentor to Swinton's character. A smaller part is played by Anton Yelchin whose character's death just like the one of Hurt's character add a sad note to the movie as both were crucial figures in the lives of the two protagonists and may have contributed to their overall misery and final decision and shot of the film.
The age difference between Hiddleston and Swinton is not really a problem and decent makeup work and Swinton's mysterious aura that's perfect for the role of a vampire create two credible characters and an interesting love story. Also it adds a touch of mystery as Swinton's character's age is probably even harder to guess than her real number of annual rings. Another thing I liked a lot was the overall tone of the film, in particular the idea of vampires dying from contaminated blood bottles. Apart from that, we get the usual stuff, like sunrise being the time to go to bed after drunk party nights. Another thing I noticed is how the film actually feels like a good basis for a possible prequel. It could center for example on what happened with Wasikowska's character in Paris 80 years ago. With vampires not aging, they could even look exactly the same like in this movie.
One part that I did not like as much and that could have been left out for all I care was the central character's career as a musician and how his music was played everywhere. However, that is just a minor criticism. One of my favorite scenes was the one with the wooden bullet, which brought the whole suicide theme into the film, an air of desperation which is really much more about possibly leaving the other completely on their own in this world of strangers.
All in all, it's a solid movie, not really a must-see (except for vampire movie fanatics) and there's a bit of a revolutionary element missing which only very few films have. Personally I would rather recommend a watch of Twilight (simply because of its massive influence in pop culture) or the Swedish little gem "Let the Right One In".
The age difference between Hiddleston and Swinton is not really a problem and decent makeup work and Swinton's mysterious aura that's perfect for the role of a vampire create two credible characters and an interesting love story. Also it adds a touch of mystery as Swinton's character's age is probably even harder to guess than her real number of annual rings. Another thing I liked a lot was the overall tone of the film, in particular the idea of vampires dying from contaminated blood bottles. Apart from that, we get the usual stuff, like sunrise being the time to go to bed after drunk party nights. Another thing I noticed is how the film actually feels like a good basis for a possible prequel. It could center for example on what happened with Wasikowska's character in Paris 80 years ago. With vampires not aging, they could even look exactly the same like in this movie.
One part that I did not like as much and that could have been left out for all I care was the central character's career as a musician and how his music was played everywhere. However, that is just a minor criticism. One of my favorite scenes was the one with the wooden bullet, which brought the whole suicide theme into the film, an air of desperation which is really much more about possibly leaving the other completely on their own in this world of strangers.
All in all, it's a solid movie, not really a must-see (except for vampire movie fanatics) and there's a bit of a revolutionary element missing which only very few films have. Personally I would rather recommend a watch of Twilight (simply because of its massive influence in pop culture) or the Swedish little gem "Let the Right One In".