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Reviews provided by RottenTomatoes
Manohla Dargis, New York Times: 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 more
David Edelstein, New York Magazine/Vulture: The movie is gorgeous, mesmerizing, poetic; the lyricism actually heightened by harsh jets of gore. Read more
Rex Reed, New York Observer: It's not perfect, but when it works, Byzantium towers above all of the romantic vampire slobber we've been getting lately. Read more
Moira MacDonald, Seattle Times: It's a pleasure to see a vampire movie that aspires to something artful, and that explores the misery that comes with living - forever - on blood, and in the shadows. Read more
Dennis Harvey, Variety: A lethargic and uninspired take that aims to be something different, but ultimately isn't. Read more
A.A. Dowd, AV Club: Jordan, a master of mood, creates an unsettling atmosphere of small-town despair, and the film's sporadic spikes of violence ... are often inventive. Read more
Bill Goodykoontz, Arizona Republic: The story drags a bit, bouncing back and forth in time in a manner that is sometimes useful, sometimes not. Overall, though, it's an intriguing addition to the genre. Read more
Ben Sachs, Chicago Reader: This feels tired as storytelling despite some evocative imagery and typically lush camerawork. Read more
Lisa Kennedy, Denver Post: Jordan is no stranger to the yearnings of vampires. He directed Interview With the Vampire. But Byzantium is a kinder, gentler yet pretty durn bloody affair. Read more
Tom Long, Detroit News: Go ahead, bite. Read more
Owen Gleiberman, Entertainment Weekly: The best thing in the movie is Arterton's sultry, claw-baring turn, but mostly it's a rudderless riff on Let the Right One In. Read more
Jordan Hoffman, Film.com: I simply have no more room in my life for ennui-besotted vampires. Read more
David Rooney, Hollywood Reporter: Neil Jordan interviews a whole new set of vampires but draws precious little blood. Read more
Betsy Sharkey, Los Angeles Times: "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 more
Anthony Lane, New Yorker: The film slows and slumps as it ventures into a historical backstory, complete with a mysterious brotherhood, an ancient map, and Sam Riley in a wig worse than death. Read more
Ian Buckwalter, NPR: Unfortunately, the story never grabs hold as insistently as Jordan's tone and visual artistry. Read more
Joe Neumaier, New York Daily News: "Byzantium" comes late to the vampire game hoping to restore a little decorum, but winds up looking decayed. Read more
Kyle Smith, New York Post: "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 more
Tirdad Derakhshani, Philadelphia Inquirer: Lyrical, full of visually enthralling fantasy sequences punctuated by moments of intense, bloody violence ... Read more
Mick LaSalle, San Francisco Chronicle: Neil Jordan's sensitive and very slow exploration of vampire angst. That the film also seems intended as some kind of vampire feminist statement makes it a rare combination of mildly boring and mildly hilarious. Read more
Colin Covert, Minneapolis Star Tribune: Despite multiple graphic beheadings and literal waterfalls of blood, the film generates a shockingly small amount of horror. Read more
Bruce Ingram, Chicago Sun-Times: Mother/daughter conflict runs deeper - and much, much longer - than usual in this gorgeous, brooding, fascinatingly female-centric vampire saga, which also gushes waterfalls of blood. Read more
Liam Lacey, Globe and Mail: A drama that feels both strenuously earnest and impossible to take seriously. Read more
Linda Barnard, Toronto Star: A confusing yet eye-pleasing tale that struggles to breathe new life into the well-worn mythology. Read more
Alonso Duralde, TheWrap: Lines like "The pearl stays pure while the oyster's flesh rots around it" or "Would you like to kiss me? In celebration of my wickedness?" confound any efforts to make them sound less than ridiculous. Read more
Cath Clarke, Time Out: What's really missing is the vampire's tragedy: that ache, the loss of feeling, the sense that in killing death, the essence of what it is to be human is destroyed. Read more
Stephanie Zacharek, Village Voice: Byzantium, like all good vampire stories, is a romance, and Jordan opens himself up to its atmospheric lushness. Read more
Michael O'Sullivan, Washington Post: Byzantium has a few moves that might surprise you. They have nothing to do with blood, but everything to do with the heart. Read more