Vampire films have certainly seen better days, I mean the past 6 years Twilight has spent bastardising the genre. As a fan of vampire films and television from such a young age I really did fear for the genre, will it be able to bounce back? Fortunately for us real fans there have been releases that are quite good, probably not as successful, but hey, the world is an unfair place. We've had Let The Right One In, Daybreakers, Fright Night (remake) and the up and coming Only Lovers Left Alive which our very own Matt Edwards has written about. I'd like to dedicate this post to Byzantium, which I discovered this week and absolutely adored and follows two vampires, Clara (Gemma Arterton) and Eleanor (Saoirse Ronan), who have spent two centuries on the run from an unknown force.
The film has a unique take on vampires, changing the way the being's change when they are becoming the deadly animals that they are as well as the conversions process from human to vampire. It's a complete departure from vampires in media before it but done incredibly well. The vampires are actually a little scary (I'm dead inside so I don't scare that easy) which is always a plus. I feel that the only time a vampire is allowed to not be scary is when it's a comedy, or the character is used for comedic effect, but usually there should really be a mix of fear and laughter (see Spike in Buffy The Vampire Slayer. Clara's unexpected temper did have me on the edge of my seat quite a bit, even from the opening of the film, but the film didn't just show the lack of humanity within vampires, but in humanity itself through the character of The Captain (Johnny Lee Miller) and it was intriguing to watch.
One of the things that the film explores is the theme of love, specifically the relationship between Clara and Eleanor. The complex relationship between the two was compelling, watching Clara be overbearing for Eleanor's protection as well as the fear of being alone. Clara's fear of being alone could also be seen to be projected within the character of Noel (Daniel Mays) who has just gone through great loss and tried to latch onto anything and anyone. This could be Clara without Eleanor. Eleanor tries to resist Clara's overbearing nature, even more so when she starts to have some normality in her life regarding school and boys and sees that there is more to life than running and Clara and attempts to break away from her. Although this is a vampire film I do feel that first and foremost it is a film about love and family.
The unique version of vampires and the relationships within the film all add in the enjoyment a viewer would get from the film, but one thing that I found jaw dropping was the stellar cast. I mean, I knew before watching the film that I would enjoy the performances, I mean how could I not? Saoirse Ronan, Gemma Arterton, Sam Riley and Johnny Lee Miller! Believe me, I was not disappointment. I have yet to see a bad performance from Ronan, Riley and Miller, and I always knew that Arterton could act it's just that she picks very bad projects so hopefully this is a sign that she is starting to favour better roles in better films. Seriously, this film was thoroughly enjoyable because of the things I've discussed briefly and I really really really recommend you watch it because it's a complete departure from what we've seen in recent years. Take a look at the trailer below if you need anymore convincing.
As Spockfullmind vampire would do, Live Long and Blog!
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