Vampire Blues: Review of Byzantium

Byzantium

Director: Neil Jordan

By Alex Watson

 

Vampire films these days have been met with a slight distain ever since the Twilight Saga introduced ‘shiny’ vamps to the world and of course lest we forget last year’s horror show that was Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter where apparently the civil war was cooked up to stop the fanged fiends for running the country! But hope has arrived this year in the vein of Neil Jordan who garnered significant acclaim for his excellent adaptation of Anne Rice’s The Interview with a Vampire and this year he returns to vampire territory with his tale of a mother and daughter on the run from higher powers in Byzantium.

Eleanor (Saoirse Ronan) and her mother Clara (Gemma Arterton) are both vampires who have spent centuries on the run for a sacred brotherhood of vampires led by Darvell (Sam Riley). After they are forced to flee their latest home, the pair reaches a rundown seaside town. Whilst there Clara meets weak and love struck Noel (Daniel Mays) and she convinces him to allow her to turn his fading guest house Byzantium into a brothel. But all the while, the brotherhood is in hot pursuit wanting justice for a crime committed centuries back!

Byzantium is one of the darker Vampire efforts than we have become accustomed to and this serves the film very well and makes for a welcome return to the blood sucking genre for Neil Jordan. But interestingly unlike its predecessors, Jordan stays faith to Moira Buffini’s original play and gives fangless vampires and instead of necks being bitten, in this film we have a mystical island with a stone hut where the ones who wish to live forever enter- as they turn we see a waterfall turn the colour claret! These little touches give a new lease of life for the vampire genre.

The centre story of mother and child is one that is instantly engaging, in a beginning narration we hear Eleanor once again written out her story, which she will then have to scatter to the wind as no one can hear it! Being the daughter of a wild and carefree vampire causes its problems (particularly as mother tends to behead unwelcome corners) and she strives for a normal life. As she enters a relationship with a sickly teen Frank (Caleb Landry Jones) Eleanor yearns to tell the story she has constantly wrote down, but knows the problems that will occur if she does!

Their reasons for being so constantly on the run are initially unclear but Jordan allows the pairs back story to unravel slowly, as we learn their tale of Clara coming across Darvell in human form and not long after, being forced into child prostitution by seedy Naval Captain (Jonny Lee Miller) and her daughter being born as a result.  Clara’s turning to eternal life to rid her of a certain death in olden times poses a serious problem for the brotherhood, who strictly forbid women full stop- because of this, turning her daughter into a blood sucker will have dangerous consequences across the centuries!

Saoirse Ronan proves again that is one of the more exciting young talents of today with an appealing yet fragile turn in Byzantium as Eleanor. Ronan is able to convey a good sense of world weariness along with a girl who yearns desperately to be normal but knows she will never be able to fall into this category. Gemma Arterton also rings a fine performance as Clara; her seductive and free spirited performance is a great personification of the woman frozen in time but who has chosen to make the ultimate sacrifice for her daughter.

Disappointingly the talented Sam Riley is slightly underused as ancient vampire Darvell, his presence is one that is slick but always has a hint of peril surrounding it, although his back story makes for interesting viewing, more of his inclusion could have added to the films menace.

Byzantium is a solid effort by Neil Jordan and although it may not make critics top 10 lists later in the year, it will definitely serve as one of the better vampire films of this year and will give hope to all lovers of this genre! Be sure to remember if you ever become a Vamp in the future; don’t tick any brotherhoods off because it will mean a lot of wasted money on flat rentals!

 

Four Score and Seven Crucifixes Ago: Abraham Lincoln- Vampire Hunter Review

Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter

Director: Timur Bekmambetov

By Alex Watson

Historical re-jigging in films is something that has very varied results. For instance we have seen a world where the Nazi’s triumphed in HBO TV Movie Fatherland, but on the flip side we have also seen a violently over the top end to World War 2 in Quentin Tarantino’s Inglorious Basterds. Changing a nations history can bring about some scary thought as to what potential horrors it could have unleashed? This week we focus on  Kazakh director Timur Bekmambetov’s adaptation of Seth Grahame’s fictional account of the one truly great American leaders and his secret dark past in Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter.   

The film follows the young Lincoln (Benjamin Walker) from his youth where he witness he mother murdered by a vampire Jack Barts (Martin Csokas). Soon into his adult years Lincoln after a failed attempt to kill Barts is taken under the tutorship of the mysterious Henry Sturgess (Dominic Cooper) where he begins to learn his craft of killing vampires! Vampires are the king of the slave trade in America and are run by the devious Adam (Rufus Sewell). This fact will inspire Lincoln to not only avenge his mother’s death but to become the most powerful in the United States!

Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter may have appeared to be a sound idea of paper, but overall it just feels mediocre. The idea that one of the great presidents was simply trying to stop the vamps from taking over could well have given the film a much needed comic edge. Instead it seems to be trying to present itself as a straight thriller which given its subject matter makes the film fall flat!

If Bekmambetov and producer Tim Burton had stayed with the scenes of the younger Lincoln doing battle with the blood suckers this would have made a very offbeat and quirky film. But their messy approach to intertwining his slaying with his run for office is just filled with cliques and makes it feel like a radical history lesson for bored high school students!

But the real disappointment behind this film is the poor direction of Bekmambetov! After the one-two punch of the brilliant Russian vampire film Night Watch, to his gloriously pompous action flick Wanted. Bekmambetov has made himself out to be the new hot director from across the pond. But here due to very poor visual effects and laughable script, he takes a giant step back.  The initial signs for this film were good and it he seemed exactly right man for the job. But during the film we find ourselves crying out for his slick yet overloaded style. But in Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter it appears he left it back at home and we left to reflect on what could have been!

Physically Benjamin Walker looks the part of Abraham Lincoln and single handed Walker raises the film from B movie hell. His later scenes and the elderly Lincoln genuinely impress and he brings a new heart to the screen and it at least makes it seem like more than an impersonation. Dominic Cooper is also impressive as his mentor Henry, through his bitter sardonic teaching Cooper gives a sense of mystery to his character and we wonder what his vendetta against Vampires comes from?

As the villain, Rufus Sewell is given little to do except look broody and speak with soft menace. Sewell’s talent as an actor has been obvious for years but it seems like he is permanently stuck in the rent- a- baddie side show roles. Hopefully one day he will get a role with the bite he deserves.

So it seems bending history isn’t always fun, Bekmamtov should have given us one of the daftest and funniest films of the year! Maybe when Wanted 2 is finally released he will be redeemed! You can only wonder what is next in line for alternative history, Winston Churchill: Mummy Slayer perhaps. The film world waits!

Vampire Weekend: Review of Dark Shadows

Dark Shadows

Director: Tim Burton

By Alex Watson

 

Everyone can tell a Tim Burton movie when it is showing, his unique blend of dark humour and quirkiness has won him many fans over the years. Ever since taking the helm in Batman in the early 1990’s his work has evolved produced many fine pieces of cinema such as the strange yet heart-warming Edward Scissorhands and his fine homage to cinema’s worst director in Ed Wood . For his latest piece Burton chose to adapt the television series Dark Shadow’s, a soap opera created by Dan Curtis that ran from 1966 to 1971. This show has gained a cult following in the US since its creation, but in the United Kingdom, it remains largely unknown. Can Tim Burton bring it larger attention?

The story begins in Maine, New England in 1752 where local business giant Barnabas Collins (Johnny Depp) rejects the love of witch Angelique Bouchard (Eva Green). As a punishment she sends Barnabas’ love Josette (Bella Heathcote) to her death by making her leap off a cliff and turns Barnabas into a vampire so his suffering will be permanent. Also as a final insult Angelique has him buried alive! But Barnabas awakes in 1972, he finds the world has become a very different place and his once great family, led by Elizabeth (Michelle Pfeiffer) have been reduced to nothing! Barnabas now re-united with his love ones, vows to restore his family to glory.

Dark Shadows certain has the Burton feel surrounding it and his usual dark blend fits the feel of the picture. For the most part, Dark Shadows works well and it provides us with as many giggles as it does shocks. The 1970’s setting is a great ground to showcase Barnabas’ misunderstanding of what it means to be human. As re-awakens he finds himself spooked by such things as lava lamps and a massive McDonald’s sign. His struggle to adapt to the world provides the comedic element of the film.

But aside for the funny moments, this film also has a dark and sinister edge to it and we forget for large periods that Barnabas is indeed a vampire.  When he murder’s his victims it does give us a soft shock. In particular when he is sat quoting Love Story at length to a group of free loving hippies and the people are fascinated by him, then he coolly announces “However, it is with sincere regret that I must now kill all of you. “ In this moment we don’t know whether to laugh or let out jaws drop.

But although it feels typically Burton, it doesn’t feel like vintage by any means. The story line of Dark Shadows doesn’t feel like a hard stretch for either Burton or Depp. The other family members feel underused in the story and the feud between Barnabas and Angelique feels over cooked and you feel less would have been more.  Things aren’t helped by a very strange and clumsy third act where the story takes a turn into more gothic territory. Collins is an interesting character but he doesn’t quite hold our attention throughout.

Johnny Depp is as usual very watchable; a big fan of the show in real life, Depp brings his creation of Barnabas to life and gives a brilliant, charismatic performance. Eva Green is a good choice as Angelique and she does well as the ruthless witch, even though her American accent does need a little work. But the other members of the Collins family (Michelle Pfeiffer, Chloe Grace Moretz and Jonny Lee Miller) don’t get the screen time they deserve and because of this we never get to properly know they family and we wonder why Barnabas would come back to them?

Although Dark Shadows may not prove to Burton’s greatest work, it is still proof that him and Johnny Depp work best together. The two have given us some many memorable pieces and it is safe to assume they aren’t going to stop any time soon.