Daybreakers (2010)

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Director The Spierig Brothers

Stars Ethan Hawke, Sam Neill, Willem Dafoe

Things You Might Like

• Original script! Really!
• Believable setting & atmosphere
• Spooky, gory fun
• Interesting allegory for dwindling natural resources
• Great alternative to fluffy vampire romance

Things You Might Not Like

• Beginning is kinda spooky
• Doesn’t get any spookier, just more conspiratorial
• Plot holes tear through the script
• BUCKETS of blood
• Vampire defibrillator?

Conclusion
This Edward doesn’t drink human blood either, but at least he’s on a mission to save the world, not shag the girl.

4 out of 5 sparle-less vampire

Jonathan David Lim

***

Without so much as a thought, I went to my viewing of Daybreakers listening to ‘Salem’s Lot on audiobook. Hearing King’s introductory discourse on Dracula and being immersed in vampire fiction, I found myself being excited, eventually realising why I was so ecstatic: I was on my way to a vampire film.

And what a vampire film it is. Sticking close to the roots of vampire lore, the German Spierig brothers (who directed the zombie-thriller Undead) craft a fun, spooky tale of a world overrun by nosferatu. Using humans as blood farms, the night crawlers live comfortably in their sun-shielded homes, driving sun-shielded cars, and traversing the networked Subwalks during those long, dangerous hours while the world is ultraviolet.

Like I said, the film sticks to the mythology. Right from the outset, Daybreakers seeks to challenge popular vampire fluff by putting an undead girl in the sun and watching the fireworks. Speaking of fireworks, vampires apparently explode when stabbed through the heart. Who knew?

For the vampires, things aren’t perfect. In the Spierigs’ surprisingly believable dystopia, human blood supply is running its course. Without human blood, vampires all over are turning into horrific bat-hybrids called ‘sub-siders’. Thus, it’s up to hematologist Edward Dalton (Ethan Hawke, Assault on Precinct 13) to find a reasonable substitute. What he finds instead is a group of humans led by Lionel ‘Elvis’ Cormac (Willem Dafoe, Spider-Man), who are putting in their bid for survival.

Naturally, this really bugs the hell out of Charles Bromley (Sam Neill, Jurassic Park), CEO of the Bromley Marks corporation, who is responsible for the human blood supply. At this point, drawing parallels between the blood shortage and our own depleting oil reserves is unavoidable. Still, instead of focusing on their rather witty allegory, the Spierigs turn the film in the direction of conspiracy thriller, and just when it was getting good and spooky.

All right, so the plot is pretty weak, especially when all those pesky questions start popping into your head (for instance, why don’t they just wait until the humans make more blood?). Still, it’s a fun movie that will appeal to horror- and sci-fi-genre fans alike, or anyone wanting an escape from all the franchise films and shoddy remakes.

Buy Daybreakers from Amazon