Movie Review: “Daybreakers”
Franck Tabouring
Seen on: January 8, 2010
The players: Directors: Michael Spierig, Peter Spierig, Writers: Michael Spierig, Peter Spierig, Cast: Ethan Hawke, Willem Dafoe, Isabel Lucas, Sam Neill
Facts of interest: None.
The plot: It's the year 2019, and vampires are ruling the world. But as their supply of human blood runs out, one man (Hawke) must find a way to prevent chaos and save the remaining humans.
Our thoughts: Michael and Peter Spierig’s “Daybreakers” is a highly entertaining vampire action flick, and believe it or not, it’s also one of those films blessed with an awesome concept. I wouldn’t go as far and call it a masterpiece, but for a January release, it’s definitely worth checking out. Trust me, it really delivers the goods.
The film is set in 2019, and the world is pretty much ruled by vampires. A plague that started a decade earlier turned almost every human into bloodsuckers, and the remaining humans are now farmed for blood. Sadly enough, the vampires are running out of blood, and if they don’t find a substitute soon, all hope is lost.
This is where Edward Dalton (Ethan Hawke) comes in. Edward is a scientist working for the corporation that sells the world’s remaining human blood, and he’s in charge of coming up with a solution to the decreasing blood supply. More importantly, Ed is a firm believer that exploiting humans will by no means end well.
When he’s presented with a unique opportunity to save the planet and mankind, Edward joins a covert group of badass humans who believe they can come up with a cure for the starving vampires. Alas, their mission is further complicated when Edward’s greedy boss (Sam Neill) sends out the army to hunt them down.
“Daybreakers” works great as a timely sci-fi piece and a gory vampire flick. The futuristic world the Spierig brothers have created looks really cool and reflects some of the struggles humanity faces in the real world at this time, and I really like the idea of vampires fighting for survival because they are running out of the good old human blood.
Hawke’s Edward makes a solid hero we want to succeed, and he’s a pretty interesting character trying to make a difference by doing what’s right and not abandon the remaining humans, who are also known as the “folks with the crossbows.” Hawke delivers quite an authentic performance, and it’s fun to watch him battle his own kind.
“Daybreakers” is filled with some thrilling action sequences as well, and while they end up overpowering the subtlety of the plot particularly towards the end, they still add a lot of entertainment value to the film, which also boats some incredibly gory moments horror fans will undoubtedly enjoy to the fullest extent.
In that sense, the film works on many levels: it boasts a cool look, a compelling idea, some badass characters (i.e. Willem Dafoe’s human warrior Lionel), a ruthless villain (Sam Neill in a surprisingly solid performance), nasty vampires, and a fair amount of suspenseful action. It’s definitely a fun viewing experience, I can tell you that much.
Freaky quote: "Fuck it, let's have a barbecue!" - Willem Dafoe
The final word: Don’t walk into this expecting too much. Even though it’s a film with a clear message, “Daybreakers” won’t require you to think too hard about what you’re watching. If you’re looking for a good alternative to “Twilight,” this is definitely your film. This Edward is by far not as cheesy and soft as Bella’s bf.
Article by Franck Tabouring
Reader Comments (1)
Among the vampire films I've watched, Daybreakers in my opinion, has the coolest concept and plot. I enjoy watching vampire films but I never expect intelligent stories or plots from them. But Daybreakers' came with a "refreshing vampire surprise" which convinced me that there''ll still be vampire films worth-watching in the future. Besides Twilight, of course.
Andrew Green