Daybreakers

Daybreakers (2010)
Director(s): Peter and Michael Spierig
Cast: Ethan Hawke, Willem Defore, Sam Neill, Claudia Karvan

Summing-up, Up-Front:
Daybreakers takes a very popular genre of horror -- the vampire film -- and turns it on end which is very engaging but is that enough to make it a great movie? Yes and no because it's what you do with the rest of the movie outside that hook that makes or breaks the movie. The concept is good enough to get the viewer through the first half of the movie, but then it teeters somewhat in the second half.


Daybreakers is an immersive film, much like the Underworld films, creating a new reality. The new world is a dark reflection of what once was and a much bleaker one.

In the not so distant future, a vampire outrbreak erupts and within ten (short) years nearly the entire population of the planet is now consists of vampires with only a few humans hiding in seclusion or on the run. The vampires are living an existance much like what the humans lived. They have jobs, they shop, they have families, only they do all this under the cover of night and, yes, they need to drink blood to survive.

But there is one big problem. When they turned the majority of the planet into vampires, they drastically reduced their blood supply. In fact, as the movie starts, blood supplies are dwindling fast and this vampire society is starting to fray at the edges at an exponential speed. Edward Dalton (Hawke) is a scientist who works for a large corporation which "farms" humans to supply blood for the vampires, but there a too few humans to maintain demand and Edward is charged with finding a blood substitute which will avert a inevitable disaster. The company's CEO, Charles Bromley (Neill), is just as desperate to find a blood substitute to keep the supplies flowing and profits up.

Edward has his own complication tension which revolves around the fact that he does not like the idea of drinking human blood. A chance encounter with a group of humans on the run is a catalyst for Edward to do some soul searching and he ultimately gets involved with these human refugees. Edward then makes a startling discovery when he encounters a unique human (Defoe) in their midst. This discovery puts him and the rest of the dwindling human population on a collision course with the vampires, but which will win out?

The directors, Michael and Peter Spierig are a unique combination also because they are twins. Their 2003 debut, The Undead, was a serio-comic take on the zombie picture and was produced on what looked like a shoestring budget. You can tell they have a lot more money to work with this time around.

Daybreakers is both stylish and gory. The visual design of the world the directors have created for vampires is not unlike the world they consumed and the directors have selected a 1940's look and feel for the visual design of the film. This aesthetic brings a subdued quality to this new world, but underneath it all is an eruption ready to happpen.

The concept the film turns on is very intriguing hook. Seeing how a vampire world would really work carries us during the early portions. We get to see how they live and don't breath and we see how they can't escape their human origins. Plus the story does an excellent job of being more than just about vampires as it includes commentary on corporate greed and our consumer culture. It's not overt about these sub-themes, but they are there and add a enjoyable layer to the movie that those who want just a little bit more than a vampire flick.

As the film progresses, the story adds on some new layers and the complications are organic, but then it seems as if the directors become somewhat timid as the film takes on a less original tone and becomes more melodramtic. An inevitable and predictable face-off is careening full steam ahead in this mode, the films devolves into a plot driven vehicle. This is not necessarily bad as it does propel the action along, but it takes the unique edge off the movie and towards the end of the movie it seems to devolved into a bit of a gore fest.

With this new elevated budget, the Spierig brothers were able to get some name talent and this serves the movie well. Hawke carries the film with a gaunt appearance and conflicted demeanor. Neill handles the role of the patrichian CEO with sinister intent quite well. Defoe's role is pivotal and he makes the most of it.

At heart, this is a horror movie, but the filmmakers do their best to give this movie more weight than being just that. They do layer in some commentary, but when the chips are down, the blood flows in copious amounts. If you're squemish, then it's a not the film for you, but if you like your horror with a little more weight, Daybreakers is a good choice.