Daybreakers (***)

Directed by: The Spierig Brothers

Starring: Ethan Hawke, Willem Dafoe, Sam Niell, Claudia Karvan, Isabel Lucas, Michael Dorman, Vince Colosimo

Seen: March 13^th 2010

*** Out of ****

In Daybreakers the world has been overtaken by Vampires; not the Twilight-sparkle-like-gold-glitter kind, but old school vampires; dark, violent, burst-into-flames-in-sunlight vampires. The few humans left are hunted and farmed for blood in a world with extreme blood shortages (in reference to earth’s current oil crisis), and coffee bars now only serve 20% blood instead of pure blood. Vampires are slowly turning into nightmare creatures because of this shortage (among other things), and the ones who don’t get blood are a step better off than the ones who choose to feed on other vampires.

Edward Dalton (Hawke) is the chief haematologist for Bromley Marks, the main blood supplying pharmaceutical company in the US. Like big pharmaceutical usually does, they are driven by profit and greed and will rush-test possible blood substitutes without regard for the lives of the ones they test it on. Bromley Marks is run by Charles Bromley (Neill) who has a close relationship with Edward Dalton, but only for the money, as it becomes evident that their views on blood consumption greatly differ. Edward sympathises with humans, and one evening actually saves a small group from capture, but not before Audrey Bennet (Carvan) identifyies him as a haematologist.

The humans recognise something in Edward and approach him for assistance in finding a cure. He is introduced to Elvis (Dafoe), an ex-vampire vampire hunter, now cured. Edward and Elvis start working together on a cure for vampirism. The humans are not concerned with only finding the cure though, and a scouting party returning with more rogue humans is ambushed by the vampire military. Among the ambushed: Alison Bromley, Charles’ human daughter. Soon enough the vampires are on Edward and Elvis’ trail, so while working on the cure, they also need to stay hidden.

The action in Daybreakers is well-crafted, and while not always revolutionary, small elements are surprisingly refreshing or innovative while still keeping the plot running. Cars have been redesigned for vampire day-time driving through a set of cameras on the roof and completely darking out the windows; the city’s buildings are connected by underground sidewalks called the SubWalk, and many other small things are included that give the sense of a complete world, not one lacking detail for only an overhead version of a story. The vampires are closer to the original vampires of myth, they do not show up on mirrors, the burst into flame, and they are carnal nightmares to humans.

The Spierig Brothers have crafted a movie which addresses some bigger issues (oil crisis, big pharmaceutical control) similar to how District 9 addressed the old apartheid system in South Africa; not as its main idea, but as an extra with the very entertaining action movie that you as viewer can focus on if you so choose. Also much like District 9, this is no kid’s movie as people are torn to pieces in bloody and gory details. Daybreakers is anything but boring, and if the darker type of movie with a hint of a silver lining is your kind of thing, then I can definitely recommend it, as unlike the Twilight movies, Daybreakers doesn’t destroy the vampire myth, but enhances it.