Daybreakers Review
Well it seems that novelists along with Hollywood have successfully managed to reinvent the Vampire, as Vampires today are not the monsters with sharp fangs and hunchbacks that they once were. These modern incarnations are creatures of dazzling and near irresistible beauty as reflected in the teen saga Twilight.
However in this latest vampire offering written and directed by the Spierig brothers, Daybreakers we’re presented with neither extreme beauty nor disfigured creatures but normality, yes these vamps for all intents are human apart from the obvious thirst for blood and fear of daylight.
Daybreakers is set in 2019, where a bat virus has transformed most of the human population into vampires. Humans are endangered, so the price of blood has skyrocketed across global markets, creating global instability and pushing the Vampire politicians to argue about the blood problem on all the news channels. This is a world were rush hour commuters pay for shots of diluted human blood on their way to work, knocking them back like shots of espresso. Where Vampire scientists work tirelessly to find a substitute for human blood, whilst the panic seized blood hungry vampires begin to turn into the beastly creatures of our childhood nightmares.
Edward Dalton (Ethan Hawke,) is a haematologist and vampire researcher who refuses to feed on human blood. Instead he is determined to develop a blood substitute that will sustain the vampires and save the few remaining humans. However, Charles Bromley (Sam Neill) Edward’s boss and head of the powerful blood corporation has other plans. With an eye on making a huge profit Bromley isn’t in any hurry to solve the current crisis. However everything changes when Edward meets up with a human survivor Audrey (Claudia Karvan) and Lionel (Willem Dafoe) as together, armed with a new medical breakthrough, the trio set out on a mission to change the world.
The references to the current economic crisis and environmental issues are pretty obvious here, but the Spierig brothers never seem to offer an opinion nor take sides on either subject, with what is a rather neutral and simplistic allusion to the current global climate.
However politics aside this is a very cool vampire flick, it does suffer from the occasional cheesy dialogue here and there but overall it’s a fantastic movie and a nice departure from the standard vampire drivel of late. Considering the Spierig brothers brief history of filmmaking I think this movie is a major achievement, yes they still have a way to go but judging from their work so far I’m eager to see what they come up with next.
Also worth noting is the general atmosphere of the movie which is very slick, everything from the super cool outfits to the pimped up rides makes this a viewing experience you’ll not likely forget. As stated before it’s a far from perfect movie, but it’s kicked off my 2010 cinema going experience in style and I give it a solid 8 out of 10.
Totally agree. The dialogue was lacking something but overall not a bad movie but not great either