Daybreakers - Movie Review

Directed by: Michael & Peter Spierig, 2009

Pros: brilliant opening that explains the history of the film in a few stark scenes, shows the breakdown of society at all levels and class structures, post-apocalypse vampire plague becomes new apocalypse as human food source disappears

Cons: the cure to vampirism is unbelievable, extremely gory, the middle of the film drags a bit

The year is 2019 and a plague has turned most humans into vampires. The humans who remain are hunted down and farmed for blood while researchers, including Edward Dalton (Ethan Hawke), at one company attempt to create a blood substitute to stave off the coming apocalypse.

Dalton hates being a vampire. He hates the animals vampires become when they're unable to feed. He wants to find a blood substitute so the remaining humans can live, not feed the elite.

When the blood supply runs out all hell breaks lose and Dalton discovers, not a blood substitute but a cure for vampirism.

The film examines a lot of what will happen in the world when natural resources (food, oil) run out. The elite will still get their needs met while everyone else suffers and dies. I particularly liked the message that you can force change on people but not acceptance. Something done for that person's "own good" isn't normally appreciated by the recipient. And can have horrific consequences.

The movie is very gory, but the cinematography's worth it. At times it reminded me of Unbreakable, a film I think all filmmakers should see, because no shot is wasted. And while Daybreakers doesn't have that film school feel to it, it has some well thought out scenes.

The trailer, from hollywoodstreams.