Customer Reviews

Daybreakers [Blu-ray]

5 star:		(29)
4 star:		(55)
3 star:		(33)
2 star:		(15)
1 star:		(5)

 

 

Daybreakers is a breath of fresh air in the world of vampire cinema that currently consists of the Twilight series of films. I have nothing against these films, I just prefer my vampires to be badass and blood-thirsty, while maintaining that aura of supernatural coolness à la Christopher Lee in Horror of Dracula. Daybreakers initially looked bland and forgettable to me, but to my surprise the film manages to pull off being enjoyable as well as bringing a few new ideas to the vampire genre. The film is not groundbreaking in any way, but it is a fun time and (for me) it made vampires cool again.

To start off, the casting is good. I don't personally care for Ethan Hawke, but he works here just fine delivering a satisfactory performance. The real standouts are Sam Neill as Hawke's boss and Willem Dafoe as a kick-ass vampire hunter with a taste for muscle cars, high-tech crossbows, and Elvis Presley. The supporting cast is made up of mostly unknowns and they turn in decent performances. The direction by the Speirig Brothers is above-average, but nothing spectacular. It's a relief to see a horror film that doesn't have that ridiculous shaky-cam thing going on. The action scenes are well-directed as well, with an unexpected car chase happening about halfway through. I must say that the cinematography is excellent, with lots of dark blues and grays in the vampire scenes and dry browns and yellows in the human scenes. It reminded me of the cinematography in the original Blade. Again, nothing new but it is a visually pleasing film.

The story itself is nothing amazing, but it's executed quite well. It is, however, interesting from both a horror and sci-fi standpoint, utilizing both genres for maximum effectiveness. As a horror film, it does well with a few scares and lots of blood and gore (another surprise for me, but I'll get to that in a minute). However, it really shines as a science-fiction film. The idea of a shortage of blood causing the vampires to panic is an interesting role reversal that I found quite amusing. It also has overtones of greedy multi-national corporations only in it to make a profit (gleefully reminding me of the Weyland-Yutani company from Alien & Aliens). There are some nifty new ideas that also made the film feel like a welcome addition to the sci-fi/horror genre. I really don't want to spoil them, so I'll be careful with my choice of words. The vampires have adjusted their way of living to not be hampered by that pesky sunlight. This is done both outright and subtly, the latter of which I found myself chuckling at the filmmaker's ingenuity. Other interesting ideas include the cure itself (which I initially scoffed at, but the more I thought about it I realized in the context of the story, it works) and the concept of what happens to a malnourished vampire that doesn't get regular servings of blood. Does it die? You'll get the answer in Daybreakers. There is also a nice Romero-style commentary on some current social and economic issues, that works well and doesn't get too preachy.

The special effects are well-done. The CGI is nothing special, though the vampires exploding after being staked was pretty cool. However, there are tons of live-acion gore effects that I was very happy to see considering the industry's current obsession with CGI. It was nice to see some Day of the Dead-style gore happening in the modern age; and if this comment doesn't make it clear, let me spell it out for you: this film is VERY gory. There's a lot of blood, guts and body parts flying around (one bit early on actually made me jump - something that usually never happens) so be warned. It's not Dead Alive or anything, but it is pretty heavy on the red stuff! Gorehounds (myself included) will not be disappointed.

Any complaints? Not really. I originally wanted Willem Dafoe to be more badass, spouting one-liners and such, but he didn't reach that level of true "badass-ness" like John McClane, Arnold or Woody Harrelson's character did in the recent Zombieland. In retrospect, I realized that this may have messed with the tone of the film so it was probably for the best. The film ended quite abruptly too. Is it too much to ask for a minute of wrap-up? But hey, neither of these make the film any less of a good time.

So, bottom line: I would whole-heartedly recommend this one to any sci-fi/horror fans. It's nothing you haven't seen before, but it's executed in a stylish and interesting manner so you'll definitely enjoy it.

DAYBREAKERS is a fresh take on the average vampire horror tale, bordering on camp, but definitely original. Quite unexpectedly, my husband and I really enjoyed this film. In DAYBREAKERS, we find that the human race was nearly destroyed by a plague, but vampires gave them a way out. Now vampires are the dominant species on earth, night and day are reversed, vampires are going about their normal "nightly" routines, and the remaining humans are hunted fugitives. There are so few humans remaining that a blood shortage is causing the vampires to panic, and the vampires have initiated a massive R&D effort to create a synthetic substitute. if they don't find it, the vampires will mutate horribly and die. But there may be an alternative. One that will change the world of the vampires forever.

If, like me, you find vampire horror films (not teen angst films) to be a guilty pleasure, then I think you will enjoy DAYBREAKERS. Part I Am Legend, part Buffy, part Blade (but all with a twist), DAYBREAKERS brings a unique and creative story to the average vampire flick. The plot is intriguing, and the ending is surprising. The special effects appropriately scary and interesting, the blood and gore as to be expected, and lore within the film is consistent. The acting is not the best I have seen, but it is not the worst either.

For a fresh take on an old genre, give DAYBREAKERS a try. You might be glad you did.

Edward Dalton (Ethan Hawke) is a reluctant vampire in a world where humans have become rare. It's a clever idea: if there really were vampires and they could spread like a virus, why wouldn't they soon run the world rather than slink around in shadows? It turns out this film shows exactly why, if they're smart, vampires would stay out of sight and wouldn't want to spread. Vampires do rule the world in this film, and human beings are the ones who have to creep about during the day, hidden as best they can from their refined and powerful predators. The problem is that the vampires are running out of humans to harvest, and without human blood they gradually devolve into something darker and more demonic, Nosferatu-style bat-like beasts with no trace of remaining humanity.

The basic plot is simple enough, and should be familiar to those who remember Dances with Wolves or Pocahontas, or the much more recent Avatar: Ethan Hawke plays the outsider from a conquering race who comes to sympathize with and eventually fight alongside the conquered race, in part because his first encounter is with a beautiful woman he falls for.

The execution is not perfect. The dialogue is full of cliches, and the final solution is all too convenient. It's a bit somber, and almost entirely lacking in the kind of dark humor or wit of a film like Near Dark. There's nothing all that memorable about the cinematography or editing, and I found myself thinking it might be more fitting in a television series. In fact there were several elements of the story that were overly compressed or unexplained, and that might have been fleshed out in a miniseries, and might have been more interesting in that medium. As it is, this is a moderately entertaining vampire flick that's different enough to be worth watching for fans of the genre and engaging and accessible enough to be a decent way for the rest of us (at least those who aren't overly squeamish) to kill a couple hours. Nothing profound or unique here, but decent bloody entertainment.

To be entertained. And that's what this movie does- it ensures your entertainment for its runtime.

A good vampire movie is almost a rarity these days. Err, that's an understatment. A good vampire ANYTHING is a rarity these days. Ever since the Twihard movement exploded we've beem getting tons of OC-With-Wampires things. It is rather sad; I love vampires as much as the next guy and I'll be honest when I say that I began to lose that love when Twilight came out. And I almost CRINGED seeing the trailer- I thought it looked cool but just like a poor man's Blade Runner with vampires.

Well when I saw this movie, I found out how wrong I was.

Right now this movie has a love it or hate it thing- I like that. It shows that movies don't have to be for everyone. That they have audiences of their own.

Edward (not Cullen) is a vampire who works for a blood farming company. His brother is a police officer hellbent for finding humans. There are very few humans left- and a very small amount of blood. Blood is running low. Companies are now reducing the amount of blood they offer with certain products.

However, Edward doesn't like being a vampire. He doesn't like the fact that he has to drink the blood of people to keep his belly full. And he misses being able to experience the sun. After coming across a group of humans one night, he takes interest in them and eventually has a meeting set up with former vampire Lionel (played by Willem Dafoe), a human, and together he and the humans plan to turn vampires back to humans.

This is why we go to the cinema- so we can be entertained. This movie did just that. For 100 minutes, it provided some nice scares, gore, and action to add to the fun, not to mention it had a well placed amount of humor. Sure the CG effects are a bit cheesy, and it's definitely no Avatar when it comes to SFX- but that is the point. But the overall look of the film is very gorgeous- it was a total doozie in the theater. The tinted blue looks gorgeous and the night scenes are crisp, and nice to watch.

Also, the political aspect is also a brilliant factor. Vampires being a metaphor for politics. Blood being a metaphor for OIL. This movie is very symbolic of how the government is greedy as hell when it comes to oil. And also, the best part is the last 15 minutes- they fed their greed, and as a result, their greed cost them dearly.

In short, this movie is a near perfect vamp flick. It wastes no time getting straight to the point, it just gives us what we came to see. If you like vampire movies, this is a must for sure.

I don't scare at movies easily but after seeing this one I stay away from street gutters.

But seriously, it's hard to find anything to gripe about with Daybreakers. This movie is has a lot of class in a time where tons of vamp movies are coming out, and though many of them I enjoy on a campy level, few can be considered quality. Daybreakers pretty much has it all, action, spooks, gore, sci-fi, original concept, great performances, tight script and it stays always a little ahead of you. It's great to see Ethan Hawke, Willem Dafoe and Sam Neil doing such a fun and successful project together. Bravo to all.

After the massive success of the "Twilight" movies and books, and their apparent stranglehold over many moviegoers and Hollywood in general; I was beginning to wonder if we would ever get to see a traditional vampire movie. You know, one that abides by the commonly accepted rules of the vampire legends, unlike the aforementioned that ignores most of them whenever possible.

I for one just want to see vampires get a movie that does them justice. Not another one of these overly romantic pieces of drivel that we've been subjected to over the last couple of years. Finally, it seemed the wait was over with the recently released "Daybreakers" returning vampires to their customary status of predators of the night. But, was this a proper return to the fearsome creatures we once knew or has all the romance robbed them of their bite?

"Daybreakers" is set in a world where the majority of the populace has been turned into vampires. For the longest time the vampires have hunted and captured the remnants of humanity for use in their massive blood farming operation; however, because of their insatiable thirst, humanity's numbers have dwindled significantly. As their food source becomes more and more scarce; one vampire scientist, Edward Dalton (Ethan Hawke), is working vigorously to develop an alternative sustenance for his brethren before they all begin turning on each other. However, a small batch of human resistance, led by a former vampire (Willem Dafoe) seeks to cure Edward of his curse and in turn show him the way to save the world.

Despite being intrigued by the trailers, the end result of "Daybreakers" left me extremely disappointed by the lack of anything interesting or refreshing being brought to the table. The movie, written and directed by The Spierig Brothers ("Undead"), is a hodge-podge of thinly developed stock characters, predictability, a few borrowed ideas, and an inability to ultimately decide to which genre it belonged.

Leading the roster of under-developed characters is actor Ethan Hawke ("Taking Lives"). Personally, I've never really been a big fan of Ethan Hawke or the majority of his movies. He always seems pretentious in every role he plays, and this one is no different. That aside, he does an adequate job as Edward, the film's protagonist, who just so happens to be one of the only vampires that despises being a vampire. His character should have been someone the audience could relate to and root for; however, I for one, could not get interested in anything he was doing over the course of the movie. His character arc is far too slow and meandering, not to mention Hawke brings his typical arrogance to the role which of course didn't help matters.

Fighting alongside Ethan Hawke's character is Wilem Dafoe ("Spider-Man") as a former vampire turned human. Typically, you can count on Wilem to deliver an entertaining performance to say the least. Beyond that he's hit-and-miss as to whether he's handing in a solid, believable performance or another over-the-top, borderline caricature of the character he was supposed to play. With his portrayal here he keeps his eccentricity in check, resulting in his character coming across as flat and boring. There were some brief moments of entertaining dialogue and/or actions that his character had to do, but for the most part this was one of those times where he should have gone overboard and the character would have been better suited. It's like I said though, he can be hit-and-miss.

The ever-reliable Sam Neill ("Jurassic Park") takes on the role of the film's primary antagonist and apparent leader of the vampires. While he certainly brings a dignified presence and sense of authority to the role, plus an undeniably malevolent streak; in the end, it's still not enough. The problems arise from his character being of stock quality and simply generic in nature; thus, leaving Sam's talents wasted in the role. Perhaps if the writing/directing team had crafted a more uniquely developed character for Sam, and the other actors as well, to really sink their teeth into, then the outcome could have been so much better than the mediocrity on display.

Speaking of the story, the writer/director team of The Spierig Brothers ("Undead") seemed to have a decent template for a good vampire movie with "Daybreakers". However, like so many other writers and directors have discovered, a good idea does not always pan out as one had hoped, especially when it embraces unoriginality.

The problems with the movie's story begin early on with that troublesome plight of predictability being ever-present. For roughly 75% of the movie I had a fairly accurate idea of where the story was going and what the characters would end up doing. When this occurs, it's a relatively safe bet that the movie is not going to come close to being satisfactory no matter the talent involved. Another cause for the story's predictability was some of the borrowed ideas from movies such as, "The Matrix", "Mad Max", and even fellow vampire movie "Blade 2".

Whenever a movie is too easy to predict based solely on its screenplay, throwing in borrowed ideas only makes the problem all the more evident. Maybe before the Spierig Brothers hatch another movie, they should take the time to really nail down their ideas and do so without stealing from other, more superior movies.

Now I will say that the final 25% of the movie was somewhat less predictable than everything that preceded it. With that being said, while I didn't anticipate some of the events that occurred in the closing moments, I also wasn't pleased with it either. The reason being is that the previous chunk of the movie, although borderline boring to me with its unoriginality, was at least striving to be more of a supernatural thriller rather than a horror film (not a typical genre for vampire movies). That all changed in the movie's final 20 minutes though.

My guess is that the Spierig Brothers remembered they were making a vampire movie, and what's a vampire movie without tons of blood and guts being spilt? So, after over an hour of minimal gore on display, suddenly the screen erupts into chaotic grisly violence and everything in view is now crimson. I'm typically not one to dismiss a movie simply because it's a blood-soaked member of the horror genre; however, when the majority of the movie is relatively tame, such an abrupt switch into horror mode is quite jarring. My opinion is that a movie needs to find a genre and stay in it, be it horror, thriller or whatever, but don't switch at the last minute to meet some blood-spilling quota for vampire movies.

It's disappointing that a movie with decent star power (even with the despicable Ethan Hawke's presence), was hindered by a flimsily conceived story, eliminating any possible hope of entertaining this viewer, at least. It's really too bad, because I was hoping that this would be the movie to redeem the vampire sub-genre from the depths it had sunk too with this whole "Twilight" phenomenon. Oh well, there's always next time.

"Daybreakers" is rated R for violence, language, and gore.

This is my second time trying to review "Daybreakers." The first time I used a line out of the movie as the title of my preview (I did this time too but different line) and I guess the Amazon censors didn't approve. I do understand but it is a GREAT line. Oh, well - I will try again.

I loved this movie. I thought it was a very unique take on the vampire genre film. The special effects, cinematography, costuming, actors - all great. I especially enjoyed Ethan Hawke as Edward Dalton, vampire hematologist, and Willem Dafoe, vintage car enthusiast and human who is working with Dalton to find a cure for the vampire plague.

The movie, taking place in our future, has a 1940's noir feel to it from the costuming and lighting. I liked all the little tidbits scattered throughout the movie showing details of daily living in this world where humans are no longer the dominant species.

Just a note - most of these vampires are NOT warm and cuddly Twilight vampires and some of them are truly horrendous. It definitely deserves its R rating.

Daybreakers was written and directed by Michael and Peter Spierig. Even though it is a movie about vampires (you know those creatures that drink blood, don't deal with teen angst for 200 years, don't sparkle, and walk around in the daylight) it felt like a mixture of horror, science fiction, and a drama all at once. The concept is original in the realm of bloodsuckers as in this alternate future vampirism has become mainstream and they are the dominating force on the planet with humans nearing extinction number wise.

We are shown that vampires who cannot feed don't die immediately but turn into half human half bad creatures brought up from the original nightmarish vampires that have populated books and movies for years.

Unlike many vampires they turn into a creature devoid of most of their memories who just wants to feed on anything they can which contains blood.

Daybreakers takes an interesting approach on the idea of a food shortage that would arise from overpopulation as there is a 'blood shortage' from an overpopulation of vampires. The leading providers of blood to the populace are desperately attempting to create a synthetic blood that will be nourishing enough to keep the vampires alive and that is where we enter the film. Edward Dalton (Ethan Hawke) plays the lead researcher trying to create this blood and is running into a dead end.

On his way home one night he gets into an accident with a group of humans who are on the run and helps them avoid the police as he doesn't wish for the end of humanity that he dearly misses. The humans are part of a resistance group that is led by Elvis (Willem Dafoe) who accidentally found a cure for the disease. They enlist Edward on a quest to cure this 'disease' that has spread across the world.

The owner of the blood providing company and now one of the most powerful men, or vampires, in the world is Charles Bromley (Sam Neill) who doesn't want this cure to exist as he was dying from cancer before the turn. He is willing to stop at nothing for both the cure to be destroyed and a synthetic blood to be created including working directly against Edward's friends and family. While Sam did an astounding job at playing a genius vampire mad with power and the desire to live forever I felt it would have served him better near the end of the film to have a little more of the craziness that he was able to display in "Event Horizon."

The world created here is a very dark and noir take on humanity. With everyone only able to exist at night and there not being a way to die the world is slightly different. Blood coffee shops are found on every corner, smoking is prevalent, and with the lack of being able to be in the sun the majority of the film is done in a very dark setting that you can't help but enjoy. You are shown, subtly, the various layers of the vampire

society as the film progresses. You are given a huge glimpse into a world that has completely changed from our society but is clearly built upon it and I hope it was able to make enough to warrant a sequel as the world they have created is nothing short of spectacular in it's original viewpoint on an age old monster.

The plot of this movie is simple. It is the near future and a plague has taken over the world; a plague that turns humans into vampires. The few uninfected humans are chased as food. The movie focuses on a vampire scientist who encounters a man who used to be a vampire, and who chanced upon a cure that turns vampires back into humans. The race is then on to spread this cure to the rest of the world. The movie features a cast of well-known actors; actors known for serious roles, and they don't disappoint in this movie. Being rated R, there a occasional scenes of violence, gore, and bad language, but no more than say the Underworld movies. The dialog is very good, and the special effects are just enough to keep things believable. Overall, probably the best vampire movie of the past decade or so.

Daybreakers is a breath of fresh, garlic and blood scented air, that steers clear of the recent abomination of sparkly vampires, and holds true to the genre's rich history while still managing an infusion of originality.

When a shortage of blood causes widespread hunger and panic amongst the predominant vampire population of the world, global blood banks - the primary one is run by sinister Bromley Marks (Sam Neill) - begin to ration for survival and plan for a synthetic substitute, headed by Edward Dalton (Ethan Hawke), a vampire who shows great empathy for his most likely food source. Meanwhile, the remaining humans scurry about in the dark like field-mice, hoping to avoid the keen night-vision of the vampire hunters who wish to capture the humans for harvesting. When Edward runs into crossbow-toting, former vampire Elvis (Willem Dafoe), he takes the steps towards discovering, testing, and implementing a cure.

An accessible plot and adequate direction by the Speirig brothers makes Daybreakers enjoyable, but not overbearing. With interlaced social commentary (substitute blood for today's oil crises) and similarities to previous vampire movies - most notably the cinematographic stylings of the Blade Collection and the cure for a "disease" from I Am Legend - the film is intelligent without unnecessary comedic aspects (although I found the concept of exploding vampire animals causing forest fires to be quite hilarious). Special effects are a mix of CGI and old-school, with almost enough to satisfy a gore-hound. Add in an homage to the classic look of Nosferatu vampires and the result is an entertaining addition to the vampire genre, with just enough action and storyline to make up for a lack of character development.

Highly recommended for horror and sci-fi fans. Not recommended for fans of glittery, emo vampires.