Product Details

• Actors: Willem Dafoe, Ethan Hawke
• Directors: Michael Spierig and Peter Spierig
• Format: AC-3, Closed-captioned, Color, Dolby, NTSC, Subtitled, Widescreen
• Language: English
• Subtitles: English, Spanish
• Region: Region 1 (U.S. and Canada only. Read more about DVD formats.)
  
• Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1
• Number of discs: 1
• Rated: R (Restricted)
• Studio: Lionsgate
• DVD Release Date: May 11, 2010
• Run Time: 98 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (175 customer reviews)
• ASIN: B002ZG97CO
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #10,768 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)
• Learn more about "Daybreakers" on IMDb

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

While Daybreakers presents vampiric traits that distinguish its vampires from others in the many films that have ridden 2009's vampire movie wave, there is a lack of humor here that makes this film sour compared to sweeter ones like Cirque du Freak: A Vampire's Assistant. Maybe that's because the plot in this horror feature from Peter and Michael Spierig (Undead) is more akin to zombie films like 28 Days Later. The year is 2019, and nearly all humans are converted vampires searching in vain for blood during a blood shortage, as they drain remaining humans into extinction. Nightly, CNN airs segments about the Blood Crisis, while vampire citizens around the globe attack each other like cannibals. Humans are farmed like cattle while tied to blood-draining machinery in the top-secret pharmaceutical corporation run by evil CEO Charles Bromley (Sam Neill). Sound like a heavy-handed metaphor for our oil wars? Daybreakers can definitely be viewed in that light, as a story about greed and consumption. Stylistically, it looks like a cross between Alien and Batman, with its Giger-esque set design and blue-tinted hue to represent night fallen on society. The lead actors help to salvage this movie. Edward Dalton (Ethan Hawke), chief hematologist at Bromley, straddles the vampire and human worlds, with the aid of humans Lionel "Elvis" Cormac (Willem Dafoe) and Lisa Barrett (Harriet Minto-Day), to search for a blood replacement to placate the starving masses. These three protagonists carry the film, though not well enough to call Daybreakers any sort of genre breakthrough. --Trinie Dalton

Stills from Daybreakers (Click for larger image)

Product Description

Two-time Academy Award® nominee Ethan Hawke plays Edward Dalton, a researcher in the year 2019, when an unknown plague has transformed the world’s population into vampires. As the human population nears extinction, vampires must capture and farm every remaining human, or find a blood substitute before time runs out. However, a covert group of vampires makes a remarkable discovery, one which has the power to save the human race.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

46 of 49 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars A Vampire Tale With a Twist March 15, 2010

By Karen Joan VINE™ VOICE

Format:Blu-ray

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.

18 of 18 people found the following review helpful

3.0 out of 5 stars Clever idea, decent execution, make this vampire flick entertaining enough to enjoy but easy to forget May 15, 2010

By Nathan Andersen TOP 500 REVIEWERVINE™ VOICE

Format:DVD

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. Read more ›

16 of 17 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars This is why we go to the movies March 27, 2010

By Renfield

Format:Blu-ray

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. Read more ›

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars In a time flooded with vamp movies - this is a cut above the wannabes March 20, 2010

By Bardwire777

Format:Blu-ray

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.