Daybreakers
Written and Directed by: Michael & Peter Spierig
Starring: Ethan Hawke, Willem Dafoe, Sam Neill, Claudia Karvan, Michael Dorman
Rated: R for strong bloody violence, language and brief nudity.
Vampire movies are plentiful, so it’s exciting when one comes out that seems to have something new, or at least uncommon, to offer. “Daybreakers” certainly looks like that on the surface: it takes place ten years after a plague has turned all but about 5% of the world population into vampires, and the human blood supply is dwindling. The protagonist is a vampire who sympathizes with the humans. This is unusual and interesting! Disappointingly, the film is bad, and not even entertainingly bad for the most part.
The setup is straightforward: Edward Dalton (Ethan Hawke) is a hematologist working on a blood substitute for an enormous corporation which also farms blood from the small remaining human supply (there are numerous shots of the farming machinery reminiscent of “The Matrix”). He winds up falling in with a small group of free humans who are looking for a cure, much to the dismay of the corporation’s owner, Charles Bromley (Sam Neill). The humans are led by Audrey (Claudia Karvan) and Elvis (Willem Dafoe), who keep adding other free humans to their group. They’re uneasy working with Ed, but desperate times call for desperate measures.
The premise is a good one, but the film relies on cheap scares and a script full of people being stupid for the purposes of furthering the plot. Our hero is too stupid to cover up his exposed skin when holes are punched through his car’s sunshield during a chase. The protagonists insist that a simple experiment requires a complex setup, so they have to run it while the bad guys are approaching rather than abandon their lab. Much of the suspense in the film comes out of easily avoidable situations and serves more to make the protagonists look like idiots than to actually engage the audience.
Most of the actors suffer from over-seriousness. Given that this is, if we are charitable, a b-movie vampire flick, you’d think there’d be an air of humor or enjoyment or some sort of liveliness here, but for the most part, “Daybreakers” is a wasteland of somber people in dark suits and pale makeup, backed by a score that belongs in a vast, operatic epic. One of the few exceptions is Dafoe’s Elvis, who slings a crossbow and cusses like a proper b-movie hero. Sadly, he is woefully underused and utterly unable to save the movie.
One of the few good parts of the movie is the little touches of worldbuilding. This is a place full of folks who have had ten years to adapt to the world being mostly populated by vampires. There’s a network of subterranean tunnels connecting city buildings. Mechanics outfit cars with “daylight driving” packages which involve video cameras and opaque window screens. Mirrors are simulated with tiny cameras and video screens. A homeless man holds a sign reading, “Starving. Will work for blood.” Lots of vampires smoke because, well, if lung cancer isn’t an issue, why not?
It’s all interesting and visually appealing, but it’s not enough. “Daybreakers” is only essential viewing for folks who see every vampire movie that comes out — and they’ve probably seen it already. Those who want to kill time with some brainless entertainment may find that it serves, but be sure you like gore, because there’s lots of it here. But if you’re hoping for an interesting and innovative vampire movie, keep looking.