Lionsgate
www.daybreakersmovie.com
The vampire craze began in the early days of cinema with Dracula and there have been countless flicks involving the blood thirsty creatures since; Dusk ‘till Dawn, Van Helsing, Underworld and Blade to name but a few. Some have been better than others, however, Daybreakers is a vampire film like no other and will fit in with the better half.
The flick isn’t about monstrous creatures feasting on human’s night in night out, but as a majority population look for a way to prolong their existence when they begin to run out of humans to feed from, or rather farm blood from. The invention of a blood substitute looks bleak so vampires are turning into winged bat-like creatures called “sub-siders”. The prospect of being immortal is something the majority of vampires do not want to lose so even when a cure is discovered they are against using it and would rather take their chances.
It is refreshing to see a different side to the vampire movie. This one no longer looks at them in a sadistic light of maiming and ripping at someone’s neck and slashing open a vein or two for food. But rather a quite civilised majority that adds a trickle of blood to their coffee on the way to work, like the majority of us do with sugar. It is when the added “sugar” bonus gets limited the vampires resort to their hunting instincts that were lost in harvesting blood from humans and bottling it up.
Along with the interesting story there is a terrific cast behind Daybreakers. The incredible Ethan Hawke as vampire hematologist Edward Dalton is a vamp unlike the others. He isn’t a vicious out for blood creature looking for his next food source, but someone who didn’t choose to become a member of the undead and looks at the cure as a blessing. He shows concern, sympathy and gratitude for others unlike Sam Neill as Charles Bromley who on the other hand is the complete opposite, an inconsiderate full of himself vampire. Accompanying these two tremendous actors and blurring the vampire human division is Willem Dafoe as Elvis.
Daybreakers is set aside from all the other vampire flicks out there and stands alone as being one of the finest you will see. The film has a great story to tell and takes on new directions. However, it doesn’t end leaving you fully fulfilled so will surely make way for others like it. Those who say the days of great vampires flicks are over, surely haven’t seen Daybreakers.
Michelle Moore