Review of Daybreakers (2010) by Naveed A — 12 Aug 2011

"Life's a bitch, then you don't die".

In a distant future a plague infects nearly the entire human race, causing them to gain vampiric traits like a thirst for blood, teeth, burning in the sun, and all that fun stuff. All surviving humans will be farmed for their blood as a natural resorce for worldwide feeding. Those who refuse are concidered enemies of the state and will be either forced to become farmed or turned into a vampire themselves. Soon humans are nearly extinct and all supplies for the newly dominant race become vastly limited, causing many to be driven insane by the thrist and changing into unholy bat-like creatures. The fate is now in the hands of a self-loathing vampire which job it is to research humans. He is soon kidnapped by a band of several humans which assume that he can help them and thier leader create a cure for the plague once and for all. The bloodsucker is soon caught in between the war of Vampire thirst VS. Human survival.

In the hype of the Twilight vampires, this is an alternative to the cutesy glow-in-the-sun abstinance symbols and does an alright job at doing so. It's a very interesting concept of vampires taking over the world, living thier nightly lives, going to work, watching the stock exchange, and heading over to the local Starbucks for a cup of blood coffee. Based off the film.... vampires aren't any better at running the economy than the humans are. Sounds like a pretty original sci-fi concept right? Well, other than that it becomes a really campy drama/action/thriller that can be rather silly, alomost pointless at times (Especially how it ends). It's not really much of a horror movie for say unless you get the good jump-scare from the surgery room scene and a scene where something breaks into the house.

Besides the camp moments it has a realistic tone as though this could quite well be what it would be like for vampires to rule the Earth. The special effects were top-notch, we had some solid acting, a great soundtrack. All is there to make a great film but the story tends to stumble in some places and the end just feels rather abrupt. Not the greatest films to see but certainly not at all disappointing. Lots of hidden symbolism in there if you look into close enough (consumerism and all).

I can honestly see this becoming a cult film in a decade or so.

Come for the interesting plot and traditional vampirism, leave for the odd, almost too soon ending.