Daybreakers, despite its disastrous finish, has plenty to offer in its new take on the vampire genre. To begin with, the vampires are the establishment who hunt and farm humans for their blood, and regular people, those who don’t require a constant supply of human blood to survive, are on the run.
Being in control has its downside, which in the case of Daybreakers is that the supply of fresh human blood has become strictly limited as humans are hunted to extinction, and those on the poverty line of vampire society are not getting enough. Being undead — a category of beings such as vampires, ghouls, mummies, all of which are familiar to the fantasy gaming fraternity — and therefore immortal, they cannot simply die of starvation. Instead they transform into sub-vampires of enormous strength and ferociousness, that are both pathetic and terrifying, and which prey on respectable vampire society.
The Spierig Brothers have turned the vampire movie into an allegory for the blood-sucking tendencies of modern consumerist society, but they remain true to the rules of the horror genre, and this social agenda is kept firmly in the background for those who want it. Otherwise, Daybreakers works perfectly well as a regular horror flick, and there is plenty of spurting blood and disembodied limbs to keep gore-fest fans happy.
Ethan Hawke is Edward Dalton, a vampire hematologist searching for a blood substitute for vampires so they can stop preying on the dwindling human population. He has a soft spot for humans, having been betrayed into his vampire existence by his brother, who has joined the vampire military elite. This little subplot is of minor interest, and its attempts to become the main emotional engine of the movie are something of a failure.
Human society is represented by Willem Dafoe as Lionel Cormac and Claudia Karvan as Audrey Bennett, survivors of the vampire holocaust who are working to
re-form human communities. Dafoe applies his considerable dramatic talents to making this human resistance fighter something a little more than a cipher, and Karvan gives tank tops and jeans a species of counter-culture chic. She also knows how to handle a crossbow.
The original conceit, which has vampire society searching for a dwindling supply of human blood and dealing with a crisis of blood-deprived “sub-siders,” who inhabit the subway and drainage system of the city, is clever and well-realized. It helps that vampires are generally the best dressed of the undead — Goth-style white foundation, ruby red lips and just the hint of fangs make for an interesting fashion statement. The strong opening raises expectations, but these are not realized as the Spierig Brothers veer into the predictable cliches of a guy-meets-girl romance, father-finds-daughter tragedy, and a final twist that follows a straight and narrow script-writing 101 formula.
The lazy ending is not helped by the fact that a sequel is being set up — the creative energy of Daybreakers was expended after about the first hour of the film. It’s definitely worth seeing for science fiction and horror fans, but despite a more serious veneer, this film should not be mistaken for more than a bit of light entertainment.
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