I’ve often wondered why so many films feature vampires as a select few. Okay, so sunlight does more than burn them (sparkling doesn’t count). Otherwise they almost always possess transformative characteristics, immortality, and sometimes they can even fly. It makes sense for them to dominate the food chain and flourish over our comparatively frail bodies. That’s the world crafted by brothers Michael and Peter Spierig. Daybreakers juggles action and drama, even throwing in contemporary politics; it has everything under the sun.
Ethan Hawke is a hermatologist by the name of Edward Dalton. Edwards works for a large pharmaceutical in the year 2019, a time where vampires have conquered humans. His boss, Charles Bromley (Sam Neil), is concerned about the shortage of human blood left in the world. The company’s resources of vegetated humans are running low and it’s Edward’s job to create a synthetic substitute. As fate would have it, Edward crosses paths with some humans who may hold the key to saving population.
Though early lines read like exposition, there are some that are quotable. Most of these belong to Willem Dafoe, a wise-cracker who wields a crossbow mounted to a double barrel shotgun. Everyone else seems to realize they are vampires and not necessarily Dracula. If I had to call a performance uninspired that would belong to Isabel Lucas as Alison. To her credit she did later redeem a poor excuse for the emotive state of panic.
If you’re like me, you probably thought this was going to be The Matrix with vampires (I think the sequel eluded to the presence of vampires). There isn’t the same focus on fighting and gunplay in this film. Many gruesome confrontations occur off screen and rarely do these vampires showcase superhuman strength. The action you do get is imaginative. The undead have a penchant for exploding, while the avoidance of sunlight makes a typical car chase anything but. There’s also some plot twists that aren’t entirely telegraphed, but I did end up feeling bummed that we didn’t get to see the movie that takes place prior to these events. I imagine vampires trying to fit in with the human cubicle jockeys until their numbers inflate, brown and blue contacts hiding the bright yellow hue of their irises.
I’m sure some liberals are going to read the “blood for oil” message and absolutely fall head over heels. For me, Daybreakers is a rare instance where such a metaphor fits. This movie provides an incredibly believable account on the day-to-day activities of the bloodsuckers. The Spierig bothers don’t cut corners in establishing anything, going to lengths to explain how vampires can mutate through not only a lack of human blood but from feasting on oneself. Plasma is more than oil, it’s a metaphor for food as pointed out by the TV reports of a starving Africa. Furthermore, the act of human trafficking is similar to the Underground Railroad. Some vampires have cars equipped for daytime driving that shield out the sunlight, and curiously place shields over the headlights. There’s certainly plenty to discuss—a sure sign of a successfully realized world. ***½
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