by The Great White Gypsy

Vampire movies are tricky. You feel like you always know what to expect, but you’re never really sure how it’s all going to play out on screen. Maybe it’s a character-driven film like Interview with the Vampire. Maybe it’ll be a gory, tongue-in-cheek romp like John Carpenter’s Vampires. Maybe it’ll make your head hurt and your eyes bleed like Ultraviolet. I wasn’t too sure what to expect from Daybreakers, but with Placebo’s Running Up That Hill playing over the trailer, I knew I really wanted to see it.

I had several reasons for this desire. For starters, I love vampire films, and there are very few I haven’t enjoyed. Based on the previews, I also got the feeling that this would be a little more artistic. More patient. More story driven. Last but not least, I felt profound respect for anyone brave enough to release a serious vampire movie while America’s teenage denizens of the underworld are still trying to decide if they want to be a sexy Werewolf or a Pixie. (200 years old, and you haven’t gotten over your teenage angst? Screw off.)

I will admit, numerous elements of Daybreakers’ plot is familiar. In 2019, 90% of the world’s population are vampires. A small number of humans escaped being turned, and are in hiding all over the world. The larger number, however, have been captured and farmed for blood. After extended use and higher demand, the supply is running low, and attempts to replicate a synthetic blood alternative are failing. The lower rungs of society are beginning to turn into the gross kind of vampires: mindless, grotesque creatures with wings and a basic physical need for blood. One vampire, a scientist at an American blood manufacturer (played by Ethan Hawke) sympathizes with humans, and seeks out the underground movement in an attempt to find a cure for vampirism.

As you can see, throw in a little Gattaca, some Matrix, maybe a dash of Fahrenheit 451, and you have the Daybreakers plot. However, the borrowed story and predictable twists and turns are all made up for by the simple fact that this film wants to be taken seriously, and it’s willing to bypass cheap thrills and cliche vampire violence to achieve that.

The Spierig Brothers have a very short resume. Their only other project was Undead, an Australian zombie film, which they also wrote. It was nothing to get excited about, but with the noticeable maturation between that and Daybreakers, their second film, they’ve proved that they have the potential to either branch out and be a legitimate writer/director team, or dominate the genre they’ve chosen thus far. For the most part, Daybreakers does not contain the same level of flashy action and blood-soaked gore that most bloodsucker films bank on. Instead, they focus on the dwindling humanity both in humans and vampires. The violence is a tool the directors use, allowing it to build with the story and reach it’s peak alongside pivotal plot and character moments.

One thing that really struck me about the film was the little things. Not only did vampire cars have heat shields and video monitors for daytime driving, but neighborhoods were equipped with sunrise warnings, and buildings downtown had walkways connecting all of them to allow for movement in sunlight. Even on a larger scale, the writing in the film really did a good job keeping the world climate intact. The blood shortage in the story is worldwide, first effecting 3rd world vampire nations, then the lower class. There are numerous news clips of riots happening in Europe and Asia, demonstrations against the government’s meager rationing of hemoglobin. Even the class system was interesting. In most movies, the vampires are the ones jumping over cars and ripping people apart; there’s no such thing as a sissy vampire. However, Daybreakers shows us early on that society hasn’t changed much. In the beginning, we see a homeless vampire begging for blood. A much more affluent couple walks by, and they shriek and scurry away when he bares his fangs.

Don’t get me wrong, this is not a great film. It will not win any awards. It is still a vampire movie, but it’s better than that. It’s Children of Men without the baby. It’s Equilibrium with less fight choreography. It has it’s cliche moments, but it is a brave, patient story that was well thought out. From Dusk Til Dawn might be my favorite vampire flick, but films like Daybreakers and Let The Right One In are definitely making their mark as outliers in an otherwise unsurprising genre.

Final Grade: B

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