Consider Daybreakers another bonus review since I didn't plan on including it in this week's selection. Daybreakers is a film about a futuristic society where humans are all but extinct while the general populace consists of vampires that freely roam the streets. Edward Dalton (played by Ethan Hawke), works for a research facility that "farms" humans for their blood in order to satiate the vampiric consumer base. The employers of his company are looking for a blood substitute due to the dwindling numbers of the human species. Also lending a hand to a decent lineup is seasoned actor Willem Dafoe (who plays a resistance leader and former vampire - interesting to mention here that Dafoe had the honor of playing the role of Max Schreck in 2000's Shadow of the Vampire, a fictional re-telling of the 1919 silent film Nosferatu...the most recognizable and influential vampire movie of all time). Sam Neill also makes an appearance as the lead villain.
I'm pretty big into vampire films...good ones, that is. I'm happy to see vampires acting seriously in a modern film rather than the recent teen pop culture rendition. In my opinion, the muted colors and desaturated presentation are both familiar elements in modern cinematography. The acting is solid and suitable for this type of movie. Like most of my reviews, I won't go into too much detail about specific plot details but I think you'll be pleasantly surprised by the rate of its progression.
So what's left to say? I'll mention a few other things.
Blood is spilled and vampires burned...while the special effects suffice for the sub-genre in question, some of them could have been better. These instances don't occur often and I found the effects to be decent overall.
Willem Dafoe - A guy that apparently hasn't aged since Oliver Stone's 1986 Vietnam war movie Platoon. He may as well resign himself to the fact that he's immortal.
A futuristic tale about vampires isn't terribly original. The origin of this premise was a result of Richard Matheson's novel I Am Legend, followed up by 1964's The Last Man on Earth starring Vincent Price. If you've taken the time to read my Vincent Price 32-film review, you'll learn all about it. The approach seen here in Daybreakers, however, is refreshing despite this observation.
Daybreakers is a great addition to any collector of the vampiric sub- genre. I will make it a part of my collection.
Consider Daybreakers another bonus review since I didn't plan on including it in this week's selection. Daybreakers is a film about a futuristic society where humans are all but extinct while the general populace consists of vampires that freely roam the streets. Edward Dalton (played by Ethan Hawke), works for a research facility that "farms" humans for their blood in order to satiate the vampiric consumer base. The employers of his company are looking for a blood substitute due to the dwindling numbers of the human species. Also lending a hand to a decent lineup is seasoned actor Willem Dafoe (who plays a resistance leader and former vampire - interesting to mention here that Dafoe had the honor of playing the role of Max Schreck in 2000's Shadow of the Vampire, a fictional re-telling of the 1919 silent film Nosferatu...the most recognizable and influential vampire movie of all time). Sam Neill also makes an appearance as the lead villain.
