Daybreakers
"Let's be clear about this. Humans were offered a chance to assimilate, but they refused. Therefore, they are enemies of the state and will be captured and farmed for the blood supply." - senator on TV
release year: 2009
genre: horror/drama
viewing setting: home Bluray 11/13/13
synopsis: In a world overrun by the plague of vampirism, being a vampire is normal, but they have to contend with new problems, like a worldwide shortage of blood because the regular humans are almost extinct.
impressions: Well, this was interesting...the first vampire movie of its kind. The vampires of the world go about business as usual, working and playing and driving around in shielded vehicles or using underground trnasportation during the daytime. The problem is that the food (human blood) is running out and when vampires don't get blood, they become feral and dangerous, and this is a worldwide epidemic that's threatening to destroy the status quo. The main character is a vampire blood specialist who's working on an artificial blood substitute; his idealistic goal is to liberate the humans who are kept in blood banks, but the evil vampire CEO just wants to make money and not have any humans around at all. It's a fresh idea in a genre that I thought was out of fresh ideas.
activation point: around 5:00, when it becomes obvious that the world has been turned on its ear and society is just like it was, except everyone's a vampire
acting: Ethan Hawke is the vampire scientist who actually feels guilty about how the humans are treated. Willem Dafoe is the mysterious human survivor who seems to hint at a cure. Sam Neill is the evil vampire CEO who wants things to stay the way they are so he can keep making money. Claudia Karvan is another human survivor who helps.
final word: Fresh concept, worth seeing!
back to the main review page