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Daybreakers (2009)

Director: Michael Spierig, Peter Spierig

Time Out rating

Average user rating

9 reviews

Movie review

From Time Out London

An ambitious premise about a future world ruled by corporate vampires is explored with some intelligence, sly humour and blood-splattering brio by the Spierig brothers – but the skin-deep political satire and gory action are let down badly by some sluggish pacing and cheap production values. Appalled by sleek-suited Sam Neill’s cynical control of the market in farmed human blood, renegade haematologist Ethan Hawke joins forces with the human resistance headed by the Elvis-quoting, crossbow-wielding Willem Dafoe.

There’s an emotional angle too: Neill’s estranged daughter has gone Awol after refusing to be ‘turned’, while Hawke’s boneheaded brother is a gung-ho hunter of humans. The resistance are seeking a cure for vampirism, but the avaricious Neill is more interested in developing a lucrative, synthetic blood substitute. Sadly, like the sun-fearing vampires, the film’s characters don’t get out much: for long stretches, they’re trapped in over-designed interiors spouting dull expository dialogue. ‘Daybreakers’ is a marked improvement on the Spierigs’ 2003 debut ‘Undead’, but its pulse is decidedly erratic.

Author: Nigel Floyd

Time Out London Issue 2055: Jan 5-13, 2010

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User reviews of this film

Rebekah said...

Posted on Feb 23 2010 21:06 Hey :) I'm 14 but went to see it. For me it was extremely good, and I absolutely LOVED it ! Good for all age groups in my opinion and I admit, I jumped at some parts ;$ . For anyone who is my age, or around my age for that matter, I recommend it ;D Has made it on my fave film list :) x 'Twas pretty amazing for me !

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James said...

Posted on Feb 04 2010 13:12 I really liked the fresh (but so obvious) ideas that Daybreakers introduced. If you want you can read the rest of my opinion here: http://rippedfromthecrypt.com/graveyard/?p=1103

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ZOBAW said...

Posted on Jan 28 2010 20:37 im 14 shud i go and see this? im pondering over whether i wud enjoy it or not please comment back!:) thjanks

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Evie said...

Posted on Jan 22 2010 22:02 Pretty entertaining stuff, stylish, a good cast and not too gory.

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_Matt_1977_ said...

Posted on Jan 17 2010 14:04 Very decent entertainment. Not a horror film, but a slightly gory action film with a fantastic aesthetic. I'm not sure what the Time Out reviewer means by cheap production values - it looked slick enough to me. What it didn't have was real emotional depth, possibly because not enough time is spent developing some of the characters. There were plenty of twists but they weren't all that twisty. I also feel that films like this, where vampires are ten-a-penny, kind of cheapen the vampire genre - vampires are supposed to be dark, lost souls possessed of a monstrous evil. In too many films like this they are just Joe from down the block (until they run short on blood, at least), or at worst a cynical businessman. Making their condition curable by a (relatively) straightforward, mundane process cheapens them further. However this film does represent an interesting comment on the human condition - given the choice of immortality as a predator, or a limited life-span as prey, in the absence of clear religious convictions, how many people would accept or even eagerly seek out undeath? I don't think there's enough in this film for a great sequal (I could always be proven wrong!), but it does make me wonder - how many "people" would go for the cure?
...
I do wish people could review films without giving away so much of the storyline. But Janet is right, there is no major phoo pahh!

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Janet said...

Posted on Jan 14 2010 10:12 Really enjoyed this film, usually not keen on horror, but his had an interesting story line. Only closed my eyes once! abc got it wrong tho! the daughter was not a cured vampire, which is why he wasn't turned when he bit her! no major phoo pahh there!

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Kesher said...

Posted on Jan 12 2010 19:09 Loved Daybreakers. Very entertaining from start to finish, Lots of action, but quite different from other vampire films,

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paul said...

Posted on Jan 11 2010 18:52 i agree with abc lol! shit film really was a waste of money and i thought the same about the whole cure! loads of pointless blood and guts and not enough real action!

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abc said...

Posted on Jan 11 2010 10:15 went to see on friday probably wouldn't go again.
notice one major phoo pahh, frankie wasn't turned back to human when he bit the daughter but was when he bit "elvis", but both were 'cured' vampires who would have had the special blood mmm not much thought on that one. usual slash and gash as would expect a vampire film.

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