In a near‑future where vampires are the dominant species, humans are farmed for blood and those deprived of it mutate into feral “subsiders.” Edward, (Ethan Hawke) a vampire scientist who refuses to drink human blood, ends up working with human survivors led by Lionel “Elvis” (Willem Dafoe) and Audrey (Claudia Karvan) to develop and spread a cure that could restore humanity.
The movie blends science fiction, action, and horror, with a strong dystopian corporate‑control angle (Bromley Marks is the blood‑supply megacorp). It leans into stylized violence, social‑allegory worldbuilding (scarcity, class, exploitation), and some fairly grim imagery like subsiders being marched into sunlight.
PREVIEW
The year is 2019, and the world has finally gone to the birds (well, the bats, actually). In the Spierig Brothers’ latest outing, Daybreakers, we are dropped into a dystopian future where a mysterious plague has turned the vast majority of the population into blood-sucking vampires. Forget the capes and the sparkling skin; these vampires wear suits, drink their “java” with a 20% blood blend, and drive cars with specialized UV-shielding tech because they can’t handle a little morning sunshine. It’s a world where humanity is the new endangered species, harvested like cattle in massive corporate farms to keep the immortal masses fed.
But there’s a hitch in this undead utopia: the blood supply is running dry. As the human population dwindles to less than 5%, the vampire society begins to crumble, with starving citizens de-evolving into mindless, bat-like “Subsiders.” Enter Edward Dalton, a hematologist with a conscience who refuses to drink human blood and spends his days searching for a synthetic substitute. When he crosses paths with a group of human survivors led by a man who claims to have found a “cure,” Dalton must decide if he’s willing to betray his own kind to bring back the dawn.
REVIEW BY BEN DOVER
Listen, I’ve seen a lot of things in my sixty years on this spinning rock, but watching Ethan Hawke mope around with yellow eyeballs for two hours was not on my bucket list. Daybreakers tries to be a “smart” movie about how we’re all consuming too many resources (kind of like how my grandkids consume data plans I pay for) but it’s wrapped in a package of exploding bodies and gore. Don’t get me wrong, I like a good monster flick, but this movie takes itself so seriously you’d think it was Citizen Kane with fangs. It’s 2019 in the movie, and apparently, everyone still smokes like it’s 1955. At least they got one thing right: the world is run by soulless bloodsuckers in suits. We call that “Tuesday” down at the bank.
Ethan Hawke plays Edward Dalton, and let me tell you, that man looks like he hasn’t had a decent nap since the Clinton administration. He spends the whole movie looking like he’s about to cry into his blood-coffee. Then you’ve got Sam Neill playing the corporate villain, Charles Bromley. Now, I like Sam Neill (he was great in the one with the dinosaurs) but here he’s just a grumpy CEO who wants to live forever. Big deal. Most CEOs I know are already immortal out of spite. The only one having any fun is Willem Dafoe, who shows up as a guy named “Elvis.” He’s a former vampire who got “cured” by getting ejected through a windshield into a swamp. If only curing my sciatica was that easy.
The movie has some “neat” ideas, I’ll give it that. I liked the cars that use cameras to drive because the windows are blacked out. It reminds me of how the kids today drive – staring at a screen instead of the road. But the logic is leakier than a screen door in a hurricane. They can’t handle sunlight, but they can stand near a window? And don’t get me started on the “Subsiders.” These are vampires who don’t get enough blood and turn into giant, hairless Chihuahuas with wings. They look like the special effects team ran out of money and just glued some rubber to a stuntman.
By the time the third act rolls around, the “social commentary” gets tossed out the window in favor of people literally being torn to pieces. It’s a bloodbath that would make a butcher faint. It’s “action” for people who think a car crash is a substitute for a plot. The ending is about as predictable as a tax hike, and it leaves the door open for a sequel that, thankfully, nobody ever made. It’s not the worst thing I’ve seen (that would be my nephew’s TikTok dance) but it’s a long way from a masterpiece.
Starring:
- Ethan Hawke as Edward Dalton: A vampire scientist who is “too sensitive” for the job.
- Willem Dafoe as Lionel “Elvis” Cormac: A crossbow-wielding grease monkey who survived a tan.
- Sam Neill as Charles Bromley: The guy who owns the blood. Basically every landlord I’ve ever had.
- Claudia Karvan as Audrey Bennett: A human rebel who spends a lot of time hiding in vineyards.
Special Effects: The gore is top-notch if you like seeing people pop like overfilled water balloons. The CGI cityscapes are fine, but those “Subsider” monsters look like something I’d find under my porch in the middle of July.
Music: A lot of moody violins and loud noises to tell you when to be scared. It’s loud. My ears are still ringing.
Rating: 3 out of 5 Stars – It’s a good movie considering the genre
SYNOPSIS AND PLOT BREAKDOWN
Ten years after a vampire plague has overtaken the world, society has adapted to a nocturnal existence. Edward Dalton, a lead researcher for the blood-monopoly corporation Bromley Marks, is tasked with finding a blood substitute as the human population nears extinction. Edward secretly sympathizes with humans and meets Audrey and “Elvis,” the latter of whom was a vampire who became human again after being exposed to sunlight in a very specific, accidental way.
Edward joins the human resistance and uses his scientific background to refine the “cure”—controlled sunlight exposure. Meanwhile, the CEO Charles Bromley uses his own daughter, who refuses to turn, to lure Edward back. The film culminates in a chaotic showdown at the corporate headquarters where it is discovered that the blood of a “cured” human is the ultimate antidote; any vampire who bites a cured human turns back into a human themselves. This leads to a literal feeding frenzy where the vampire soldiers eat each other into humanity, only to be slaughtered in the confusion. Edward and his friends drive off into the sunrise, hoping to spread the cure to the rest of the world.
5 FAMOUS QUOTES
- “Life’s a bitch, and then you don’t die.”
- “Being human is about as safe as bare-backin’ a five-dollar whore.”
- “We are the dominant species! We are efficient, we are clean!”
- “I’m a mechanic, Ed. I fix things. I don’t fix people.”
- “Welcome back to the real world.”
5 INTERESTING FACTS
- Aussie Roots: Despite the American setting, the movie was actually filmed in Queensland, Australia. Apparently, the Aussies know a thing or two about things that want to kill you.
- Allegory Overload: The directors intended the blood shortage to be a direct metaphor for the peak oil crisis. Because nothing says “save the environment” like a vampire exploding in a hallway.
- The “Subsider” Design: The de-evolved vampires were designed to look like a cross between a bat and a human fetus. Disturbing? Yes. Necessary? Probably not.
- Long Road to Release: The film was finished in 2007 but sat on a shelf for over two years before Lionsgate finally put it in theaters in 2010.
- Scientific Accuracy (Sort of): The “sunlight cure” in the film involves a very specific “controlled burst” of UV radiation, which the filmmakers actually consulted with scientists to make sound slightly less ridiculous than “I fell in a pond.”
ADDITIONAL FUN FACTS BY BEN DOVER
- The “Sparkle” Shade: The directors, the Spierig Brothers, were very vocal about the fact that they wanted their vampires to be the exact opposite of the Twilight crowd. They made sure Ethan Hawke didn’t sparkle; instead, they gave him a “fluorescent office light” pallor. Basically, they wanted him to look like he works a double shift at a 7-Eleven.
- A Family Affair: The directors are identical twins. I can barely handle one director telling people what to do, let alone two of them with the same face. They actually did a lot of the digital effects themselves on their home computers to save money. That explains why some of those “Subsider” bats look like they were rendered on a toaster.
- The 2:00 AM School Zone: If you pay attention to the background, there’s a sign for a school zone that lists the crossing hours as 2:00 AM to 3:00 AM. It’s a clever touch, but as someone who values his sleep, the idea of a bunch of undead fourth-graders running around while I’m trying to catch my stories is my personal version of hell.
- Sam Neill’s Blood Bath: Sam Neill, who plays the corporate big-wig, said in an interview that he was a bit hesitant when the directors asked if they could “throw a bucket of blood” over him. He’s a refined, Shakespearean-level actor, and here he is getting doused in corn syrup and red dye. That’s what we call “selling your soul for a paycheck,” folks.
- The Smoking Gun: You’ll notice almost every vampire in the movie is a chain-smoker. The filmmakers did this because, since the vampires are already dead and immortal, they don’t have to worry about lung cancer or heart disease. It’s the only part of the movie that makes me jealous—imagine being able to enjoy a cigar without my doctor giving me a thirty-minute lecture on “lifestyle choices.”
PHOTOS
