Daybreakers (2010)

You know what I haven’t seen in a long time? A vampire movie! I mean, what happened to these things? They used to be overflowing out of the pop culture swimming pool, now I rarely see them. Seriously, nothing with vampires has come out in the last 3 years. Nothing, until DAYBREAKERS.

On that same note, where are all the zombie movies? I haven’t seen one of those in a while either.

I knew nothing going into this movie. The only thing I knew was that it was about vampires (which I haven’t seen in film for a while now). I did not know it had Ethan Hawke, Willem Dafoe and that guy from JURASSIC PARK (you know, the main guy who hasn’t done shit since JURASSIC PARK). I did not know it was written and directed by a team of brothers. They apparently also did some of the special effects on the movie (which were OK). I had never heard of them before watching the movie so I checked them out on IMDB. There is a reason we have not heard of them.

I feel like every scene in DAYBREAKERS I have seen somewhere else. The opening credit showed media and landscapes as exposition to show what had happened to the world of 2019. I feel like this has been done multiple times in science fiction films. It’s effective, but still, borrowed.

Then there is Ethan Hawke’s character (vampire) that is on the side of the humans. This “outcast” character has been done so many times in futuristic films. The one guy who still has the values of “the way things used to be” living in a world of new, de-humanized policies. The humans have become an endangered species and are now being hunted for blood. The blood supply is running thin and there is a Vampire Army that goes out and finds humans. Hawke’s brother is a soldier in the vampire army. This creates conflict. Oh shit!

Ethan Hawke works for a company that is trying to find a blood substitute so the race of vampires won’t die off. Once the vampires go without blood for a while, they turn into these crazy blood junkies who attack everyone. They are obviously supposed to represent the homeless in America. Blood represents Oil. It’s going to run out at some point, so we need to find alternative energy. This movie is full of allusions to present day problems, but told through the vampire genre. I wish there was a show on HBO that tackled such issues. I feel like it would be very popular. Why don’t they make more vampire movies/shows/books targeted at emotionally immature teenagers? Sitting on a gold mine!

At one point, Ethan Hawke is wearing clothes that oddly resemble Han Solo’s. I found this strange, but also comforting.

We should take a moment to recognize the wonderful Willem Dafoe. I was so pleasantly surprised to see his name in the credits. I was not expecting that. Perhaps, that was the best part of the movie, seeing his name on the screen. When you read the name Willem Dafoe many things come to mind. Perhaps you think about him as the money counterfeiter in TO LIVE AND DIE IN LA. Or maybe you think of him in BOONDOCK SAINTS (the only good part of that movie). Or his immersive portrayal of committed character actor Max Schreck in SHADOW OF THE VAMPIRE. Or as the bi-sexual videographer in AUTO FOCUS. Or maybe his hyper aggressive/sexual performance in David Lynch’s WILD AT HEART. All of these films instantly popped into my head when I read his name. This put me in a good mood. So I recommend putting Willem Dafoe in a film for that reason alone. The guy is unstoppable. I wish he were my uncle. We could hang out and talk about Billy Friedkin, Paul Schrader, Martin Scorsese, Oliver Stone, Wes Anderson, Sam Raimi, the list goes on…

I have no idea if I can recommend this movie. I feel like it was entertaining the whole time through, but also not necessary to watch. My mind didn’t wander too much. It’s a perfect film if my mind doesn’t wander too much. Right before I saw the movie I was watching a lot of DARIA. While watching DAYBREAKERS, I would often have the thought, “I wish I were watching DARIA right now.”

Perhaps you could rent this at some point if you are really jonzing for ANOTHER vampire movie. It was pretty smart in its execution and those Spierig Brother sure put a lot of time into the film.

But seriously, watch DARIA.