Daybreakers

I am definitely not the biggest vampire buff around these parts so I feel like my review of Daybreakers is not going to be up to scratch for the diehards. But I’ll give it a go anyway. I was pretty excited for this movie because the trailers made it look fresh and different from other vampire stories. Usually this genre shows how the creatures destroy a town or transform some people into their own kind but this is the first one I can think of that takes that concept to its end. The vampires have wiped out the human population and therefore lack the blood they need for sustenance. So the vampires are starving… I kept thinking of it as Dracula’s version of the potato famine. But, it is a pretty interesting plot with some twists, turns, and surprises so I have no qualms there.

I found the casting to be the most interesting aspect of the movie. Ethan Hawke showed, with his performance as Edward Dalton, that he could still be a leading actor in Hollywood and even though his acting was a bit stiff at parts he came off as a very likeable character. Willem Dafoe is a bigger actor than the caliber of this movie but his wit is definitely welcome. In general the “B list” cast is pretty effective and while Hawke and Dafoe pulled their weight the movie would have definitely benefited from some better-known talent.

I am told the vampire twists in plot have been done before but I enjoyed them and didn’t see them coming so mission accomplished. The special effects were pretty well done as well. However, I still haven’t been convinced to jump on the vampire bandwagon. At least these vampires didn’t sparkle in the sunlight… they actually engulfed in flames. That’s way more badass. Take that Edward Cullen. (6.5 out of 10)