| 01 June 2010
As a modern take on the vampire movie, Daybreakers puts an interesting spin on what is essentially quite a tired genre, and the films central concept is surprisingly fresh, and full of potential.
Set in the year 2019, Daybreakers takes place in a world where the human race has been all but wiped out by a vampire virus, with only around five percent of the human population immune to this virus. However, rather than tell the story from the point of view of the remaining survivors, as most films would, Daybreakers shows us a vision of a world ruled by its nocturnal inhabitants; where coffee shops sell coffee made with twenty percent blood; where once bustling city streets now sit empty during daylight hours, only to seethe with life during the night; and where technology has evolved in leaps and bounds, for the simple purpose of allowing vampires to live a very normal, very human existence.
The films main concept is extremely thought-provoking, and will have you pondering over some of the finer details long after the movie has finished. There's no doubting the fact that Daybreakers tries to do something bold and innovative with the vampire genre. However, as good as the initial concept is, some bad decisions, poor execution, and nonsensical plot development quickly turn a clever idea into a brainless mess.
Despite a promising opening, Daybreakers is clearly a movie with an identity crisis, and before long, all of the intelligence flaunted in the films opening scenes gets buried beneath layers of predictability, needless gore, silly characters, and an absurd plot. For example, while the movie initially takes the novel approach of making a fully-fledged vampire society the focal point of the plot, it isn't long before the small remaining faction of human resistance becomes the films real focus. From that point on, the plot plays out as predictably as you'd expect, and only ever deviates from predictability when trying to shock the viewer with over-the-top gore, or an outlandish plot device – the films ridiculous cure for vampirism being of particular note in that respect.
Ultimately, Daybreakers ends up as much of a disappointment by the films end. This is not to say that the movie is terrible, but rather, it's a disappointment in terms of not living up to the standard it sets for itself in its opening scenes. By that token, Daybreakers is a film with a brilliant premise, which is let down by bad execution, inconsistent writing, and no clear idea as to what the movie is supposed to be trying to accomplish. Also, having a terrible name doesn't help either.
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