Daybreakers (2009)

In the year 2019, a plague has transformed almost every human into vampires. Faced with a dwindling blood supply, the fractured dominant race plots their survival; meanwhile, a researcher works with a covert band of vamps on a way to save humankind.

Directors:

Michael Spierig, Peter Spierig

Writers:

Michael Spierig, Peter Spierig

Stars:

Ethan Hawke, Willem Dafoe, Sam Neill

4 wins & 4 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Ethan Hawke	...	Edward Dalton
Willem Dafoe	...	Lionel 'Elvis' Cormac
Sam Neill	...	Charles Bromley
Claudia Karvan	...	Audrey Bennett
Michael Dorman	...	Frankie Dalton
Isabel Lucas	...	Alison Bromley
Vince Colosimo	...	Christopher Caruso
Callum McLean	...	Vampire School Kid
Harriet Minto-Day	...	Lisa Barrett
Jarrad Pon	...	Vampire School Kid
Sahaj Dumpleton	...	Homeless Vampire
Victoria Williams	...	Vampire School Kid
Jay Laga'aia	...	Senator Turner
Zoe White	...	Vampire School Kid
Gabriella Di Labio	...	Businesswoman

Storyline

In a world 10 years into the future, vampires make up the vast majority of the population with only 5% of the human race remaining. This presents particular challenges as the vampires' food supply - human blood - is dwindling and rationing is now the norm. There is growing evidence that vampires deprived of an adequate blood supply are themselves evolving into wild, vile creatures that attack anyone and anything in order to survive. Dr. Edward Dalton, a vampire and hematologist who works for a pharmaceutical firm, has been working on finding an artificial blood supply that will meet the vampire society's needs. He is sympathetic to humans and sees his work as a way of alleviating their suffering but his views on finding a solution change considerably when he meets someone who found a way to transform himself from being a vampire to again take human form.

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Plot Keywords:

vampire | blood | vampire society | plague | rationing | 

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Taglines:

In 2019, the most precious natural resource... is us.

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Genres:

Action | Drama | Horror | Sci-Fi | Thriller

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for strong bloody violence, language and brief nudity

Details

Official Sites:

Official site Official site [fr]

Country:

Australia USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

8 January 2010 (USA)

Also Known As:

La hermandad

Filming Locations:

Australia

Box Office

Budget:

$20,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend:

£1,344,588 (UK) (8 January 2010)

Gross:

£4,185,646 (UK) (5 February 2010)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Lionsgate, Australian Film Finance Corporation (AFFC), Pictures in Paradise

Technical Specs

Runtime:

98 min

Sound Mix:

DTS SDDS Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The makers of the movie hosted a contest in Worth1000.com (famous photo manipulation-contest site) to come up with images of how the world would look if nearly everyone were a vampire.

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Goofs

In the first scene, a calendar dated April 2019 is shown. The 1st of April is shown to be on a Tuesday, while it should actually be on Monday.

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Quotes

[first lines]
[on television]
Senator Westlake: Let's be clear about this. Humans were offered a chance to assimilate, but they refused. Therefore, they are enemies of the state and will be captured and farmed for blood supply.

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Crazy Credits

In line with the subject of the movie, the lettering of the end credits is in red, instead of the customary white.

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Connections

Featured in DR2 Premiere: Episode #4.2 (2010)

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Soundtracks

"Burning Love"
Words & Music by Dennis Linde
Published by Sony / ATV

User Reviews

A strong premise that regrettably becomes pointless.

A vampiric corporation sets out to capture and farm the remaining humans while researching a blood substitute.

Daybreakers has a captivating promising start, the is year 2019, a plague has transformed almost every human into vampires.

Directors Michael Spierig and Peter Spierig gives the viewer an awe-inspiring vision of the future, the cityscape is amazing. It's also packed with excellent make up effects and nicely executed CGI. The film reflects some great parallels of today's social structure and struggles.

Sam Neill is the perfect vampire leader and Ethan Hawke is good as the trouble vampire who feels pity on the remaining humans.

However, sadly the film takes a turn for the worse when the usually excellent veteran actor Willem Dafoe turns up. From then on the film stumbles until the end credits as it stomps on the great idea's and visuals that came before, with bad dialogue and corny premises. Once the action moves from the city to countryside it's as if the producers turned a switch to- 'bad', with echoes of John Carpenters Vampires (1998).

An engaging strong intellectual start, regrettably becomes a pointless unoriginal drip by the end.