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Daybreakers

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Daybreakers
Theatrical release poster
Directed byMichael Spierig
Peter Spierig
Written byPeter Spierig
Michael Spierig
Produced byChris Brown
Sean Furst
Bryan Furst[1]
StarringEthan Hawke
Willem Dafoe
Claudia Karvan
Sam Neill
Michael Dorman
Isabel Lucas
CinematographyBen Nott
Edited byMatt Villa
Music byChristopher Gordon
Distributed byLionsgate
Release dates
September 11, 2009 (2009-09-11) (TIFF)
January 8, 2010
(United States)
February 4, 2010 (Australia)
Running time
98 min.
CountriesAustralia
United States
LanguageEnglish
Budget$20 million[2]
Box office$30,101,577

Daybreakers is a vampire thriller film written and directed by Michael and Peter Spierig.[3] The film stars Ethan Hawke, Willem Dafoe and Sam Neill. Daybreakers was released in the United Kingdom on January 6, 2010 and was released in North America on January 8, 2010.[4]

Plot

In 2019, a plague has transformed much of the world's population into vampires. With the human population headed for extinction, the vampires must farm the surviving humans for their blood. When deprived of blood for extended periods of time, vampires change into winged bat-like monsters called "sub-siders." The chief supplier of blood for the American population is the pharmaceutical company Bromley Marks, which is headed by Charles Bromley (Sam Neill). Edward Dalton (Ethan Hawke) is a hematologist employed by Bromley Marks.

A covert group of humans discover a cure to vampirism. After being saved by Edward, Audrey (Claudia Karvan) - the group's leader - brings him in on the secret. One of the group, Elvis (Willem Dafoe), is a human who was cured of being a vampire by being briefly exposed to sunlight then submerged in water.

Meanwhile a convoy of humans, including the human daughter of Charles Bromley, Alison (Isabel Lucas), is ambushed by a troop of vampires. At Bromley Marks, Charles Bromley attempts to convince her that being a vampire is a better life. She attempts to escape, but is subdued and turned into a vampire by Frankie (Michael Dorman), Edward's brother. Following her recovery, Alison refuses to drink blood and starts to transform into a sub-sider.

Because the number of attacks by sub-siders has increased, Bromley then orders all sub-siders to be captured and killed. The execution is performed by dragging the sub-siders into sunlight. Frankie notices that one of the sub-siders is Alison and watches in horror as she burns to death. He then asks Edward's friend and colleague Chris (Vince Colosimo) to help spread the cure. However, Chris has discovered a blood-substitute and does not want a cure to become widespread. Vampires storm Chris' house and a battle ensues in which Elvis and Edward escape, but Audrey is captured and brought to Bromley Marks.

In the search for Edward and Elvis, they are found by Frankie, who is slowly becoming a sub-sider. The latter reveals that he turned Edward into a vampire not because of a selfish desire for blood or for company, but because he didn't want to face Edward's inevitable death (possibly by being captured and farmed for blood). Frankie initially decides to help them, but his desire for blood causes him to feed on Elvis. In doing so, it is realized that feeding on a former vampire is also a cure and Frankie becomes human again. Edward turns himself in to Bromley to save Audrey and tries to trick him by telling Bromley he wishes to return to being a vampire and spread the cure. However Bromley is uninterested in a cure, since Chris has discovered a blood substitute and it is ready for mass production. Edward then enrages Bromley by saying he was a coward for making Frankie turn Alison and that he couldn't do it himself. This tricks the furious Bromley into feeding on Edward, which cures him. Edward and Audrey then send him downstairs tied to a chair, where a massive group of soldiers is waiting; they feed on him and are cured as well. Edward and Audrey escape downstairs but are cornered by more soldiers. Frankie crashes through the glass doors in Elvis' Pontiac Trans-Am and saves them, giving Edward and Audrey time to escape by sacrificing himself to the soldiers, thus spreading the cure as the soldiers who feed on him are subsequently fed off of by other vampire soldiers in a massive feeding frenzy.

After the feeding frenzy is over, Frankie is dead and all but six soldiers, who are now human, have been killed. However, the soldiers are killed immediately by Edward's former friend Chris in an effort to hide all evidence of the cure; Chris is then killed by Elvis in defense and to defend Edward and Audrey. Edward, Elvis and Audrey drive away into the sunrise with Edward proclaiming that they now are the cure and will cure any vampire who wishes to be human again.

Cast

Production

In November 2004, Lionsgate acquired the script to Daybreakers, written by Peter and Michael Spierig. The brothers, who directed Undead (2003), were attached to direct Daybreakers.[5] In September 2006, the brothers received financing from Film Finance Corporation Australia, with production set to take place in Queensland.[6] In May 2007, Academy Award-nominated actor Ethan Hawke was cast into the lead role.[7] Later in the month, three-time Golden Globe-nominated veteran actor Sam Neill of Jurassic Park and Event Horizon joined the cast as the main antagonist. Daybreakers began filming in Gold Coast, Queensland at Warner Bros. Movie World studios on July 16, 2007.[8] Weta Workshop created the creature effects.[7] The production budget was $21 million, with the State Government contributing $1 million to the filmmakers.[9] Principal photography was completed on schedule in September 2007, with reshoots following to extend key sequences.[10]

Hawke had strictly divided feelings about the film. He described the film as an allegory of man's pacing with natural resources, "We're eating our own resources so people are trying to come up with blood substitutes, trying to get us off of foreign humans."[11] The actor also said that despite the serious allegory, the film was "low art" and "completely unpretentious and silly".[11]

Release

Daybreakers premiered on September 11, 2009 at the 34th Annual Toronto International Film Festival. The film was released on January 6, 2010 in the UK and Ireland, January 8, 2010[12] in North America, and January 21, 2010 in Australia.

Critical reception

The film received mixed reviews, currently holding a 66% "fresh" rating on Rotten Tomatoes based on 108 reviews,[13] as well as a score of 57 out of 100 on Metacritic based on 31 reviews.[14] Variety gave the film a negative review stating the film had a "cold, steely blue, black and gray "Matrix"-y look" going on to say Daybreakers "emerges as a competent but routine chase thriller that lacks attention-getting dialogue, unique characters or memorable setpieces that might make it a genre keeper rather than a polished time-filler."[15] Rolling Stone gave the film two and a half out of four stars and called the film a B movie and a "nifty genre piece".[16] Roger Ebert also gave the film two and a half stars stating the "intriguing premise ... ends as so many movies do these days, with fierce fights and bloodshed."[17] Richard Roeper gave the film a B+ and called it "a bloody good time."[18]

Box office

In its opening weekend in the United States, Daybreakers opened at #4 behind Avatar, Sherlock Holmes and Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squeakquel with $15,146,692.[19] The gross totaled $29,556,426.[2]

References

  1. ^ "R.L. Stine's 'The Sitter' Too Horrible for Words". Bloody-disgusting.com. Retrieved 2010-01-15.
  2. ^ a b "Daybreakers (2010)". Box Office Mojo. 2010-01-08. Retrieved 2010-01-15.
  3. ^ "'Daybreakers' Video Interviews: Spierig Bros., Willem Dafoe, Ethan Hawke & Sam Neill". Bloody-disgusting.com. 2010-01-06. Retrieved 2010-01-15.
  4. ^ "Crazy Official One Sheet for 'Daybreakers'". Bloody-disgusting.com. Retrieved 2010-01-15.
  5. ^ "'Day' breaks for Lions Gate, Spierig bros". The Hollywood Reporter. November 4, 2007. Retrieved May 23, 2007.
  6. ^ Michaela Boland (September 28, 2006). "Icon takes 'Balloon' sales rights". Variety. Retrieved May 23, 2007.
  7. ^ a b Tatiana Siegel (May 9, 2007). "Hawke bites on Lionsgate 'Daybreakers'". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved May 23, 2007.
  8. ^ "Karvan's new job sucks!". Sunday Telegraph. July 4, 2007. Retrieved July 9, 2007.
  9. ^ "Local movie-maker urges more Govt support". ABC News. July 13, 2007. Retrieved July 20, 2007.
  10. ^ Renee Redmond (September 10, 2007). "Hollywood big guns wrap up Daybreaker". Gold Coast. Retrieved October 5, 2007.
  11. ^ a b Shawn Adler (July 2, 2007). "Ethan Hawke Gets Ready To Suck As Vampire Researcher". MTV. Retrieved July 3, 2007.
  12. ^ "Get Ready for 'Daybreakers' Home Invasion". Bloody-disgusting.com. 2009-12-16. Retrieved 2010-01-15.
  13. ^ "Daybreakers (2010)". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved 2010-01-08.
  14. ^ "Daybreakers". Metacritic. Retrieved 2010-01-08.
  15. ^ By. "Daybreakers Review - Read Variety's Analysis Of The Movie Daybreakers". Variety.com. Retrieved 2010-01-15.
  16. ^ Peter Travers (January 7, 2010). "Daybreakers Review". Rolling Stone. Retrieved January 10, 2010.
  17. ^ Roger Ebert (January 6, 2010). "Daybreakers Review". Chicago Sun-Times. Retrieved January 10, 2010.
  18. ^ Richard Roeper. "Daybreakers Review". Retrieved January 11, 2010.
  19. ^ "Weekly Box Office Chart for Friday, January 8, 2010". The Numbers. Retrieved January 10, 2010.
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