Daybreakers (2009)

Didn't Deliver - 3/5

So I saw this film just now called 'Daybreakers'. The vampire thriller from the Spierig brothers stars Ethan Hawke and Willem Dafoe and is set in a world controlled by vampires. We are so used to humans controlling things in film nowadays that it felt strange to see a film where humans we so out of control. However, by the end they inevitably began to regain it. In some senses then the film had a fresh edge to it but there were some elements of the storyline that either made little sense or were not fully explained. For instance, why is it that the vampires changed to human after being exposed to sunlight or after drinking blood of ex-vampires? I felt slightly confused at these points and in some ways this hindered my enjoyment of the film.

The special effects meant that the film was visually appealing, especially to fans of gore and blood. The violent scenes of vampires feasting on bodies did not make you realise you were watching a film. They were done effectively and certainly will appeal to fans of the genre. As far as acting goes, well it won't be remembered as the best film any of the leading talent has appeared in. I recorded this film because of the presence of Ethan Hawke who remains one of my favourite actors. He is so good at playing gritty, emotional characters, in particular those he played in 'Training Day' and 'Staten Island'. This role however did not suit him. He simply shouldn't do films like this.

As is the case with many films nowadays, the trailer got me very excited about the film but the film itself failed to deliver. Of course this is because they pack the best clips into a 30 second slot so it seems fantastic and of course this can't be replicated for an hour and a half but I still felt disappointed. It was good, don't get me wrong, but again I felt it was a movie that didn't deliver as much as it could have.