Armando Montano
The Paw Print
Following the recent trend of vampires in movies, the vampire action thriller Daybreakers is sure to have many fans of this near-apocalyptic battle between humans and vampires. In the near future, a sudden plague swept through world transforming a majority of the Earth’s population into vampires. The human race is headed for extinction and without sustenance. The vampires, who are deprived of blood for extended periods of time, transform into bat-like beasts referred to as “sub-siders.” In order to maintain both species existence, the vampires turn to farming the blood of the surviving humans in pharmaceutical facilities.
The top US supplier of blood for the vampire population is Bromley Marks, owned by vampire Charles Bromley. One of Bromley Marks’ hematologists is Edward Dalton, a man who suddenly finds himself thrown into the battle between the vampires he works for and a covert group of humans who claim to have discovered a cure. When Edward comes to the rescue of the group’s leader, Audrey, he is brought into the group. Part of the group is a hard-cured ex-vampire, Elvis. It soon is known that the numbers of attacks by “sub-siders” has increased on both vampires and humans, forcing Bromley to send out orders for all “sub-siders” to be captured and executed, which is a brutal ritual of having the “sub-siders” dragged into sunlight causing them to burn to death. During these executions, Frankie, Edward’s brother, sees that the vampire lifestyle needs to end. He turns to Edward’s friend and colleague, Chris, to help in spreading the cure, but Chris has created a blood-substitute making a cure unnecessary in his eyes.
As the conflict with Bromley and the vampires starts putting more pressure to crush the human resistance, the struggle of the humans to get a widespread cure available becomes tougher and tougher until it’s up to Elvis and Edward to save the resistance, fend off the “sub-siders” and attacking vampires, and save the human race.
Daybreakers is a film for those who love action or vampire movies, but doesn’t necessarily come anywhere close to serious. While it is unique in its concept, the setting and the conflicts between the two groups is formulaic at times. The film has some elements which make it an original story, but the premise of the film focuses greatly on the fact of a future world of vampires, with all that that implies. The sleekness and near-perfection of many of the vampires and the anticipated bloody vampire battles draws the viewer away from the actual story. But that’s not to say that it isn’t enjoyable; Daybreakers is one of those guilty films for secret fans for a fun watch with friends. Daybreakers run 98 minutes and is rated R for strong bloody violence, language, and brief nudity.
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