Daybreakers.

So I saw Daybreakers on the weekend. Here's a mini-review:


Ah, what a relief it is to finally see a real vampire movie, where the pale bastards get ashed by sunlight instead of sparkling, where there's no pretentious teenage girl (hold that thought - there is a pretentious teenage girl in the film, but that doesn't make her a bad, nor annoying character) aching for her emotionless dredge of a boyfriend. The relief I feel to see vampires dying by a stake through the heart again is staggering. 


In a nutshell, Daybreakers' story is set in 2019, where the world has been overrun by vampires and just about all of Earth's populace is now a blood-sucker. The existence of the human race is dwindling, with only 5% of its original population remaining, which is currently being hunted and/or farmed for blood. Edward Dalton (played by Ethan Hawke) is a 'vegetarian' vampire hematologist in charge of a project being conducted in order to find a blood substitute for the vampire race to continue its existence.


Naturally, through a sequence of coincidental events Edward stumbles across a group of humans who think they've discovered a cure to vampirism. You get the picture; just a note: the film is not predictable. 


Daybreakers is great, especially for a January release film. There's lots of blood, there's characters that you'll grow to like and hate (Willem Dafoe is particularly impressive, and Sam Neill chips in with a bloodcurdling performance reminiscent of Jack Nicholson's Joker), and the story is original, not an adaptation, not a remake, not a sequel!


The only part where the movie goes awry is the fact that the ending is so abrupt. It almost feels like the film is missing a fourth act, and just when you're expecting an epic finale, it cuts off on you, giving you that feeling you get when you turn around to grab that last slice of cake, only to discover that it was eaten by that fat guy standing next to you. 


Either way, Daybreakers is a riveting, intense ride which will provide a sigh of relief for all true vampire fans everywhere. Definitely a recommended watch-BAT.