Daybreakers
Encyclopedia
Daybreakers is a 2009 science-fiction horror film
written and directed by Australian filmmakers Michael and Peter Spierig
. The film takes place in 2019, where a plague has turned most of the planet's human population into vampires. A vampiric corporation sets out to capture and farm the remaining humans while researching a blood substitute. Lead vampire hematologist Edward Dalton's (Ethan Hawke
) work is interrupted by human survivors led by former vampire "Elvis" (Willem Dafoe
), who has a cure that can save the human species.
Daybreakers premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival
and was released in the United Kingdom on 6 January 2010 and in North America on 8 January 2010. The film grossed over $US50 million and received a mixed to positive critical reception.
s. As the vampires are incapable of aging or dying
, but they are unprotected against the UV lights or the sunlight, which is why the whole vampire world is active at night. Human numbers dwindle and the need for blood becomes desperate while an all-out war rages around the world between the surviving humans and vampires despite their efforts. When deprived of blood for extended periods, vampires degenerate into subsiders: aggressive bat-like creatures. Humans are captured and harvested in laboratory farms while scientists research a synthetic blood substitute
to satisfy vampires' blood hunger. The main supplier of blood in the United States is the pharmaceutical company Bromley Marks, run by Charles Bromley (Sam Neill
). Edward Dalton (Ethan Hawke
) and Chris Caruso (Vince Colosimo
) are hematologists
working on the blood substitute. Under pressure from Charles, they try multiple versions in a series of failing clinical trial
s. Edward secretly refuses to drink human blood, and faces a strained relationship with his brother, Frankie (Michael Dorman
), a human-hunting soldier.
Due to his refusal to drink human blood, Edward begins to notice signs that he is becoming a subsider. While driving home from work he notices his ears are becoming pointed (a key indicator) by looking at himself in the vanity mirror. Distracted, he almost collides with another car, which swerves to avoid him and hits a power substation. Edward exits his car to check on the passengers of the other vehicle, who we find are a group of humans led by Audrey (Claudia Karvan
), who rescues and hides humans from vampire patrols while they attempt to win allies amongst the vampires. Edward lets the group hide in his car as the police arrive, and tells the officers that they ran off in another direction. Audrey then leads the group of humans away, but not before stealing Edward's ID badge. Later, Audrey appears at Edward's home and asks for his help, presumably because of his human sympathies and scientific specialty. He meets Elvis (Willem Dafoe
), a man cured of vampirism after a car crash resulted in him being exposed to sunlight before he fell into a river. After some experimentation, Edward is able to duplicate this effect and is cured himself.
When a convoy of humans headed to Audrey's group, they were ambushed by vampire soldiers,although they affect heavy casualties, all were tranquilized and captured by Bromley soldiers, Charles is reunited with his human daughter, Alison (Isabel Lucas
), and has her forcibly turned by Frankie. She refuses to drink human blood, but feeds on her own instead - and thus begins to turn into a subsider. She is killed when a group of the creatures are rounded up and executed. Witnessing Alison's death upsets Frankie and he seeks out his brother.
Edward, Elvis, and Audrey meet with Chris and ask him to help spread the cure. However, Chris has finally discovered a viable blood substitute and does not want a cure to become widespread. He calls in a vampire patrols which found their hideout and captures Audrey while Elvis and Edward escape into hiding. They are finally found by Frankie, who agrees to help but is gradually becoming a subsider. He attacks Elvis and they discover that feeding on a former vampire is another cure for vampirism.
Edward turns himself in and goads Charles into attacking him. Edward uses the now-cured Charles to cure a group of soldiers experiencing the beginning of subsider aggression. Edward and Audrey, cornered by more soldiers, are rescued when Frankie sacrifices himself to the soldiers. This sparks a feeding frenzy that leaves all of the soldiers dead or cured. They are confronted by Chris, who kills the few remaining cured soldiers to hide the evidence of the cure. Elvis arrives and rescues Edward and Audrey by killing Chris. The three survivors then drive away into the sunrise with a voice-over by Edward stating that they have a cure and can change others back.
(2003), were attached to direct Daybreakers. In September 2006, the brothers received financing from Film Finance Corporation Australia
, with production set to take place in Queensland
. In May 2007, actor Ethan Hawke
was cast into the lead role. Later in the month, actor Sam Neill
joined the cast as the main antagonist. Daybreakers began filming on the Gold Coast
at Warner Bros. Movie World
studios and in Brisbane
on 16 July 2007. The production budget was $US21 million, with the State Government contributing $US1 million to the filmmakers. Principal photography was completed on schedule in September 2007, with reshoots following to extend key sequences.
Weta Workshop
created the creature effects for Daybreakers. The Spierig brothers wanted the vampires in the film to have a classical aesthetic to them while feeling like a more contemporary interpretation. After experimenting with complex makeup designs, they decided that a more minimalistic approach to makeup had a more powerful effect.
Hawke was initially hesitant to join the production as he was "not a big fan" of genre films. He ultimately accepted the role as Edward after deciding the story felt "different" to that of a typical B movie
. Hawke 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." The actor also said that despite the serious allegory, the film was "low art" and "completely unpretentious and silly".
based on 132 reviews, as well as a weighted average score of 57 out of 100 on Metacritic
based on 31 reviews. Variety
gave the film a mixed 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." 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". 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." Richard Roeper
gave the film a B+ and called it "a bloody good time."
and Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squeakquel
with $US15,146,692 in 2,523 theaters, averaging $US6,003 per theater.
and Blu-ray in the United States on May 11, 2010 and in the United Kingdom on May 31, 2010. The UK DVD copy was rated as an 18 instead of the original 15 rating that was used for cinema release. It has been announced that the film will be converted to 3D and 3D
Blu-ray will be released in November 2011.
Horror film
Horror films seek to elicit a negative emotional reaction from viewers by playing on the audience's most primal fears. They often feature scenes that startle the viewer through the means of macabre and the supernatural, thus frequently overlapping with the fantasy and science fiction genres...
written and directed by Australian filmmakers Michael and Peter Spierig
Spierig brothers
The Spierig Brothers is the collective name for Australian twin brothers and film directors, producers and writers Michael and Peter Spierig.-Biography:...
. The film takes place in 2019, where a plague has turned most of the planet's human population into vampires. A vampiric corporation sets out to capture and farm the remaining humans while researching a blood substitute. Lead vampire hematologist Edward Dalton's (Ethan Hawke
Ethan Hawke
Ethan Green Hawke is an American actor, writer and director. He made his feature film debut in 1985 with the science fiction movie Explorers, before making a supporting appearance in the 1989 drama Dead Poets Society which is considered his breakthrough role...
) work is interrupted by human survivors led by former vampire "Elvis" (Willem Dafoe
Willem Dafoe
Willem Dafoe is an American film, stage, and voice actor, and a founding member of the experimental theatre company The Wooster Group...
), who has a cure that can save the human species.
Daybreakers premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival
Toronto International Film Festival
The Toronto International Film Festival is a publicly-attended film festival held each September in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. In 2010, 339 films from 59 countries were screened at 32 screens in downtown Toronto venues...
and was released in the United Kingdom on 6 January 2010 and in North America on 8 January 2010. The film grossed over $US50 million and received a mixed to positive critical reception.
Plot
In 2019, a plague has transformed 90% of the world's human population into vampireVampire
Vampires are mythological or folkloric beings who subsist by feeding on the life essence of living creatures, regardless of whether they are undead or a living person...
s. As the vampires are incapable of aging or dying
Immortality
Immortality is the ability to live forever. It is unknown whether human physical immortality is an achievable condition. Biological forms have inherent limitations which may or may not be able to be overcome through medical interventions or engineering...
, but they are unprotected against the UV lights or the sunlight, which is why the whole vampire world is active at night. Human numbers dwindle and the need for blood becomes desperate while an all-out war rages around the world between the surviving humans and vampires despite their efforts. When deprived of blood for extended periods, vampires degenerate into subsiders: aggressive bat-like creatures. Humans are captured and harvested in laboratory farms while scientists research a synthetic blood substitute
Blood substitutes
A blood substitute is a substance used to mimic and fulfill some functions of biological blood, usually in the oxygen-carrying sense...
to satisfy vampires' blood hunger. The main supplier of blood in the United States is the pharmaceutical company Bromley Marks, run by Charles Bromley (Sam Neill
Sam Neill
Nigel John Dermot "Sam" Neill, DCNZM, OBE is a New Zealand actor. He is well known for his starring role as paleontologist Dr Alan Grant in Jurassic Park and Jurassic Park III....
). Edward Dalton (Ethan Hawke
Ethan Hawke
Ethan Green Hawke is an American actor, writer and director. He made his feature film debut in 1985 with the science fiction movie Explorers, before making a supporting appearance in the 1989 drama Dead Poets Society which is considered his breakthrough role...
) and Chris Caruso (Vince Colosimo
Vince Colosimo
Vincenzo Colosimo is an Australian AFI Award winning stage, television and screen actor. He has worked in both Australia and the United States.-Personal life:...
) are hematologists
Hematology
Hematology, also spelled haematology , is the branch of biology physiology, internal medicine, pathology, clinical laboratory work, and pediatrics that is concerned with the study of blood, the blood-forming organs, and blood diseases...
working on the blood substitute. Under pressure from Charles, they try multiple versions in a series of failing clinical trial
Clinical trial
Clinical trials are a set of procedures in medical research and drug development that are conducted to allow safety and efficacy data to be collected for health interventions...
s. Edward secretly refuses to drink human blood, and faces a strained relationship with his brother, Frankie (Michael Dorman
Michael Dorman
Michael Dorman is a New Zealand actor based in Australia, best known for his work on the television series, The Secret Life of Us and his supporting work in such acclaimed films as Suburban Mayhem and West.-Filmography:...
), a human-hunting soldier.
Due to his refusal to drink human blood, Edward begins to notice signs that he is becoming a subsider. While driving home from work he notices his ears are becoming pointed (a key indicator) by looking at himself in the vanity mirror. Distracted, he almost collides with another car, which swerves to avoid him and hits a power substation. Edward exits his car to check on the passengers of the other vehicle, who we find are a group of humans led by Audrey (Claudia Karvan
Claudia Karvan
Claudia Karvan is an Australian actress popular for her roles in the television series The Secret Life of Us and Love My Way. She is also a producer and writer on Love My Way. She currently stars in the drama series Spirited...
), who rescues and hides humans from vampire patrols while they attempt to win allies amongst the vampires. Edward lets the group hide in his car as the police arrive, and tells the officers that they ran off in another direction. Audrey then leads the group of humans away, but not before stealing Edward's ID badge. Later, Audrey appears at Edward's home and asks for his help, presumably because of his human sympathies and scientific specialty. He meets Elvis (Willem Dafoe
Willem Dafoe
Willem Dafoe is an American film, stage, and voice actor, and a founding member of the experimental theatre company The Wooster Group...
), a man cured of vampirism after a car crash resulted in him being exposed to sunlight before he fell into a river. After some experimentation, Edward is able to duplicate this effect and is cured himself.
When a convoy of humans headed to Audrey's group, they were ambushed by vampire soldiers,although they affect heavy casualties, all were tranquilized and captured by Bromley soldiers, Charles is reunited with his human daughter, Alison (Isabel Lucas
Isabel Lucas
Isabel Lucas is an Australian actress and model perhaps best known for her role as Tasha Andrews on the Australian television soap opera Home and Away...
), and has her forcibly turned by Frankie. She refuses to drink human blood, but feeds on her own instead - and thus begins to turn into a subsider. She is killed when a group of the creatures are rounded up and executed. Witnessing Alison's death upsets Frankie and he seeks out his brother.
Edward, Elvis, and Audrey meet with Chris and ask him to help spread the cure. However, Chris has finally discovered a viable blood substitute and does not want a cure to become widespread. He calls in a vampire patrols which found their hideout and captures Audrey while Elvis and Edward escape into hiding. They are finally found by Frankie, who agrees to help but is gradually becoming a subsider. He attacks Elvis and they discover that feeding on a former vampire is another cure for vampirism.
Edward turns himself in and goads Charles into attacking him. Edward uses the now-cured Charles to cure a group of soldiers experiencing the beginning of subsider aggression. Edward and Audrey, cornered by more soldiers, are rescued when Frankie sacrifices himself to the soldiers. This sparks a feeding frenzy that leaves all of the soldiers dead or cured. They are confronted by Chris, who kills the few remaining cured soldiers to hide the evidence of the cure. Elvis arrives and rescues Edward and Audrey by killing Chris. The three survivors then drive away into the sunrise with a voice-over by Edward stating that they have a cure and can change others back.
Cast
- Ethan HawkeEthan HawkeEthan Green Hawke is an American actor, writer and director. He made his feature film debut in 1985 with the science fiction movie Explorers, before making a supporting appearance in the 1989 drama Dead Poets Society which is considered his breakthrough role...
as Edward Dalton - Willem DafoeWillem DafoeWillem Dafoe is an American film, stage, and voice actor, and a founding member of the experimental theatre company The Wooster Group...
as Lionel "Elvis" Cormac - Sam NeillSam NeillNigel John Dermot "Sam" Neill, DCNZM, OBE is a New Zealand actor. He is well known for his starring role as paleontologist Dr Alan Grant in Jurassic Park and Jurassic Park III....
as Charles Bromley - Claudia KarvanClaudia KarvanClaudia Karvan is an Australian actress popular for her roles in the television series The Secret Life of Us and Love My Way. She is also a producer and writer on Love My Way. She currently stars in the drama series Spirited...
as Audrey Bennett - Michael DormanMichael DormanMichael Dorman is a New Zealand actor based in Australia, best known for his work on the television series, The Secret Life of Us and his supporting work in such acclaimed films as Suburban Mayhem and West.-Filmography:...
as Frankie Dalton - Isabel LucasIsabel LucasIsabel Lucas is an Australian actress and model perhaps best known for her role as Tasha Andrews on the Australian television soap opera Home and Away...
as Alison Bromley - Vince ColosimoVince ColosimoVincenzo Colosimo is an Australian AFI Award winning stage, television and screen actor. He has worked in both Australia and the United States.-Personal life:...
as Christopher Caruso - Robyn Moore as Forensic Investigator Simms
- Jay Laga'aiaJay Laga'aiaJay Laga'aia is an actor and singer. He is best known internationally for his role as Captain Typho in the films Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones and Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith.-Career:...
as Senator Turner
Production
In November 2004, Lionsgate acquired the script to Daybreakers, written by Peter and Michael Spierig. The brothers, who directed UndeadUndead (film)
Undead is a 2003 Australian zombie horror comedy film written and directed by Michael and Peter Spierig and starring Felicity Mason, Mungo McKay and Rob Jenkins...
(2003), were attached to direct Daybreakers. In September 2006, the brothers received financing from Film Finance Corporation Australia
Film Finance Corporation Australia
Film Finance Corporation Australia was the Australian Government's principal agency for funding the production of film and television in Australia...
, with production set to take place in Queensland
Queensland
Queensland is a state of Australia, occupying the north-eastern section of the mainland continent. It is bordered by the Northern Territory, South Australia and New South Wales to the west, south-west and south respectively. To the east, Queensland is bordered by the Coral Sea and Pacific Ocean...
. In May 2007, actor Ethan Hawke
Ethan Hawke
Ethan Green Hawke is an American actor, writer and director. He made his feature film debut in 1985 with the science fiction movie Explorers, before making a supporting appearance in the 1989 drama Dead Poets Society which is considered his breakthrough role...
was cast into the lead role. Later in the month, actor Sam Neill
Sam Neill
Nigel John Dermot "Sam" Neill, DCNZM, OBE is a New Zealand actor. He is well known for his starring role as paleontologist Dr Alan Grant in Jurassic Park and Jurassic Park III....
joined the cast as the main antagonist. Daybreakers began filming on the Gold Coast
Gold Coast, Queensland
Gold Coast is a coastal city of Australia located in South East Queensland, 94km south of the state capital Brisbane. With a population approximately 540,000 in 2010, it is the second most populous city in the state, the sixth most populous city in the country, and also the most populous...
at Warner Bros. Movie World
Warner Bros. Movie World
Warner Bros. Movie World is a popular movie related theme park on the Gold Coast in Australia. It is owned and operated by Village Roadshow since the take over from Time Warner and is the only movie related park in Australia...
studios and in Brisbane
Brisbane
Brisbane is the capital and most populous city in the Australian state of Queensland and the third most populous city in Australia. Brisbane's metropolitan area has a population of over 2 million, and the South East Queensland urban conurbation, centred around Brisbane, encompasses a population of...
on 16 July 2007. The production budget was $US21 million, with the State Government contributing $US1 million to the filmmakers. Principal photography was completed on schedule in September 2007, with reshoots following to extend key sequences.
Weta Workshop
Weta Workshop
Weta Workshop is a special effects and prop company based in Miramar, New Zealand, producing effects for television and film.Founded in 1987 by Richard Taylor and Tania Rodger as RT Effects, Weta Workshop has produced creatures and makeup effects for the TV series Hercules: The Legendary Journeys...
created the creature effects for Daybreakers. The Spierig brothers wanted the vampires in the film to have a classical aesthetic to them while feeling like a more contemporary interpretation. After experimenting with complex makeup designs, they decided that a more minimalistic approach to makeup had a more powerful effect.
Hawke was initially hesitant to join the production as he was "not a big fan" of genre films. He ultimately accepted the role as Edward after deciding the story felt "different" to that of a typical B movie
B movie
A B movie is a low-budget commercial motion picture that is not definitively an arthouse or pornographic film. In its original usage, during the Golden Age of Hollywood, the term more precisely identified a film intended for distribution as the less-publicized, bottom half of a double feature....
. Hawke 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." The actor also said that despite the serious allegory, the film was "low art" and "completely unpretentious and silly".
Release
Daybreakers premiered on 11 September 2009 at the 34th Annual Toronto International Film Festival. The film was released on 6 January 2010 in the UK and Ireland, 8 January 2010 in North America, and 4 February 2010 in Australia.Critical reception
The film currently holds a 67% "fresh" rating on Rotten TomatoesRotten Tomatoes
Rotten Tomatoes is a website devoted to reviews, information, and news of films—widely known as a film review aggregator. Its name derives from the cliché of audiences throwing tomatoes and other vegetables at a poor stage performance...
based on 132 reviews, as well as a weighted average score of 57 out of 100 on Metacritic
Metacritic
Metacritic.com is a website that collates reviews of music albums, games, movies, TV shows and DVDs. For each product, a numerical score from each review is obtained and the total is averaged. An excerpt of each review is provided along with a hyperlink to the source. Three colour codes of Green,...
based on 31 reviews. Variety
Variety (magazine)
Variety is an American weekly entertainment-trade magazine founded in New York City, New York, in 1905 by Sime Silverman. With the rise of the importance of the motion-picture industry, Daily Variety, a daily edition based in Los Angeles, California, was founded by Silverman in 1933. In 1998, the...
gave the film a mixed review stating the film had a "cold, steely blue, black and gray 'Matrix
The Matrix
The Matrix is a 1999 science fiction-action film written and directed by Larry and Andy Wachowski, starring Keanu Reeves, Laurence Fishburne, Carrie-Anne Moss, Joe Pantoliano, and Hugo Weaving...
'-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." Rolling Stone gave the film two and a half out of four stars and called the film a B movie
B movie
A B movie is a low-budget commercial motion picture that is not definitively an arthouse or pornographic film. In its original usage, during the Golden Age of Hollywood, the term more precisely identified a film intended for distribution as the less-publicized, bottom half of a double feature....
and a "nifty genre piece". Roger Ebert
Roger Ebert
Roger Joseph Ebert is an American film critic and screenwriter. He is the first film critic to win a Pulitzer Prize for Criticism.Ebert is known for his film review column and for the television programs Sneak Previews, At the Movies with Gene Siskel and Roger Ebert, and Siskel and Ebert and The...
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." Richard Roeper
Richard Roeper
Richard E. Roeper is an American columnist and film critic for The Chicago Sun-Times and now a co-host on The Roe Conn Show on WLS-AM...
gave the film a B+ and called it "a bloody good time."
Box office
As of October 2010, the box gross was $US51,416,464. In its opening weekend in the United States, Daybreakers opened at #4 behind Avatar, Sherlock HolmesSherlock Holmes (2009 film)
Sherlock Holmes is a 2009 action-mystery film based on the character of the same name created by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. The film was directed by Guy Ritchie and produced by Joel Silver, Lionel Wigram, Susan Downey and Dan Lin. The screenplay by Michael Robert Johnson, Anthony Peckham and Simon...
and Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squeakquel
Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squeakquel
Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squeakquel is a 2009 American comedy film directed by Betty Thomas. The film stars Zachary Levi, David Cross, Jason Lee, and the voices of Justin Long, Jesse McCartney, Matthew Gray Gubler, Christina Applegate, Amy Poehler, and Anna Faris...
with $US15,146,692 in 2,523 theaters, averaging $US6,003 per theater.
Home media
Daybreakers was released on DVDDVD
A DVD is an optical disc storage media format, invented and developed by Philips, Sony, Toshiba, and Panasonic in 1995. DVDs offer higher storage capacity than Compact Discs while having the same dimensions....
and Blu-ray in the United States on May 11, 2010 and in the United Kingdom on May 31, 2010. The UK DVD copy was rated as an 18 instead of the original 15 rating that was used for cinema release. It has been announced that the film will be converted to 3D and 3D
3D
3D or 3-D may refer to:*Three-dimensional space, the physical universe*Stereoscopy, any technique capable of recording three-dimensional visual information or creating the illusion of depth in an image-Music:*3D...
Blu-ray will be released in November 2011.