Daybreakers (2009)

Daybreakers (2009)

Those who know me well know that I’m not a huge fan of vampire movies. But there are exceptions! My favorites are still Fright Night (1985) and Fright Night 2 (1988). I find their remakes pointless and unsuccessful, however.

Some people will laugh, but I also like The Lost Boys (1987) and The Fearless Vampire Killers (1967). And when it comes to laughter, What We Do In The Shadows (2014) is the funniest of them all. I also love the madness of From Dusk Till Dawn (1996).

At the risk of shocking you, no, I’m not a huge fan of Interview with the Vampire (1994), although I understand that it’s considered the Godfather of vampire movies!

As a superhero fan, I loved the Blade trilogy, which began in 1998 and ended in 2004. I also enjoyed watching the German film We Are the Night (2010). So whether you tell me I have no taste or that I have very bad taste… it won’t change anything for me!!!

Let’s move on to the selective filmography of the excellent cast, namely Ethan Hawke, Sam Neill, Claudia Karvan, Willem Dafoe, and Isabel Lucas. That’s quite a lineup!

Ethan Hawke was very young when he starred in the masterpieces Dad (1989) and Dead Poets Society (1989). He’s come a long way since then! Whether in the remake of the classic western The Magnificent Seven (2016), the horror thriller The Purge (2013), the controversial thriller Taking Lives (2004), or the excellent crime thriller Regression (2015), Ethan has nothing left to prove. He even played Nikola Tesla! That didn’t stop him from starring in some very bad movies like The Woman in the Fifth (2011), but everyone makes mistakes along the way.

So, I may be unforgivable, but I haven’t seen Gattaca (1997) yet. I’ll fix that soon! Here, he is very credible as a tortured vampire who reminds some people of Brad Pitt’s vampire character.

Sam Neill, unfortunately for his biggest fans, is known to most people as Mr. Jurassic Park (1993). Of course, it was a pleasure to see him twice in the saga, notably in Jurassic Park 3 (2001) and Jurassic World 3 (2022). But please, let’s not forget that he is in the magnificent The Piano (1993), In the Mouth of Madness (1995), The Vow (2012), Backtrack (2015), Blackbird (2019), Escape Plan (2013) and also in The Passenger (2018). At one point, I used to say that “this actor wasn’t dazzling or incredible, but it’s always nice to see him again.” That’s just because I didn’t really know him and had overlooked his impressive career.

Willem Dafoe—does he even need an introduction? Is it surprising to see him in this vampire movie? Not at all, since he’s everywhere! Here’s a selection of his filmography: Platoon (1986), The Last Temptation of Christ (1988), American Psycho (2000), The Fault in Our Stars (2014), Seven Sisters (2017), Spider-Man (2002), Mr. Bean’s Holiday (2007), Beetlejuice (2024)…

Isabel Lucas is excellent in this film, but we don’t see her much. She was also in the remake Red Dawn (2012). She was devious and dangerous in Careful What You Wish For (2015), accompanied by another incredible cast in Knight of Cups (2015), and quite funny in The Wedding Party (2010).

As for Claudia Karvan, she seems to get along well with Jim Caviezel. She has played his wife twice on screen, in Long Weekend (2008) and Infidel (2019). In the latter, Karvan took over the role from another actress due to scheduling conflicts.

The Spierig brothers, Peter & Michael, had already made horror films, including Undead (2003). They also wrote Jigsaw – Saw 8 (2017). They made another film with Ethan Hawke in 2014 called Predestination. I wasn’t expecting miracles from them.

For an hour, I was completely absorbed by this film. After that, I started to lose interest. And I ended up being disappointed by the last twenty minutes. Well, I have to say that I’m one of those people who watches horror movies while hoping that there won’t be too much gore and that there will be some subtlety. I suppose those days are gone, but I’ve never lost hope.

Quite disturbing, a film full of good intentions, but which fails by trying too hard. It’s a shame, because the idea of vampires taking power is quite original.

Of course, those who had an allergic reaction to Twilight certainly loved this feature film. And that could have been justified! I could have said to myself, “Phew! A ‘vampiric’ cinema parallel to ‘Twilight’ is possible! Phew! We’re not going to have to put up with cheap love stories between a pure white vampire and a girl who cries for hours in the forest like an idiot just because her idiot vampire boyfriend dumped her and because she also fell in love with a werewolf!” For that reason alone, I almost find myself sincerely appreciating “Daybreakers,” which offers us a starting point and a perspective so interesting that it’s very enjoyable during its first hour, with the good ideas generally being quite well exploited.

Unfortunately, this pleasant universe, which is also visually appealing in the first part, is severely undermined by a final third that borders on catastrophic, ranging from gross flaws (which, by dint of repetition, are no longer even attempted to be concealed!) to a dripping and frankly unappetizing bloodbath, ruining in an extremely damaging way the whole beautiful undertaking that had been orchestrated, admittedly without genius, but with a certain efficiency.

Is it so complicated to work properly on a film from start to finish? The question is certainly worth asking, given that the Spierig brothers seem to have taken inspiration from many of their colleagues who know how to get their films off to a flying start only to end up with a complete flop…

It’s regrettable and, above all, frustrating.

2,5