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Daybreakers

  • 2009
  • R
  • 1h 38m
IMDb RATING
6.4/10
139K
YOUR RATING
POPULARITY
3,597
188
Daybreakers (2009)
Daybreakers TV Spot #2
Play trailer0:31
17 Videos
99+ Photos
Dystopian Sci-FiVampire HorrorActionHorrorSci-FiThriller

In the year 2019, a plague has transformed almost every human into vampires. Faced with a dwindling blood supply, the fractured dominant race plots their survival; meanwhile, a researcher wo... Read allIn the year 2019, a plague has transformed almost every human into vampires. Faced with a dwindling blood supply, the fractured dominant race plots their survival; meanwhile, a researcher works with a covert band of vamps on a way to save humankind.In the year 2019, a plague has transformed almost every human into vampires. Faced with a dwindling blood supply, the fractured dominant race plots their survival; meanwhile, a researcher works with a covert band of vamps on a way to save humankind.

  • Directors
    • Michael Spierig
    • Peter Spierig
  • Writers
    • Michael Spierig
    • Peter Spierig
  • Stars
    • Ethan Hawke
    • Willem Dafoe
    • Sam Neill
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • IMDb RATING
    6.4/10
    139K
    YOUR RATING
    POPULARITY
    3,597
    188
    • Directors
      • Michael Spierig
      • Peter Spierig
    • Writers
      • Michael Spierig
      • Peter Spierig
    • Stars
      • Ethan Hawke
      • Willem Dafoe
      • Sam Neill
    • 361User reviews
    • 249Critic reviews
    • 57Metascore
  • See production info at IMDbPro
    • Awards
      • 3 wins & 6 nominations total

    Videos17

    Daybreakers TV Spot #2
    Trailer 0:31
    Daybreakers TV Spot #2
    Daybreakers
    Trailer 1:02
    Daybreakers
    Daybreakers
    Trailer 1:02
    Daybreakers
    Daybreakers
    Trailer 2:20
    Daybreakers
    Daybreakers
    Clip 1:04
    Daybreakers
    Daybreakers
    Clip 1:01
    Daybreakers
    Daybreakers
    Clip 1:10
    Daybreakers

    Photos207

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    Top cast67

    Edit
    Ethan Hawke
    Ethan Hawke
    • Edward Dalton
    Willem Dafoe
    Willem Dafoe
    • Lionel 'Elvis' Cormac
    Sam Neill
    Sam Neill
    • Charles Bromley
    Harriet Minto-Day
    • Lisa Barrett
    Jay Laga'aia
    Jay Laga'aia
    • Senator Turner
    Damien Garvey
    Damien Garvey
    • Senator Westlake
    Sahaj Dumpleton
    • Homeless Vampire
    Allan Todd
    • Businessman
    Gabriella Di Labio
    Gabriella Di Labio
    • Businesswoman
    Ben Siemer
    • Police Officer
    Peter Welman
    • Police Officer
    Callum McLean
    • Vampire School Kid
    Jarrad Pon
    • Vampire School Kid
    Victoria Williams
    • Vampire School Kid
    Zoe White
    • Vampire School Kid
    Aolani Roy
    • Vampire School Kid
    Tiffany Lamb
    Tiffany Lamb
    • News Reader
    Renai Caruso
    Renai Caruso
    • Coffee Shop Attendant
    • Directors
      • Michael Spierig
      • Peter Spierig
    • Writers
      • Michael Spierig
      • Peter Spierig
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

    User reviews361

    6.4139.1K
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    Featured reviews

    7srjones240

    Not the greatest, but still very good

    Daybreakers is about a plague that has transformed most every human into vampires. Faced with a dwindling blood supply, the fractured dominant race plots their survival; meanwhile, a researcher works with a covert band of vamps on a way to save humankind....but you already knew that. Like putting a plastic bag over some one's head, things quickly get violent and out of control.

    Special effects: Moderate, not much was needed for the movie. The death of the vampires were a little more violent than usual, however the entertainment behind it balanced it out.

    Plot: "Find a cure or we all die" has been used frequently before, and there wasn't much of a twist.

    Setting: The setting was a dark futuristic setting, Imagine Las Vegas at night...with all white neon. Perfect setting for this movie. Worth seeing? Yes. Not worth sprinting to the theaters, however it is worth seeing. I'd give it a 7/10.

    This movie is such a relief from the romantic necrophilia of the Twilight series. It's good to see scary vampires again.
    7ijenuse-1

    Could have been a genre-defining one, but still good...

    Saw 'Daybreakers' at Piccadilly today. Been curious ever since i saw the trailers and being an Ethan Hawke fan decided to check it out anyway. The film started out on a bloody brilliant note. The scenes conveying the near-extinction of the human race and how the vampires are taking over and how the vampires themselves are threatened by the blood shortage issue was done rather effectively and the audience seemed to love it. There is a sense of foreboding throughout the film which can be expected in the genre, but nevertheless is very vital to it as most films fall short here. Daybreakers is not your typical cliché-ridden vampire horror. There has obviously been some sensible writing involved here. But towards the end the screenwriter tends to lose his grip and throws in some regular scenes just for the sake of cheap thrills and gore. This for me did take a bit away from the essence of the film especially considering the rest of the film was great,

    But nevertheless I would recommend this film, as there is much to be enjoyed. The cinematography and colour combos and contrasts have been created masterfully. Even most of the cgi seems credible enough. Ethan Hawke is his usual intense self and Sam Neil re-surfaces into the mainstream with a Batman-sounding villain character. But its William Defoe as one of "the folks with the cross-bows" who gets the best lines in the film. Sample this- " a human in a world of vampires is about as safe as barebacking a five dollar whore!"

    Could have been a great vampire flick, a genre defining one, but is reduced to merely a good one. But that isn't too bad considering the amount of vampire dung we were dished out for the entirety of 09. This one is the best of the lot! Cheers
    7TheDeadMayTasteBad

    "That last breath of humanity will vanish as soon as the blood does."

    Daybreakers is a superbly fresh and entertaining vampire experience. The film takes place in a dystopian future only a decade from now in which an outbreak in vampirism has turned the known world on its head. Contrary to the typical vampire film setup, vampires make up the majority of the world's population here and humans, who are either being framed for blood or are in hiding, make up only around 5%. In a way, the setup somewhat reminds me of the film Equilibrium, with vampires added into the mix.

    The film finely balances sci-fi, horror, and action and I also really appreciated the utter desperation present in the film. So many action movies go so over-the-top in their action heroes that you never feel like their in any danger of being defeated, but here all odds are against our protagonists and, as events unfold, their situation grows gloomier and gloomier.

    The entire cast--which includes Ethan Hawke, Sam Neill, William Dafoe, and Claudia Karvan—is on top of their game here and play the material straight, which is very refreshing. Especially Sam Neill, whom I've always been a fan of since I saw Jurassic Park as a kid, is great here and he really manages to steal the show in his scenes.

    Also refreshing is the amount of bloodletting and thematic material present here. Make no mistake, Daybreakers is a "hard 'R'" and full of violence and grotesque sites like starving vampires turning into monstrosities that are hard to look at. The film also had ideas and much to say about a struggling society in the face of low supply to meet high demand.

    I wasn't a huge fan of Undead, but the Spierig Brothers have truly crafted something special here. I do wish the film was a bit longer as I wanted to know more about the society the story took place in, but that's a testament to the film itself. If you're seeking a more adult vampire film with enough substance to excuse its style, I recommend Daybreakers.

    Related Recommendations: Equilibrium, Gattaca, They Live, Aeon Flux , Blade, Blade II, The Matrix
    7becky-92346

    Not perfect, but a lot of fun!

    Daybreakers (2009) is set in a dystopian society where almost every human has been turned into a vampire, this movie follows Edward Dalton, a vampire who works alongside humans to find a cure. I'm so glad I watched this film because I really enjoyed it and found it to be super gripping and engaging. The performances were a big standout and I ended up rooting for our protagonist!

    I loved the cinematography in this film! It was very well thought out, and added a weird dream-like look to the movie. The colour palettes were really nice and the green and blue tints were great. It was a visually dark movie too, but I thought it pulled it off well.

    The visual effects mainly haven't aged that well, however the gore still looked really good and I was impressed! Also, I loved the look of the vampires, it was so simple yet effective!

    Ethan Hawke was likeable and iconic in his role, he was a great protagonist! Alongside him, Willem Dafoe did brilliantly, and Sam Neill made an intimidating and strong villain with a clear motive. The performances are helped by fun and engaging dialogue.

    The score was used very tastefully, and was very subtle. The strings used were super fitting and added to the ominous and eerie atmosphere the film set. In addition, the sound design was effective too!

    The film set an unnerving and weird tone, and had slow and steady pacing. It had a strange vibe that I really liked and was super enjoyable! The film is consistently interesting and full of tense and unique moments. Something I really liked was the cure, and how it was vampire blood. This was such a smart bit of writing and the reveal was great. The last 10 minutes were chaotic too, and a very satisfying climax.
    5thefinisher_23

    Ehh...

    Some films contain better ideas for another film. That is exactly what we have here in Daybreakers. In the future, we are all vampires. Only this isn't I am Legend. We walk, talk and do as we used to do. The major difference being that we must obviously drink blood and avoid the sun. Thus any and all humans are captured and farmed for blood until the day they die. We have found a way to do these things and maintain the semblance of our day-to-day. This is the film I so wanted to see. A function society of vampires living in a world built for humanity. Sadly, we don't get enough of it.

    What's left of humanity survives by day and dodges at night. Hematologist Edward Dalton (Ethan Hawke…wow its' been a while) is sympathetic to their cause because he does in fact still possess his humanity. His boss (Sam Neil) simply wants capital which should have far less importance in a world where blood is the only real necessity. Dalton's goal is to find either a cure for the disease (never explained) or a substitute to replace human blood which is dwindling fast. If the powers that be can't find a solution we will all change into a creature resembles a mutant bat and Mickey Rourke's face from The Wrestler. Dalton stumbles upon a group of humans who have found a way to cure the disease. This method is explained so simplistically it's stupid to think another vampire or two wouldn't have stumbled upon it by accident too. Among this group is Audrey (Claudia Kraven) and Elvis (Willem Dafoe…here setting a precedent for cliché' sadly). Elvis has been cured thanks to his love of fast cars. Don't ask. I'll only groan.

    Daybreakers is far from a bad film but it's certainly a stubborn and frustrating one. There is such a fantastic idea here that is tossed aside because we are supposed to identify more with the humans than we are expected to be fascinated by this vampire-urbanity. The action scenes are rather clunky as well and not at all thrilling. That's quite peculiar because some shots in the film look so stellar you'd think they are from a different budget. Characterization is also at a bare minimum. Dalton for example has a soldier brother who serves simply as someone who can move the plot along, he doesn't have to provide any real emotion. Neil also has a daughter (Isabel Lucas last seen as chick-bot in Transformers II) whose screen time and presence in the film is really an utter waste. I suppose it provides Neil some motivation later on in the film but again, this only serves the plot. It doesn't make the film any better which can be said about most of the scenes here.

    A lot of folks…scratch that a lot of DUDES will like Daybreakers simply because it is not New Moon. The vampires actually bite things, are dangerous, act like they are vampires and not CW stars, and the blood flows freely (the last 10 minutes may be the goriest since Planet Terror). I didn't make this comparison as the two films only have the term vampire in common. Instead I saw a film that used a genius premise to set-up a rather boring, dull and far too conventional 2 hours. I wish there was more to elaborate on but truthfully any mediocre film will make you say this: I don't care to.

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    Related interests

    Clive Owen and Clare-Hope Ashitey in Children of Men (2006)
    Dystopian Sci-Fi
    Tom Cruise and Indra Ové in Interview with the Vampire (1994)
    Vampire Horror
    Bruce Willis in Die Hard (1988)
    Action
    Mia Farrow in Rosemary's Baby (1968)
    Horror
    James Earl Jones and David Prowse in Star Wars: Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back (1980)
    Sci-Fi
    Cho Yeo-jeong in Parasite (2019)
    Thriller

    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      According to interviews, Sam Neill explained what made him decide to make the film was the scene in the screenplay in which the businessmen vampires buy morning coffee spiked with human blood.
    • Goofs
      When we first "see" Edward Dalton, it's as an empty collar and tie in his car's rear-view mirror - as a vampire, he casts no reflection. A bit later, his right ear feels strange, so he pulls down his sun visor to check it out in the mirror there, and he's able to see himself. However, if you look closely there is a video camera in the sun visor that then projects the video in the spot where a mirror would be.
    • Quotes

      Edward Dalton: Is this place safe?

      Elvis: Living in a world where vampires are the dominant species is about as safe as bare backing a 5 dollar whore.

    • Crazy credits
      In line with the subject of the movie, the lettering of the end credits is in red, instead of the customary white.
    • Alternate versions
      The UK release was cut, the distributor made three cuts to remove shots focusing on very strong violence, in order to obtain a 15 classification. An uncut 18 classification was available. The home entertainment versions of the film (Digital, DVD and Blu Ray) were subsequently released uncut with an 18 certificate as the "Unseen Version"
    • Connections
      Featured in At the Movies: Summer Special 2009/10 (2009)
    • Soundtracks
      Burning Love
      Words and Music by Dennis Linde

      Published by Sony / ATV

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    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • January 8, 2010 (United States)
    • Countries of origin
      • Australia
      • United States
    • Language
      • English
    • Also known as
      • La hermandad
    • Filming locations
      • Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
    • Production companies
      • Lionsgate
      • Australian Film Finance Corporation (AFFC)
      • Pictures in Paradise
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

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    • Budget
      • $20,000,000 (estimated)
    • Gross US & Canada
      • $30,101,577
    • Opening weekend US & Canada
      • $15,146,692
      • Jan 10, 2010
    • Gross worldwide
      • $51,417,188
    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Tech specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      • 1h 38m(98 min)
    • Color
      • Color
    • Sound mix
      • DTS
      • SDDS
      • Dolby Digital
      • Dolby Atmos
    • Aspect ratio
      • 2.35 : 1

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