Saturday 19 June 2010

Daybreakers

You know, it’s not that often Movie Night Adrian and I get together on a Friday night to catch a movie.

But, given that neither of us are football fans — and with nothing else on TV that caught the attention of either of us — we both thought a film would be something to catch.

Handy Adrian had a copy of the 2009, Spierig brothers directed, Daybreakers going begging, really …

Which, if you’ve a taste for a vampire movie, or two, is a rivetingly good watch.

And one that had me, at least, playing my usual game of ‘Spot the Reference’, as well!

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Not that I’m a trainspotter!

Having an anorak, half a dozen pen-protectors, and at least 18 technical manuals for The Flying Scotsman doesn’t count, before you say anything, Adrian … !!

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Because Daybreakers is a vampire movie that is both a well thought out modern-day take on the idea of fighting this particular movie monster, one that hack’s back to earlier vampire movies — cult Kathryn Bigelow vampire film, Near Dark comes to mind, there, as does the 1971, Boris Sagal film, The Omega Manand one that has a lot of internal consistency in its world building: something I know I’m always impressed with.

Daybreakers sees vampire hematologist, Dr Edward Dalton, working for pharmaceutical company, Bromley Marks: a pharmaceutical company headed by Charles Bromley — Sam Neill being even more devilish than he was in The Omen 3: The Final Conflict — and one that’s coming more and more to prominence, in the near-future setting of 2019.

Because this near future is one that sees the Earth, after a plague hasn’t exactly killed everyone: the Earth’s population has, instead, all turned into vampires.

And the company that Ethan Hawke’s character, Dr Dalton, works for is desperately searching for a substitute for human blood, as more and more people are becoming vampires.

Food’s running out.

And the company’s supplied of battery-farmed humans is slowly dwindling …

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Which is where the influences really can be felt, actually: because, in a way I thought was definitely reminiscent of Near Dark, there’s a cure.

Or a couple of them.

Helpfully supplied by the Willem Dafoe character, Lionel ‘Elvis’ Cormac, and Edward’s younger brother, Frankie — played by Michael Dorman — both cure’s come into play towards the end of the film …

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Which is where I think I can leave it …

After all, I’d rather not spoil thing’s totally for you … !

All I think I need to say, though, is that this is a very watchable film, for those of us who’d like to see a very well thought out vampire flick.

Granted, that idea of an ostensibly evil being redeemed may be a bit old hat for some*, but Hollywood can do these things rather well.

That makes Daybreakers well worth the money.

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* One of these day’s, we’ll see a European or Bollywood take on the idea: that might just make everyone’s eyes pop out …

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