Daybreakers

A vast improvement over the Spierig brothers’ 2002 debut, Undead, Daybreakers transpires within a similarly fantastical world – in this case, a landscape populated mostly by vampires – yet boasts a plot that’s generally intriguing enough to sustain one’s interest through the narrative’s periodic lulls. The movie kicks off with an incredibly stylish and effective opening ten minutes in which the admittedly off-kilter atmosphere is effectively established without a single word of dialogue, as the storyline follows an undead scientist (Ethan Hawke’s Edward) as he finds himself unwittingly caught up in a scheme to reverse the vampire disease. The Spierig siblings, Michael and Peter, effectively punctuate the proceedings with impressively conceived and thoroughly enthralling bursts of action, with the highlight undoubtedly an electrifying car chase that puts a surprisingly inventive spin on the hoary convention. Hawke’s expectedly solid work as the film’s protagonist is backed up by a strong supporting cast that includes Sam Neill, Claudia Karvan, and Isabel Lucas, although there’s little doubt that it’s Willem Dafoe’s thoroughly (and appreciatively) idiosyncratic turn as a former blood-sucker named Elvis that stands as Daybreakers‘ most unabashedly entertaining element. And while there is a bit of a lull as the story moves into its third act, the film wraps up with an appreciatively violent finale that proves instrumental in cementing its place as an exciting (albeit slightly uneven) addition to the vampire-movie canon.

*** out of ****