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RATING:  
SINGAPORE : It is 2019 and almost everyone has turned into a vampire. Humans are an endangered species and they only have themselves to blame - most voluntarily went vampire for immortality and the result? A dark, blue-toned capitalist world not too different from before, except for glow-in-the-dark eyes, discreet fangs, and blood shots at the local coffee place.
Only problem is the global blood supply is depleting and the few remaining humans have become hot commodity in a blood-starved world. What's a conscience-stricken vampire to do? If you're Ethan Hawke, the tortured haematologist turned bloodsucker against his will, you work doggedly to create a blood substitute for a greedy corporation led by Sam Neill.
Throughout film history, vampire flicks (at least the ones without the R-Patz hair and teen angst) have always been the allegory for societal collapse, capitalist breakdown, fear of the working classes and discrimination. Australian brothers Michael and Peter Spierig's black-comedy schlockfest starts off with such an intriguing premise, and sets up the metaphor for the current economic nightmare. The story-line bursts with clever ideas and concepts, well thought-out and balanced with usual vampire lore and unexpected scare-em thrills. Unfortunately, the same cannot be said about the execution.
The increasing penchant to explode every vampire, decapitate gleefully and splatter blood and gore everywhere as the M18 movie progresses fits perfectly in my B-grade schlock-horror books - if it were carried out all the way through. "Daybreakers" can't decide if it is tragi-comic-gore-and-guts or a serious parable. To add to the identity crisis, Hawke gives a high-brow dramatically serious performance while the hilariously cheesy Williem Dafoe, as the leader of a rebel human resistance, winks and nudges the audience.
"Daybreakers" ends up being a B movie with A-list pretensions.
- TODAY/rs
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