SCI FI PI

Starring Ethan Hawke, Sam Neill, Claudia Karvan, Willem Dafoe, Isabel Lucas
Director: The Spierig Brothers
Rated MA
Released Feb 4


With the dangerous outbreak of vampire movies recently, it's easy to see yet another fang movie with a jaundiced eye. But if you think this is another New Moon - think again. This is the kind of film that people who rush out to see a midnight screening of Night of the Living Dead will enjoy - it's made by a pair of Australian brothers who bring a real understanding of classic horror movies to their work.

It shows. Yet at the same time - it brings something new. Yes, it's Australian. That doesn't mean we're just getting all excited over nothing but patriotic fervour. This is a well crafted film that looks great, is based on a cool idea and will hopefully bring the vampire lover back to the big screen.








The story is set in the near future. The world has been overrun with vampires - literally. Vampires run the planet, and they farm the few remaining humans for blood. Wild humans are increasingly scarce - so much so, that the world blood supply is running dangerously low. With too many vamps and not enough victims, the world is going to run out of blood in just a few months. In this world, when vampires run out of O Positive, they get nasty - really nasty - a danger to everyone, including their vampire brethren. Things are going to get really ugly really fast unless vampire scientists can come up with a synthetic blood supply that will satisfy and nourish the way human blood does.

Enter our 'hero', vampire Edward Dalton (Ethan Hawke), who works with his good friend Christopher Caruso (Vince Colosimo) at the Bureau of Hematology. The results of their work so far - sketchy. Charles Bromley (Sam Neill), the founder and head of Bromley Marks, the corporation that controls the world's blood supply, wants results - although he does have a backup plan - selling off a scarce commodity at an outrageous markup. He's playing a dangerous game of brinkmanship as the vampire world teeters on the edge of chaos.

Enter, of course, the humans, lead by Claudia Karvan and Willem Dafoe. It is they who can save the vampire world, and in doing so, themselves, with a unique solution. But they have to stay alive long enough to do so - not easy when vampires drive around in cars guided by video cameras, and outnumber 'wild' humans millions to one.





It's a great setup, and the story is enhanced by a beautiful moody cinematography. The Spierig brothers who cut their teeth on Undead have learned a lot, but still stay true to their horror roots - this film may be stylish, but their are plenty of nods to movies that don't look half as slick. The end result is a lot of fun for those who've seen a lot of horror - and for those looking for more than just the usual 'survive the night' horror movie.

What really sets Daybreakers apart is the carefully crafted vampire world. Everything about vampire society is thought out - they were once humans, so they do behave just like us. They have their differences of course - a nice bottle of blood for your birthday, perhaps. Everyone smokes, because immortal beings can't die. Humans are hunted with tranquilliser darts, because you don't want to kill your food. Public dawn warnings announce approaching sunlight - and what better way to start the working night than with a nice fresh cup of Joe (actual Joe - not coffee)?





This is probably the best part of a movie that features a twisted and slightly 'she'll be right' plot, with some slightly less successful subplots, but also contains some epic action sequences and a treatment of its vampire subjects as more than monsters.

Ethan Hawke gives an excellent performance amongst an ensemble of mostly Australian actors - for the most part, the actors' direction is low key. The star power of Willem Dafoe is mirrored in his larger than life characterisation, but the level of acting and scripting is something that audiences used to gorno will be very much impressed by.

The more human (no matter how vampire-y) the characters are, the more this story works, and the closer the parallels between oil and blood become apparent. It's by the by, as far as enjoying horror movies go, but it's a sign that the Spierig Brothers are thinking about more than just blood and guts. They're going for quality here, and for the most part, have achieved it. If you like a smart horror movie, you should really enjoy this.