Daybreakers

Wow! I really enjoyed this film! I actually try and avoid horror films as much as I can--as a matter of fact, they are the one worry I had about my resolution this year, because I've always hated them. I felt they were usually just scare for scare's sake. My buddy told me that he would see all the horror films with me this year, because, unlike me, he doesn't mind them. So, like always, I was nervous before seeing this movie, and kinda wanted to see Youth In Revolt right after it so that it would help me forget about any visuals that would temporarily scar my memory.

Vampires are definitely "in" nowadays as loving good-guys. But this film really puts the audience's mindset back in time to when vampires were scary. In this movie, vampires control the world and humans are a scarce minority. In fact, there is a worldwide blood shortage. Ethan Hawke's character, Edward, is a vampire who works at a facility that harvests humans for their blood and tries to find a substitute for blood that can help the vampires and prevent them from turning into unintelligible monsters. However, Edward refuses to drink human blood and joins a group of humans that are determined to find a universal cure for vampirism.

Now, maybe since I do not have a whole lot of experience watching horror movies, I am going to have a much different opinion on this movie than others. Don't get me wrong, this movie is gory but I felt that it was almost necessary to portray the extremities of certain aspects of the situation that they were in. Overall, the movie had a great feel to it--I did not want it to be over. Though, when it came to the moment in the movie where I thought it should end, it DID end; and it's not often that that occurs in a film. Many others say may say that this movie's ending was so typical of movies nowadays, but to me, it wasn't so much how it ended, but more of WHAT was resolved. The ending gave me goosebumps--but in a good way--and that also doesn't happen often in movies. The film also had a good theme of "not always conforming to what everyone else is doing if you believe that what you're doing is right." It also shows you that just because it seems like the vast majority has the upper hand, doesn't mean that they do. They're weakness can be much greater than yours is. Edward is probably one of the greatest written protagonists I've ever seen in a movie. The film showed his weakness, but not to the point where he ever becomes not loyal. Also, Willem Dafoe's character, Elvis, gives a short monologue that really puts the scenario into perspective. It was a completely satisfying film that I could watch over and over again (not by myself, of course)!

Overall Grade: A-

As a side not, I thought it was really cool how the film had a bluish-gray lighting to it, and how that helped to emphasize the ruby red blood that was being held in all of the drinking glasses.


-Ethan Brehm