DaybreakersMovie Reviews

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So-so

Avg. Critic Score: 57 out of 100 Mixed or average reviews Metascore^® based on all critic reviews

Information for Parents:

Iffy for 15+

Read Common Sense Media review

Critic scores range from 0 to 100, with higher scores indicating more favorable reviews.

70

The New York Times | Jeannette Catsoulis
The narrative may flag, but the doomsday atmosphere and George Liddle's production design remain vivid until the final, blood-splattered reel. Read full review
63

Rolling Stone | Peter Travers
Daybreakers, despite the star presence of Ethan Hawke and Willem Dafoe, is a B movie, with all the disreputable low rent, lowbrow pleasures that implies. I'll take that over pompous any day. Read full review
63

USA Today | Claudia Puig
Daybreakers is entertaining, though not quite up to the standards of "28 Days Later." Read full review
63

Chicago Sun-Times | Roger Ebert
This intriguing premise, alas, ends as so many movies do these days, with fierce fights and bloodshed. Read full review
60

Variety | Dennis Harvey
The script doesn't wring many surprises or much character involvement from the premise, and the brothers' helming, while slick, is short on scares, action setpieces and humor. Read full review
50

San Francisco Chronicle | Peter Hartlaub
Hawke is half-assed throughout, showing passion only when he's screaming like a little girl when something scary happens. The visuals have a dingy, unfocused quality, especially in the muddy visual-effects-enhanced backdrops. And some of the plot turns are awful. The vampire "cure" is so stupid, you'll want to walk out of the theater, even if you normally like this kind of movie. Read full review
50

The Hollywood Reporter |
The Spierigs have assembled a strong cast, but even their best efforts -- notably by Neill, whose Bromley is the ultimate vampire squid, tentacles wrapped around the face of this scary new world -- can't pump any real life into the bloodless script. Read full review
50

Entertainment Weekly | Owen Gleiberman
Daybreakers turns?into a ponderous apocalyptic chase film -- it's like "Children of Men" with exploding-plasma shock effects. Read full review
38

Washington Post | Michael O'Sullivan
In the end, Daybreakers doesn't really want to make anyone think too hard. If that were to happen, they might stop to wonder why all the human survivors out there hiding in fear of their lives don't just become garlic farmers and call it a day. Read full review
30

Los Angeles Times |
Any higher intentions are brought crashing down by predictability, wooden characters, giggle-inducing attempts at scares (shrieking bats, anyone?) and cinematography so gloomy it should be checked for serotonin deficiency. Read full review

Metacritic link View more reviews for Daybreakers on Metacritic

Information for Parents

Common Sense Media says Iffy for 15+ Moody vampire cautionary tale is heavy on action/violence.

What Parents Need to Know Parents need to know that Daybreakers is an action-oriented vampire movie that's heavy on blood, gore, and violence -- in other words, it's no angsty, teen-friendly Twilight. Be ready for disturbing images that depict hungry vampires mutating into horrible creatures, as well as some characters enduring excruciating pain as a way to be "reborn." There's also plenty of strong language (including "f--k" and "s--t") and smoking. The movie has a slightly veiled message about the excessive consumption of natural resources, and the main character actually has admirable traits -- including honor, decency, and selflessness -- but some of that gets lost amid the over-the-top, comic book-like tone and gallons of spilled (and splattered) blood.

Families can talk about how this movie compares to other vampire media. Why do you think vampires are so popular? Why do you think some vampire movies, etc. are so much more violent than others?
How does the movie address the dwindling of Earth's natural resources? How did the vampires deal with the problem, and how are humans dealing with similar problems right now? What can people do to help?
The bad-guy vampire character and his daughter (a human) have very different beliefs. How could they have come to a compromise?

The good stuff

Positive messages: While the movie doesn't have strongly positive take-aways, its story is a metaphor for humans depleting natural resources with no concern for the future. The bad guys are shown trying to earn a profit from this crisis, while the heroes continually fight for the betterment of mankind and vampirekind. Human and vampire enemies must learn to trust one another.
Positive role models: Though he's a vampire, hero Edward Dalton is actually a fairly positive role model, working tirelessly on a blood substitute to sustain his brethren (and refusing to drink human blood himself, believing that he shouldn't relieve his own suffering when so many others suffer). When a better solution arises, Dalton risks his life for it. When the time comes for him to work with humans, the groups put aside their differences and learn to trust one another. Although Dalton's brother joins an evil vampire army to hunt humans, Dalton honors his family ties.

What to watch for

Violence: Tons of fantasy violence -- it's less a horror movie than an action movie filled with fighting, gore, and some disturbing imagery (i.e. humans hanging from machines that harvest blood). The heroes wield crossbows and knives, while the bad guys generally fire high-powered dart guns (also a Taser). There Gallons of blood are shed, including guts spattering on walls, beheadings, limb-tearing, and an exploding head. In one subplot, starving vampires who are deprived of human blood begin to mutate; viewers see disturbing photos of this process.
Sex: The heroine runs around braless and in a tank top. But the story's vampire troubles leave very little time for sex, kissing, or romance.
Language: Several uses of "f--k"" (including "motherf--ker") and plenty of uses of "s--t." Also words/phrases like "dammit," "hurts like hell," "goddamn," and "life's a bitch and then you don't die." One character uses colorful euphemisms like "it's as safe as barebacking a $5 whore."
Consumerism: Not an issue
Drinking, drugs and smoking: Characters smoke a lot of cigarettes.

Common Sense Media An independent nonprofit dedicated to providing families the information they need to help kids thrive in a world of media and technology. © Common Sense Media Inc. 2010. All rights reserved.