Wearisome "Ain't it cool?" video-game splatter-violence is all that's memorable of the action, while a (mixed) metaphorical subtext of conservationism can't save a text that squanders its actors.
What are people saying?
What are critics saying?
Arizona Republic by Bill Goodykoontz
Daybreakers isn't a great film, but it's a good one, and in a market oddly lousy with vampire tales, it's an original.
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.
A darkly stylish horror film.
Austin Chronicle by Kimberley Jones
It’s a little bit silly – as is Dafoe’s Kentucky-fried cowboy mechanic named Elvis – but silly is fun. In fact, one wishes it were sillier still.
Charlotte Observer by Lawrence Toppman
Daybreakers is more serious, from its A-list cast to its political commentary, with blood as a metaphor for oil. Like the best genre films, it has something on its mind.
Entertainment Weekly by Owen Gleiberman
Daybreakers turns?into a ponderous apocalyptic chase film -- it's like "Children of Men" with exploding-plasma shock effects.
Chicago Sun-Times by Roger Ebert
This intriguing premise, alas, ends as so many movies do these days, with fierce fights and bloodshed.