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DAYBREAKERSMovie Reviews
Science fiction thriller about a small band of humans on the run from vampires because they possess the cure for vampirism in a world almost completely given over to the affliction. Cast:Ethan Hawke, Willem Dafoe, Michael Dorman, Claudia Karvan, Sam NeillDirector:Michael Spierig, Peter SpierigRelease Date:January 8, 2010DVD Release:May 11, 2010From:LionsgateRating:RLength:1 hr 38 min
Daybreakers played to good not great reviews. • Linda Barnard wrote in the Toronto Star, "...even when it strays into an over-the-top sensibility in a few scenes, it's done with such flair that even the most squeamish won't close their eyes." • And Steven Rea wrote in the Philadelphia Inquirer, "...it's undeniable fun to behold the likes of serious thespians Hawke and Dafoe slumming around in this cheeseball stuff." More Reviews Below...
Richard Corliss, Time: FAIR "...imaginative but wanly executed... the Spierigs show they have minds that can invent a plausible society... but no gift for bringing individual scenes and characters to life."(See all of Richard Corliss's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 873 words, 01/11/10
Thelma Adams, Us Weekly: VERY GOOD(cg) "While the thriller has plenty of gore to satisfy genre fans, it's also a meditation on the consequences of sucking resources dry."(See all of Thelma Adams's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 79 words, 01/07/10
Owen Gleiberman, Entertainment Weekly: MODERATE(cg) "...it's like 'Children of Men' with exploding-plasma shock effects. The best thing you can say about the movie is that it pours some very old blood into a new plastic bottle."(See all of Owen Gleiberman's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 352 words, 01/08/10
James Berardinelli, Reel Views: VERY GOOD(cg) "...loaded with impressive touches... it's refreshing to discover directors who return to the old school concepts as an inspiration for something different..."(See all of James Berardinelli's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 988 words, 01/08/10
Peter Travers, Rolling Stone: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "...it's a kick to see a balls-out, R-rated movie about bloodsuckers that doesn't spare the gore so little girls won't cry into their Twitpics of Rob Pattinson."(See all of Peter Travers's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 428 words, 01/07/10
Claudia Puig, USA Today: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "...a happy alternative to the tepid appeal of pre-teen vamps and werewolves. But why make a vampire movie lacking the allure of the enticing fiends?"(See all of Claudia Puig's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 427 words, 01/08/10
Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "This intriguing premise, alas, ends as so many movies do these days, with fierce fights and bloodshed.... I guess that audiences will enjoy the way these vampires die."(See all of Roger Ebert's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 511 words, 01/07/10
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NEW YORK/LOS ANGELES/CHICAGO/TORONTO (12 Reviews)
Jeannette Catsoulis, New York Times: GOOD "...impressively styled... The narrative may flag, but the doomsday atmosphere and George Liddle's production design remain vivid until the final, blood-splattered reel."(See all of Jeannette Catsoulis's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 317 words, 01/08/10
Joe Neumaier, New York Daily News: MODERATE(cg) "...eventually devolves, though Willem Dafoe and his Southern drawl goose things up and Ethan Hawke has a greasy romanticism."(See all of Joe Neumaier's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 266 words, 01/08/10
Michael Ordoña, Los Angeles Times: WEAK "...predictability, wooden characters, giggle-inducing attempts at scares and cinematography so gloomy it should be checked for serotonin deficiency."(See all of Michael Ordoña's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 282 words, 01/08/10
Kyle Smith, New York Post: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "You may even consider the movie to have interesting thoughts about free will. But if not, it'll only be a few seconds until someone gets his head gnawed off."(See all of Kyle Smith's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 532 words, 01/08/10
Michael Phillips, Chicago Tribune: VERY GOOD(cg) "...the German-born Australian-raised duo known as the Spierig Brothers toy with our expectations... delaying the payoff like expert sadists who know how to hit and run."(See all of Michael Phillips's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 511 words, 01/08/10
Rafer Guzman, New York Newsday: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "Directed with dark panache and written by brothers Peter and Michael Spiereg... has a surprisingly good sense of humor... [ultimately,] the film unravels..."(See all of Rafer Guzman's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 309 words, 01/08/10
Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "This intriguing premise, alas, ends as so many movies do these days, with fierce fights and bloodshed.... I guess that audiences will enjoy the way these vampires die."(See all of Roger Ebert's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 511 words, 01/07/10
Nick Pinkerton, Village Voice/LA Weekly: MODERATE "There are pleasures here... But wearisome 'Ain't it cool?' video-game splatter-violence is all that's memorable of the action..."(See all of Nick Pinkerton's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 226 words, 01/06/10
Linda Barnard, Toronto Star: OUTSTANDING(cg) "...has a great cast, combined with a rare mix of smarts and substance... it's done with such flair that even the most squeamish won't close their eyes."(See all of Linda Barnard's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 621 words, 01/08/10
Rick Groen, Toronto Globe & Mail: VERY GOOD(cg) "...more fun than foreboding; it's fright-lite, yet that's par for the bloody course in these busy apocalyptic days."(See all of Rick Groen's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 718 words, 01/08/10
Norman Wilner, Toronto Now: EXCELLENT(cg) "...it's 'Gattaca' meets 'I Am Legend,' without the pretensions of the former or the third-act problems of the latter... smart, energetic genre fun for everyone of biting age."(See all of Norman Wilner's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 110 words, 01/07/10
Steven Rea, Philadelphia Inquirer: VERY GOOD(cg) "...the characters are B-movie thin, the dialogue standard-issue... [but] it's undeniable fun to behold serious thespians Hawke and Dafoe slumming around in this cheeseball stuff."(See all of Steven Rea's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 516 words, 01/08/10
Peter Hartlaub, Houston Chronicle/San Francisco Chronicle: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "If you're blessed with a sick sense of humor, this movie will make you laugh.... Some movies are best enjoyed in a packed house of inebriated yahoos."(See all of Peter Hartlaub's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 476 words, 01/08/10
Roger Moore, Orlando Sentinel: WEAK(cg) "...a stylish but unavoidably silly... shot in that 'Matrix'/'Gattaca' futurescape of Australia.... this is one genre where supply has utterly overwhelmed demand."(See all of Roger Moore's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 405 words, 01/08/10
Bill Goodykoontz, Arizona Republic: VERY GOOD(cg) "The Spierigs create a nicely eerie atmosphere... '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."(See all of Bill Goodykoontz's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 553 words, 01/08/10
Wesley Morris, Boston Globe: VERY GOOD(cg) "...the film unifies all the usual tropes (bloodlust, heliophobia, fangs) into a complete science fiction whole.... has unexpected flashes of brilliance..."(See all of Wesley Morris's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 706 words, 01/08/10
ALTERNATIVE/INDIE PRESS (6 Reviews)
Nick Pinkerton, Village Voice/LA Weekly: MODERATE "There are pleasures here... But wearisome 'Ain't it cool?' video-game splatter-violence is all that's memorable of the action..."(See all of Nick Pinkerton's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 226 words, 01/06/10
Peter Keough, Boston Phoenix: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "Although it falls apart as a thriller, Michael and Peter Spierig's black-comic splatterfest sets up an ingenious metaphor for the current economic nightmare."(See all of Peter Keough's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 155 words, 01/07/10
Keith Phipps, AV Club: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "...bursts with clever ideas... But it settles into the lulling rhythms characters ponder what to do in darkened rooms instead of doing much of anything."(See all of Keith Phipps's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 392 words, 01/07/10
Norman Wilner, Toronto Now: EXCELLENT(cg) "...it's 'Gattaca' meets 'I Am Legend,' without the pretensions of the former or the third-act problems of the latter... smart, energetic genre fun for everyone of biting age."(See all of Norman Wilner's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 110 words, 01/07/10
Edward Adams, Atlanta Creative Loafing: EXCELLENT(cg) "...stylish, grown-up.... has enough intelligence, action, gore and campiness to satisfy horror buffs and general moviegoers alike."(See all of Edward Adams's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 595 words, 01/06/10
HIGHBROW PRESS (3 Reviews)
Joe Morgenstern, Wall Street Journal: MODERATE "...a clever idea, as far as it goes, and a pretext for some stylish action... accompanied by several solid performances... Still, other performances are pretty dreary..."(See all of Joe Morgenstern's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 225 words, 01/08/10
Jeannette Catsoulis, New York Times: GOOD "...impressively styled... The narrative may flag, but the doomsday atmosphere and George Liddle's production design remain vivid until the final, blood-splattered reel."(See all of Jeannette Catsoulis's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 317 words, 01/08/10
Michael Ordoña, Los Angeles Times: WEAK "...predictability, wooden characters, giggle-inducing attempts at scares and cinematography so gloomy it should be checked for serotonin deficiency."(See all of Michael Ordoña's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 282 words, 01/08/10
MOVIE INDUSTRY (6 Reviews)
Dennis Harvey, Daily Variety: MODERATE "...a competent but routine chase thriller that lacks attention-getting dialogue, unique characters or memorable setpieces... a polished time-filler."(See all of Dennis Harvey's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 631 words, 10/01/09
Michael Ordoña, Los Angeles Times: WEAK "...predictability, wooden characters, giggle-inducing attempts at scares and cinematography so gloomy it should be checked for serotonin deficiency."(See all of Michael Ordoña's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 282 words, 01/08/10
Emanuel Levy, Cinema 24/7: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "...contains several visually stylish, thematically provocative and action-packed sequences... But there also are many boring and predictable scenes..."(See all of Emanuel Levy's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 674 words, 01/08/10
Jeannette Catsoulis, New York Times: GOOD "...impressively styled... The narrative may flag, but the doomsday atmosphere and George Liddle's production design remain vivid until the final, blood-splattered reel."(See all of Jeannette Catsoulis's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 317 words, 01/08/10
Joe Morgenstern, Wall Street Journal: MODERATE "...a clever idea, as far as it goes, and a pretext for some stylish action... accompanied by several solid performances... Still, other performances are pretty dreary..."(See all of Joe Morgenstern's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 225 words, 01/08/10
16.2 Percentage Points Average Difference Between Reviews (Norm is 18.4pp; <18.4pp = More Consistent; >18.4pp = More Mixed)
Daybreakers's reviews are separated by an average 16.2 percentage points. The norm for this measure is 18.4 percentage points. Less than 18.4 indicates more consistent reviews; greater than 18.4 indicates more mixed reviews. In the chart below, each dot represents a review, with the dots at the top more positive than the dots at the bottom. From left to right, the dots represent reviews in big, bigger and biggest publications. Roll over each dot for more detail.
Daybreakers (34 reviews) Roll over dots for each review
Coverage:Daybreakers's reviews cover 71.6% of potential readers (average is 67.9%). Volume:The film's reviews total 15,247 words involume (average is 20,194 words). Length:The film's reviews average 448 words in length (the norm is 517 words).
Reviews Broke 13.3 Hours After Release (Norm is 1.2 Release)
Daybreakers's reviews on average broke 13.3 hours after opening. Norm for this measure is 1.2 hours before. The chart below shows reviews on opening day and the days before and after opening; the left side is earlier and the right side is later. The red bars extending above the horizontal mid-line represent more positive reviews, and the red bars extending below represent more negative reviews. The white space/red bar in the middle is Daybreakers's opening day. Click on any bar for a list of the reviews for that day.
Daybreakers (34 reviews, click on bars for reviews)
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