Daybreakers

Sibling Australian filmmakers Michael and Peter Spierig flip the teen-friendly vampire trend on its mushy head with a sci-fi take on a world run by greedy bloodsuckers. By 2019 vampires outnumber humans; blood is running out. Taking a page from HBO's "True Blood," Sam Neil plays a sharp-toothed corporate villain (Charles Bromley) who runs a monopoly that harvests blood from human bodies connected chockablock to a vast milking system. Hematologist vampire Edward Dalton (Ethan Hawke) is working on a vampire cure. Naturally—or preternaturally-- Bromley and his armed minions want to stop him at all costs…even though they face extinction. The satirical parallel between blood and oil is obvious as war breaks out between the vampires and a group of survivalist humans led by Willem Dafoe in full badass mode. The pacing misses a few beats and the satire never pops, but "Daybreakers" arrives as a welcome retort to the bubblegum vampire genre.

Rated R. 98 mins. (B-) (Three Stars)