Insomniac's Muse Reading Film, Thinking God, and Drinking Coffee

Daybreakers Trailer

So, I'm a bit of a trailer junkie. In my spare time surfing around the web, I like to view and download trailers for upcoming movies; I always try to get to theaters early in order to catch the latest "trailer news."  I think a lot of the reason why I like trailers so much is that they rarely disappoint: a little creative editing can make any movie look good (don't get me started on how disappointed I was with Pearl Harbor after its phenomenal 1st trailer).

That being said, a few weeks ago I stumbled upon a trailer for an upcoming movie that I got a bit irrationally excited about, so I thought I would share it with all of you.  The movie stars Ethan Hawke, who I was briefly a huge fan of after his work in one of my favorite movies, Gattaca (if you haven't seen this gem, make it the next one on your Netflix queue).  While much of the premise of this new film might leave us thinking that this one could go either way (and Hawke is certainly capable of flops, see 2000's Hamlet, for example), I think there might be a bit more to Daybreakers than just another vampire flick riding on the coattails of Blade and the recent Twilight movies.  Check this trailer out and see what you think.

The movie presents the choice between immortality and humanity, and while one could argue that such a question lies at the heart of most stories involving vampires (ala Interview With a Vampire), it seems to me that most of these films get bogged down in the details of the vampires themselves (how beautiful they are, their long life, speed, strength, etc...).  While I may be wrong, it seems that Daybreakers is focussing more on the loss of humanity in gaining such benefits, with the dwindling population of humans being a physical representation of what was happening to the vampires' "souls".  Hence, the humans in the movie seek the help of the one vampire that seems to still have some of his humanity left (a bit of heart, if you will).  At a larger level, the film poses the same question to us, as technology and "progress" seems to be extending our lives and our beauty, but at the expense of our souls and the "least of these" in the developing world (the source of most of the resources required to sustain our "improved" lives).

Could we be in for another stroke of Hawke's restrained genius, or is this just another undead action movie?  Are we - in the Global North - vampires that live our "enhanced" lives on the backs of those in the Global South?  Are our souls rotting because of our greed?  What if you could live forever, but you would have to give up your humanity to do so?

A quick addendum from my friend Claire: "What good will it be for a man if he gains the whole world, yet forfeits his soul? Or what can a man give in exchange for his soul?" (Matt 16:26)

About miguel

Miguel is the Pastor of Young Adults @ Cornerstone Christian Church in Wyckoff, NJ. He has a Master of Divinity, a Bachelors in Computer Science, and a Bachelors in Filmmaking... which basically means he didn't know what to do with his life until recently.