History YMMV / Daybreakers

* HarsherInHindsight: The film is set in [[TwentyMinutesIntoTheFuture the then-near future of 2019]] after a virus originating in bats (in 2009) transformed much of the world's population into [[OurVampiresAreDifferent Vampires]], causing massive social and cultural change. In real life, 2019 would see the start of the [[UsefulNotes/COVID19Pandemic]], a pandemic of a virus that many scientists believe originated in bats. The pandemic also caused a lot of social and cultural change, most notably forcing people to isolate at home.

* {{Narm}}:

* CrossesTheLineTwice: [[spoiler:The blood substitute test. After the volunteer has a bad reaction but recovers, he merely says, "Ow." He then promptly explodes into bloody chunks, covering everyone with gore. It's horrifying and hilarious at the same time.]]

* WhatDoYouMeanItsNotSymbolic: The hard way to cure vampirism is surviving sunlight by being fully submerged in water. In other words, a baptism.
** And the easy way is to drink the blood of an ex-vampire... or in other words, someone who died and rose again. Just as Christians do in Communion.

* EndingAversion: The last thirty or forty minutes of the movie don't match the earlier parts of the film in the eyes of some fans. This is due to the DroppedABridgeOnHim fate of Audrey's fellow resistance members, Audrey becoming a FauxActionGirl, [[spoiler:Allison]] [[AlwaysChaoticEvil becoming a subsider]] and dying, and a second method of curing vampires turning up in a fashion that some fans consider to be an AssPull.

* AssPull: While it makes sense how [[spoiler:sunlight and water could act as some sort of defibrillator, no explanation is ever given for why blood from resurrected vampires will cure vampires. It more than likely has something to do with the "treated" blood entering the bloodstream via ingestion]].

* AssPull: While it makes sense how [[spoiler:sunlight and water could act as some sort of defibrillator, no explanation is ever given for why blood from resurrected vampires will cure vampires]].

* EnsembleDarkhorse:

** Allison [[spoiler:being turned into a subsider and killed]] feels this way after her actress's strong performances, given that the only purpose of this seemed to be to cement Bromley's ruthlessness (albeit in a way contradictory to his earlier actions) and to [[spoiler: give Frankie something horrifying to witness, and he seemed to shrug it off enough to try and turn Elvis again later. Having her survive to get cured by the blood of an ex-vampire at the end]] could have been an emotionally satisfying conclusion to her subplot.]] It doesn't help that some fans found her more compelling than some of the leads.

** As karmic as [[spoiler:Bromley's death by being eaten alive was, the depiction of just how far gone the vampire starvation has progressed can certainly cause this.]]

* AssPull: While it makes sense how [[spoiler:sunlight and water could act as some sort of defibrillator, no explanation is ever given for why blood from resurrected vampires will cure vampires]]..

* AssPull: While it makes sense how [[spoiler:sunlight and water could act as some sort of defibrillator, no explanation is ever given for why blood from resurrected vampires will cure vampires]].
** It may be that [[spoiler:the transformation back left some form of antibody in their blood that others could feed on]].

** Chris's friendship with Edward could have been played up more to [[spoiler:to make his betrayal feel stronger.]]

** Senator Turner and the refugees Audrey was harboring ultimately have no real impact on the plot [[spoiler:suffering from DroppedABridgeOnHim]] after an interesting build-up as a ReverseMole and people who'd been hiding for so many years. They could have provided a BigDamnHeroes moment or been present at the end to add to the sense of hope and optimism when their absence [[spoiler:and deaths/captures]] didn't do anything for the plot, and simply gave both Audrey and the audience a ShaggyDogStory feeling about that whole subplot.

** ReverseMole Senator Turner.

%%** As karmic as [[spoiler:Bromley's death was, the depiction of just how far gone the vampire starvation has progressed can certainly cause this.]]

** [[spoiler: Chris's]] friendship with Edward could have been played up to make his betrayal feel stronger.
** [[spoiler: Senator Turner and the refugees Audrey was harboring]] suffering from DroppedABridgeOnHim after some quite interesting scenes was frustrating, as they could have played a good role in the climax, providing a BigDamnHeroes moment or at least avoided the ShootTheShaggyDog feelings about Audrey's previous efforts both in and out of universe.
** [[spoiler: Allison]] being turned into a subsider and killed feels this way after her actress's strong performances, given that the only purpose of this seemed to be to give Frankie something horrifying to witness, and he seemed to shrug it off enough to try and turn Elvis again later, while having her [[spoiler: survive to get cured by the blood of an ex0vampire at the end]] could have been an emotionally satisfying conclusion to her subplot and some found her more compelling than some of the leads.

** [[spoiler: Senator Turner and the refugees Audrey was harboring]] suffering from DroppedABridgeOnHim after some quite interesting scenes was frustrating, as they could have played a good role in the climax, providing a BigDamnHeroes moment or at least avoided the AllForNothing feelings about Audrey's previous efforts both in and out of universe.

** [[spoiler: Senator Turner and the refugees Audrey was harboring]] suffering from DroppedABridgeOnHim was frustrating, as they could have played a good role in the climax, providing a BigDamnHeroes moment or something.
** [[spoiler: Allison]] being turned into a subsider and killed feels this way after her actress's strong performances, given that the only purpose of this seemed to be to give Frankie something horrifying to witness, and he seemed to shrug it off enough to try and turn Elvis again later, while having her [[spoiler: survive to get cured by the blood of an e vampire at the end]] could have been an emotionally satisfying conclusion to her subplot.

** [[spoiler:When the vampires who rushed and ate Charlie turn human, they are in turn rushed and devoured by further vampires in a slo-mo orgy of blood and violence. And then the last three surviving soldiers ''also'' turn human. If Christopher hadn't charged in just then and killed them all, who knows how long the chain reaction would have gone on?]]