Biting social commentary, breathtaking imagery, an innovative take on centuries-old mythology and a respectable entry into the painfully saturated vampire genre.

Well, 1½ out of 4 ain’t bad.

“Daybreakers,” the second featured film (2003′s “Undead” being the first) from the twin brothers from Down Under, Michael and Peter Spierig, certainly aspires to turn the vast and exhausted world of the vampire on its head.  Whether or not it succeeds is up for debate.

The central question that lends structure to the film’s premise is this: what if vampires really did exist?  Seems a pretty logical and interesting question, one that has been raked over the coals for years.  But really, how many films have actually attempted to answer this question pragmatically?  Virtually none.  If vampires are immortal and feed on humans wouldn’t they eventually dominate the population?  Wouldn’t that pose problems for a number of industries, particularly those that operate in the notoriously anti-vampire sunshine?  What happens when they run out of human blood.  Can they fly?  Do they really turn into bats?  And most importantly, how do they style their hair if their reflections can’t be seen in mirrors?

“Daybreakers” ambitiously addresses all of these long-held but seldom practically explored mysteries of vampire lore.  Oftentimes quite successfully.  Never before has a film so methodically followed the vampire-as-reality premise to its logical conclusion.  The film is riddled with detailed touches that cement its mythical concept in plausibility.

But like James Cameron’s technically brilliant though narratively ghastly “Avatar,” where “Daybreakers” excels in one area, it meets disaster in another.  It seems in all their ambition to craft the most plausible vampire story ever told, the Spierig brothers neglect to employ the most basic tenets of good screenwriting.  Characters act without motive, scenes lack necessary context, exposition is copious and clumsy, and dialogue is often shrouded in unintended hilarity.

Take, for example, the early expository scene in the board room.  After a detailed presentation it is announced in a booming voice dripping with impending doom that if no dramatic action is taken, human blood would run out by “the end of the month.”  Seriously?  We’re already talking about climate change and depleted resources, but even the most pessimistic predictions give us more than a century before deforestation and dependence on fossil fuels destroy us.  You’re just now figuring out that you’ve only got a month left of human blood?  Apparently the Spierigs don’t see vampires as math savvy creatures — or very good planners.

“Daybreakers” is a serviceable B movie.  It gets remarkable mileage out of its well-executed high-concept, but suffers from the most common of Hollywood pitfalls — bad writing and a poor understanding of film grammar.

Score: 3/5