Review by Chris Rennirt
Five survivors of an unknown apocalypse search for shelter and food in a rural area of who knows where. With the help of a map and one of their own, they locate an abandoned farmhouse where they spend the night…reluctantly. Just as reluctantly, they find far more than they were looking for.
The post-apocalyptic world of The Day features the group of five on the run. Hunting them is a clan that has resorted to cannibalism as a way surviving in a world where food is otherwise difficult or impossible to find. It all sounds like the ingredients of a movie with great promise. But does it fulfill the promise?
Trekking through a post-apocalyptic world in The Day, haggard survivors Adam (Shawn Ashmore), Mary (Ashley Bell), Shannon (Shannyn Sossamon), Rick (Dominic Monaghan) and Henson (Cory Hardrict) come upon a farmhouse that may provide much needed shelter and supplies — as well as hidden danger
True to the movie’s title, the story takes place all in the course of about 24 hours. Just as efficiently (or perhaps deficiently) it begins in the middle of something it never explains, leaving most viewers with more questions than they want. Something about it gave me the impression that the apocalypse was disease related, while a promotional photo (with a war-torn city as a backdrop) suggested otherwise. Of course, it is not necessary for a movie to tell us so much about its context; some do better (even intrigue us more) in telling us less; The Day, however, does not do better. Instead, it suffers as a result…but not as much from this as it does from other problems it has.
Mary (Ashley Bell) takes a quick (and much-needed) bath in a nearby creek, in The Day.
I am always bothered and distracted when victims of violence in movies do not show the injuries they should have received. In a particular scene that stands out, a woman is forcefully punched in the face nearly a dozen times, and even eventually struck while her head is against a wooden floor. Immediately afterward, she looks no different than she did before the assault. Such an attack should have broken facial bones, caused excessive bleeding, unconsciousness, a concussion, and more likely even death. However, she’s up again, talking, without an additional scratch or trace of new blood on her. Since she’s only human and not superhuman, her apparent invincibility diminished the scene, distracting greatly from its potential impact. While I don’t thrive on seeing people assaulted and injured, I do expect realistic consequences, even in movies.
A battered Adam (Shawn Ashmore) reflects on his life, his losses and, possibly, a better purpose.
Special effects are mostly CGI, mostly hit and miss…and cheaply done. Blood splatter from gunshot wounds is more like bad animation—something tacked on the screen and not a part of the real environment. A particular scene where a character is impaled by a large metal spike is so bad (such terrible CGI) that it distracted me as much as the punched woman with no injuries. Again, when such scenes are badly done, rather than thinking about the gore or the character’s death, I am stuck on the cheesy effects. With that, the death of a character doesn’t even seem real. “How could you really have been killed by that cartoonish spike with blood so unreal?” is all my mind can keep asking.
The ever-suspicious Shannon (Shannyn Sossamon) takes no chances in The Day.
This, I think, is where The Day fails too much to recover. Successful post-apocalyptic movies rely on, if not thrive on, their raw and realistic depictions of the dangerous world in which they occur. The Day, quite simply, skimps too much on the staples of its genre, making us doubt, too often that the world is really so dangerous…if it is really there at all. A practical effects throat slitting and a CGI scene near the movie’s end (two good ones) are too little too late, as examples of how it should have been done throughout.
Mary (Ashley Bell) takes aim in The Day.
How is the acting? The one area where The Day shines is with the acting. The characters–Adam (Shawn Ashmore), Mary (Ashley Bell), Rick (Dominic Monaghan), Shannon (Shannyn Sossamon), and Henson (Cory Hardrict)–along with their backstories are well developed with great performances from all; with this, we know who they are, their feelings, their fears, and what motivates them to do what they do. In the scene where the woman is punched dozens of times, we know why the person does it, even though it is horrible. As an overarching theme, the movie explores the ways humans justify killing other humans in a dangerous, desperate world—for survival, revenge, suspicion, personal safety, and even for food. As a character study of human nature, albeit extreme—a study irrespective of its genre and failed movie elements–it is successful.
Don’t be fooled by the backdrop of a war-torn city. No such grand scenery occurs in The Day.
Another area of the movie’s success is with its unusual palette of muted tones and colors. Black, white, shades of gray, and highlights of tan and brown, give it a gritty, dirty feel, consistent with its post-apocalyptic setting. Close-ups of dirty hands, faces, etc. are emphasized all the more with this choice. Only flashbacks of memories are in full color, setting them apart vividly from the movie’s dark mood otherwise.
Mary (Ashley Bell) in The Day
CONCLUSION
Mostly bad CGI and unrealistic results of violence aside (if you can put them aside), The Day is mostly, believe it or not, worth its 84-minute run time. It shines as a well-acted character study of a day in the life of people surviving an apocalypse and little more; and with that, it squeaks by as worthwhile movie in the queue for a night’s entertainment. With just enough mystery, surprises, apocalyptic mayhem, and good acting, it will likely compel you to its end…at least once. Better as a prequel to a larger story (one which it surely has), with a sequel to fill in the blanks, it stands alone, instead, as a day, a single day…one likely without another.
Rocket Rating – 5
Chris Rennirt (the author of this review) is a movie critic and writer in Louisville, Kentucky, as well as editor in chief at Space Jockey Reviews. He has been a judge at many film festivals, including Macabre Faire Film Festival and Crimson Screen Film Fest, and he attends horror and sci-fi conventions often. Chris’ movie reviews, articles, and interviews are published regularly on Space Jockey Reviews and in Effective Magazine. His mission statement (describing his goals as a movie critic and philosophy for review writing) can be found on the “Mission” page, here at SJR.