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DVD Release Date: Tuesday, November 27, 2012
WWE Studios did something new in 2012, finding an existing film and acquiring it strictly for distribution purposes. This would be one of their two films from 2012 that didn’t include a WWE superstar, taking away one of the main things I enjoy about their films. But The Day premiered at the Toronto Film Festival, so I was hopeful that the film would surpass previous WWE Studios’ efforts.
While The Day is a noble effort, there just isn’t much to really latch on to here. The film follows a group of post-apocalypse survivors – Mary (Ashley Bell), Shannon (Shannyn Sossamon), Rick (Dominic Monaghan), Adam (Shawn Ashmore), and Henson (Cory Hardrict). The five-some is on the run from various tribes of cannibals, and the film drops us right into the middle of their trek.
The group stumbles upon an old farm house and decide to hole up there, as Henson is dealing with an unspecified ailment. They decide after much argument to stay and rest for a while, and to see if they can find any supplies. Unfortunately, when Mary goes out to try and find some food, she’s spotted by a scout from one of the cannibal gangs.
Things start to get a heated from here. One of the group may not be who they say they are. The leader of the cannibal tribe (played by Michael Eklund) knows where they are and is going to come for them. A decision must be made – to run, or stay and fight. With an 87-minute running time they can’t waste those minutes running, so the decision is made to stay and fight. This all seems to take longer than it actually does, as none of the characters have much to offer beyond merely existing.
Director Doug Aarniokoski (Highlander: Endgame) does a fine job constructing the film and staging the action – which really picks up in the final 20 minutes or so. But underneath the sheen of well-shot brutality there just isn’t anything going on here that other films haven’t done, and done better. The Day is worth a look, but there’s nothing worth going back for.
