Day Zero - Blu-ray Review

[Michael Scott]

Day Zero



Movie:
Video:
Audio:
Extras:
Final Score:



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Movie
While Zombie movies are slowly starting to fade into the background as a genre (for the time being) here in the U.S., the brain munching monsters are still popular enough overseas for us to seem some good flicks. Sadly, Well Go USA’s Day Zero just isn’t one of those. One of four films from Filipino/American MMA fighter Brandon Vera (the only other one to get a domestic release was Well Go USA’s Buyback from a few years ago), the bland actioneer meets zombie movie is pretty low effort and low entertainment. It has a few sparkling moments, otherwise this one will fall in the same bucket as the before mentioned Buyback. To languish in the bargain bin as a once and done film that most people will just end up skipping.

Despite the fact that the term “Day Zero” has been recycled ad nauseum in the horror/zombie world, there’s not a whole lot that’s going to inspire or interest viewers. Brandon Vera is Emon, a U.S. special forces soldier who is spending time in a Filipino prison for beating someone nearly to death (to be fair, supposedly in defense of someone else). It’s been 8 years and he’s finally scheduled for parole so that he can get back to his wife Sheryl (Mary Jean Lastimosa), and hearing disabled daughter Jane (Freya Fury Montierro). He’s been brushing up on his sign language so that he can talk to Jane for the first time, and eagerly awaiting release when a furor in the prison changes everything.

For some reason a zombie virus has gotten out into the populace (seriously, it’s ALWAYS a mutated virus) and the prisoners are making an escape for freedom. Barely getting out with their lives, Emon and his prison mate Timoy head back home so that Emon can grab Sheryl and Jane to hopefully escape. Unfortunately for the duo, they get into the apartment building only to find the place infested with zombies. Now it’s time for Emon to kick, punch and shoot his way to freedom and make sure his family survives at all cost.

On the surface Day Zero is a rote zombie movie with recycled plot points from basically every zombie movie imaginable. Upon looking deeper it’s STILL a rote zombie movie with recycled plot points from basically every zombie movie imaginable. There’s some cool stand out sequences where Emon beats up a group of prisoners, or when he’s blasting zombies with an M4 carbine (amusing little fact. You can see the prop gun he’s using switch to a different model of M4 and back again in the same shootout.), but other than that this is one of the most basic and bland zombie movies I’ve ever seen. We already know the outcome before the movie’s half over, and the flick TRIES to be emotional and heartfelt at the final act, but someone fails to really pull the viewer in.




Rating:

Not Rated by the MPAA




Video:

Day Zero was shot digitally with RED Monstro cameras and finished with a 2K master for the home video release (for once I was able to find info on a Well Go USA title on IMDB) and the results are generally good. It’s got that thick heavy teal coating that, combine with muted colors, creates a sort of dulled and monochromatic landscape for the picture to unfold. There’s some digital noise here and there, but other than that detail levels are more than acceptable, and blacks are pretty crisp and deeply inky. Banding is present, but not in copious amounts, meaning the entire picture hits enough positive check marks to satisfy most people with the 2.20:1 encode.









Audio:

If there’s anything positive about the entire package, it’s going to be the stellar DTS-HD MA 5.1 track on board the disc. It’s a punchy and aggressive mix, with tons of surround usage (zombies screaming, gunshots reverberating around the listening position) and a low end bass track that really gets going with the third act shootout. There’s very little “wrong” with the track at all, as dialog is balanced and the entire mix feels very even throughout. Despite how budget the entire film’s production obviously was, the audio mix stands out as a great performer.












Extras:

• Well Go USA Trailers
• Theatrical trailer

Final Score: ​

As I said, I kinda liked a few PIECES of Day Zero, but overall it’s a fairly forgettable zombie actioneer that is not something I would ever watch again. I’ve seen way worse, but also way better movie, so it sits squarely in the middle with a very average 2.5/5 rating by yours truly. The Blu-ray looks good, and sounds amazing, but like usual, there’s almost no extras on board. Personally I’d just skip the entire thing.


Technical Specifications:

Starring: Brandon Vera, Pepe Herrera, Mary Jean Lastimosa, Joey Marquez, Freya Fury Moniterro
Directed by: Joey De Guzman
Written by: Ays De Guzman
Aspect Ratio: 2.20:1 AVC
Audio: Filipino (Tagalog): DTS-HD MA 5.1, Filipino DD 2.0
Subtitles: English SDH
Studio: Well Go USA
Rated: NR
Runtime:82 minutes
Blu-Ray Release Date: July 11th, 2023

Recommendation: meh