credit Day Shift
Admitting that there are a lot of vampire movies out there is easy. Admitting that a lot of them are hot garbage is a little more difficult since a lot of movies have their redeeming qualities. But Day Shift is one that leaves a person dizzy enough that they don’t end up looking for the rotten spots until the movie is over. In all honesty, it’s too much fun to pick out the most ridiculous parts since Bud Jablonski, played by Jamie Foxx, is the kind of guy that a lot of men today can probably relate to in a few ways. He’s a decent dad, he’s separated from his wife, and he’s doing his best to support the two of them but coming up short quite often. While he’s seen as a pool cleaner initially in the first few moments of the movie, his true intent becomes clear when he makes certain that the residents of the home aren’t watching and then gears up for battle. The moment he puts down his crate of pool-cleaning equipment and reveals his real tool kit, the audience knows that something is about to happen.
It’s kind of goofy, but it’s fun.
Most vampire movies that are made these days can get silly very quickly, but plenty are willing to get down and dirty and make it clear that the laughs are simply a better option than the screams that might be warranted. This is very evident when Bud faces off against the first two vampires that are revealed within the opulent home that he enters to do his dirty business. While one of them isn’t all that skilled, the older-looking of the two performs several moves that would impress an Olympics-level gymnast as she bends and twists in ways that no human body was ever meant to while battling Bud. Eventually, he does overcome both vampires and, in a strange twist, collects their fangs before he leaves. Later, vampires in this world can’t survive without their fangs, which is interesting but also a little bizarre.
credit: Day Shift
The movie had a few fun and familiar faces in it.
It’s always a kick to see familiar actors show up, even if it’s only for a short cameo or truncated role. Peter Stormare, Steve Howey, and Scott Adkins were great additions to this movie as they played their parts beautifully and contributed in a big way to the overall story. There’s no doubt that Foxx is the star since even when Dave Franco and Snoop Dogg show up in their respective roles, Foxx is still front and center as the vampire hunter who’s trying to save his family, keep them in the same city, and do his job as a union, or former union hunter that doesn’t always play by the rules. In truth, this movie takes a few great tropes from various action movies and horror movies and blends them into one strange but insanely fun tale that every movie fan might not fully appreciate. The reason is pretty simple. It feels like a mashup that could have used a slight push to make it just a little better.
The stakes were high, but the main villain wasn’t that convincing.
Karla Souza isn’t a bad actress, but as the villainous Audrey San Fernando, the master vampire in this scenario, she’s not quite as easy to accept for a few reasons. One is that, despite being the vindictive type, she doesn’t come off as being that scary. Even when she discovers the bodies that Bud left behind, bodies who happen to be related to her, she’s still not that convincing. Maybe it’s because the audience has seen this type of thing before, a monster getting even with those who kill their kind, that it didn’t come off the way it should. The fact that Audrey kidnapped Bud’s wife and daughter and threatened to turn his daughter before allowing her to feed on his wife is pretty vicious. So is the fact that she turned Franco’s character, Seth, into a vampire in the hope that he would kill, or turn, Bud.
credit: Day Shift
This movie was fun. That’s what matters.
One thing among many that can be said about this movie is that there weren’t a lot of cheesy one-liners, and there was decent to good chemistry between the cast members. It could have been better for certain, but it wasn’t so horrible that it should be considered just another schlocky horror movie. Day Shift feels like it took itself seriously enough to hold its metaphorical head high while striding forward to take its place in the lists. The fact that a few characters fell kind of flat doesn’t ruin this movie, since there’s plenty of action to look at and enjoy from start to finish.
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