A common ploy in modern action and horror films is the use of employing combat sports veterans in prominent roles, both for the believability of the character to realistically perform such activity on-screen and also to help boost profits by attaching a popular name amongst the crowded cast. Whether it's the world of MMA with the likes of Michael Bisping, Ronda Rousey, or Randy Couture or pro wrestling with “The Rock” Dwayne Johnson, Dave Bautista, and John Cena being among the biggest stars in the industry, the stage is rife for veterans from all aspects of the sport to move into the acting field. That's definitely the case with Joey De Guzman's upcoming Philippine-lensed zombie title “Day Zero,” which serves as kickboxing champion Brandon Vera's chance in the spotlight, to be released shortly on digital and physical media from WellGo USA.
About to be released from prison, imprisoned special forces agent Emon (Brandon Vera) counts the days until he can meet his family again, hanging out with Timoy (Pepe Herrera), a fellow inmate. While awaiting the chance at parole, a zombie outbreak strikes the country turning those infected into flesh-eating ghouls which allows them to break out of jail in the chaos and head out into the now zombie-infested city. Trying to track down his wife Sheryl (Mary Jean Lastimosa) and daughter Jane (Freya Fury Montierro) while being stymied by the overwhelming numbers, he's forced to rely on his training to survive long enough to get his friends and family to safety and stop the creatures.
Overall, “Day Zero” has quite a lot to like about it. Among the better elements here are a serviceable and enjoyable enough storyline by writer Ays De Guzman that presents a simple enough scenario and those who are trapped within it. The whole setup of Emon being ready for parole from jail and trying to get back to see his family, including the brief bits shown with Timoy to help him adjust to life on the outside, serve this one well enough. Since this is all handled well enough and gets each of the characters established, the sudden influx of the zombie invasion and the chaos that emerges as they overrun the city provides the appropriate obstacles that will be overcome later. Having to work through the city against the hordes of undead while trying to keep his friends alive in order to save his family is all solid enough and ensures that the fast, breezy pace never slows down for too long.
That aside, “Day Zero” works best as a showcase piece for Vera. This kind of setup is earmarked for a series of impressive combat sequences showcasing Vera in action against the swarms of crazed undead after him and his friends. With things off to a great start following the zombies appearing in the apartment and overrunning everything, the chaos of the situation is nicely matched by the prison escape. With Emon and Timoy trying to escape the zombie-infested grounds, it brings about some solid grappling and fighting scenes. These manage to inject some frenzied and tense sequences featuring a need to sneak past a crowd of feasting zombies or try to maneuver past the creatures while obscured by a heavy fog cloud. Other scenes include the ambushes at the apartment where Emon and the group come across even more undead and questionable allies that may or may not hinder their chances of surviving the mission. The full-throttle finale, featuring the race to free everyone from the zombie-infested apartment slums, is full-on action mode as close-quarters combat and gunplay play a big role in the frantic nature of everything going on. Graced with some great effects-work and make-up for the creatures as well as the brutal kills dished out, there's quite a lot to like here.
One of the main issues here is the near abject failure to describe in any kind of detail what's going on with the source and cause of the zombie outbreak. With the creatures appearing almost immediately in the film and not offering any kind of explanation or motivation for what started it, for example. While this information isn't critical or damaging overall, the key component in a zombie outbreak is usually the means through which it starts so that understanding how to stop it and turn it around can occur. That never occurs in “Zero” as the rules are never truly established so scenes like the means of transference and infection don't happen and the end result is a bit disappointing. That also leaves the finale a bit too ambiguous as the opportunity for it to go for a heavily-telegraphed sequel route for no emotional impact so it's all a bit awkward. These, though, are really only small gripes holding this back.
Wholly enjoyable as an action/horror hybrid, “Day Zero” is a serviceable genre effort that doesn't have too many issues and is a perfect vehicle for its main star to emerge as the action hero he's presented to be. Give it a look if you're a fan of these kinds of genre hybrids, are a big zombie genre fanatic, or appreciate Asian horror.
