Day Zero (2008)

Number Rolled: 60

Movie Name/Year: Day Zero (2008)

Genre: Independent

Length: 92 minutes

Rating: R

Affiliated Companies: Indalo Productions

Executive Producer: Robert Malkani

Director: Bryan Gunnar Cole

Writer: Robert Malkani

Actors: Elijah Wood, Chris Klein, Jon Bernthal, Ginnifer Goodwin, Elisabeth Moss, Ally Sheedy, Sofia Vassilieva, John Rothman, Daniel Oreskes, Robert Hogan, Adam LeFevre, Alexandra Rose

Feller, Rifkin and Dixon have been friends since high school. Although they’re very different, they’ve not only kept in touch, they’ve remained close friends. When the draft is reinstated in the U.S., all three men get a notice asking them to report in 30 days.

I’ll start with the good parts.

The ending of Day Zero was incredible. I can’t imagine there possibly being a better finale for this film. The three leading men, Elijah Wood (Wilfred, Lord of the Rings, The Hobbit), Chris Klein (American Pie, Wilfred, Authors Anonymous) and Jon Bernthal (The Walking Dead, The Wolf of Wall Street, Fury), dove into their characters head first and made several of the scenes in the movie, including the ending, very powerful.

The problem is that I’m conflicted about rest of the movie. Despite the phenomenal acting and concept, I felt everything crept along so slowly that it took away from the overall experience.

The writing wasn’t exceptionally bad. In fact, nothing about the film was terrible. None-the-less, when I look back at the last 92 minutes, I not only don’t feel entertained, I don’t feel anything.

Normally, when I finish watching a good, powerful, drama I’m left with a slight ache in my chest. Sometimes I’ll have wetness in my eyes that no one believes is from allergies, though I always try to explain it away. Other times there will be a sense of satisfaction, especially in movies where the main characters were able to achieve their goals for a happy ending. For Day Zero, although the ending was amazing, I feel nothing.

It’s not a terrible movie if you’re interested in a political discussion about the draft, or if you just have an hour and a half to kill, but it’s nothing to write home about.

Rotten Tomatoes Critic Score – 24%

Rotten Tomatoes Audience Score – 45%

Netflix’s Prediction for Me – 3.9/5

Trust-the-Dice Score – 2.5/5

Movie Trailer: