Summer is a great time for fun action movies, and this year’s been a pretty good one. But between all the fighter jets, dinosaurs and bullet trains, can we all agree that there’s always room for more vampire movies? Netflix is here to answer the call with Day Shift. And while we’re not talking about Twilight here (the Day Shift trailer pokes some fun at the sparkly vampires), it looks to provide plenty of laughs and some pretty wild vampire contortionism thrown in for good measure.
The film stars Jamie Foxx and Dave Franco (check out CinemaBlend’s exclusive interviews with the Day Shift actors here!), as well as Snoop Dogg, who was personally cast by Foxx. The critics have seen the movie, and while “buddy cop-esque movie where Jamie Foxx and Snoop hunt vampires” sounds like a pretty good endorsement by itself, I guess we should let the professionals do their thing. Let’s check out the reviews, starting with CinemaBlend’s review of Day Shift. Eric Eisenberg rates the Netflix movie 1.5 stars out of 5, saying that while it’s definitely flashy, the film is also lazy and scattered, resulting in a finished product that’s really dull:
Director J.J. Perry’s Day Shift is a film that feels like it was scripted by a computer. The words and phrases ‘buddy cops,’ ‘vampires,’ ‘Los Angeles,’ and ‘John Wick-esque action’ were all dumped into a machine, and this screenplay is what was spit out. It’s a generic mess in its execution from opening to close, and only made more baffling by the fact that it stumbles on to interesting ideas, but then clearly has no clue what to do with them (leaving them to be abandoned and never developed past their introduction).
Lovia Gyarkye of The Hollywood Reporter isn’t quite as down on the project, calling it “passable popcorn entertainment.” The critic says Day Shift is enjoyable enough if audiences don’t read too much into it, and the leading trio’s jabs and one-liners make for characters worth rooting for:
The tidy script and energetic cast — Foxx, Snoop Dogg and Dave Franco all enliven the workaday beats of the story and add distinctive comedic touches — mean audiences can look forward to a good time even if they don’t remember much after the credits roll.
Chris Evangelista of SlashFilm rates it 5 out of 10, saying Day Shift succeeds with its action, but, as noted by other critics, doesn’t develop its most interesting ideas. It’s inoffensive enough, and Jamie Foxx gives a good performance — even if his character is a little one-dimensional. From the review:
I quite enjoyed the hierarchy and hints of politics that go on in the vampire/hunter world. But Day Shift doesn't spend enough time on any of this, and instead relies heavily on unfunny quips and a rushed script. ... Franco's fish-out-of-water character is consistently annoying, to the point where he starts to hurt the film. And it doesn't make much sense for Bud [Jamie Foxx] to be so relentlessly cruel to Seth [Dave Franco] at every turn as he is here, since Seth is the guy evaluating him and his only chance at getting back in the Union.
Sam Stone of Comic Book Resources says the movie is enjoyable enough for viewers in the dog days of summer. While certainly not trying to break any new ground, there’s enough gore and comedy — and plenty of action — to make it possibly one of Netflix’s better original movies of the summer. The critic says:
Day Shift is a movie that knows precisely what it is, and the audience should be aware going into it as well; this isn't a movie looking to change the horror cinema game but just provide a blood-soaked thrill ride. If the sight of Snoop Dogg walking around Southern California in a duster and cowboy hat while casually wielding a chain gun isn't an undead giveaway, this is a film that revels in the over-the-top possibilities of the genre and doesn't ask its viewers to think particularly hard about what they're witnessing. Come for the vampire-slaying action and stick around for Foxx's engaging banter and rapport with his on-screen friends and family.
The review from Todd McCarthy of Deadline, however, falls more in line with CinemaBlend’s, as the critic says the script never rises to the occasion of the action put forth by J.J. Perry’s fight sequences, and the whole movie is a “hodge-podgy mess”:
With the scriptwriters seemingly just making stuff up while they go along without benefit of rewriting, the film flails in one direction and, moments later, flops in another, gestures that seem designed far more toward keeping wild and often incomprehensible action happening onscreen than in making any dramatic sense. A few more passes at the script could only have been helpful.
The critics seem a little conflicted, with many wanting more from the script despite their positive comments about the action. If you want to check this one out for yourself, or if Day Shift sounds like just the thing your summer has been missing, you can catch it on streaming with your Netflix subscription starting on Friday, August 12.
Check out some of Netflix’s other August 2022 releases, as well as our 2022 Movie Release Schedule if you’d like to start planning your next trip to the theater.
