The Philippines are entering one of those pesky virus-induced zombie apocalypses that can always turn a sunny day into a shit maelstrom, and so is the case here… soon… but first…
Ex-U.S. Special Forces operative/man-mountain Emon (MMA ass-kicker Brandon Vera) is looking forward to seeing his family as his sterling prison record has resulted in his chance at parole. Unfortunately, some assholes fuck that up for him right proper by picking a fight with our hero… but since the city, including the apartment his family calls home sweet home, is currently chock full of lightning-fast, rabid, plague-bringers I’d say that’s some silver lining shit right there cats n’ creeps…
Anyhow, Emon soon finds himself a free man, as all of the prison’s inmates are set free in the chaos, and he immediately begins the journey home as those creepy creatures attempt to hinder his ass at every turn!
Will Emon make it home before his family get turned into more of the screaming dead, and if so, just what can he do to keep them safe? Okay, it’s no mystery… he can literally pound those toothy mother-fuckers right into the ground!
Director Joey De Guzman, along with screenwriter (Ays De Guzman), have crafted one hell of a zombie picture right here, believe you me boils n’ ghouls!
For starters, the monsters at hand are a damn-fine collection of groovy ghoulies… blind lunatics that run at superhuman speed, screech, bite at the air constantly with their blood-streaked mouths, and are all around savage as fuck! I really dig these fiends, and the powerhouse physical performances of those playing them make them all the more demonically dynamic and fun to watch!
Those beastly bastards are responsible for a fair amount of tension as well, as our heroes are often tasked with sneak-assing around the sleeping scoundrels… hoping beyond hope that their tip-toe action doesn’t rouse a snoozing zombie. It’s nail-biting stuff through and through!
Naturally the reason that tension is so effective is that we actually give some fucks about Emon. As presented, he is a multi-layered dude; a bad ass that could easily be labeled as a one man killing machine… but he’s also a caring family man that will do anything to save his loved ones. It’s this dichotomy that keeps the character interesting, and Vera is more than up to the task!
Speaking of Vera, his MMA past is certainly a big draw here, and you do get to witness him going shithouse on a number of the horror horde (mostly within the film’s third act), and when it goes down it’s certainly worth the price of admission!
All in all, Day Zero is a fun entry in the zombie apocalypse genre; it’s a bit Train to Busan, a bit ass-kickin’ brawler, and a whole mess of fright flick fun!
