I’m always down for a fun vampire flick. I’ve been a fan of many of them such as The Lost Boys, Bram Stoker’s Dracula, 2011’s Fright Night, and even the widely panned Van Helsing. This is a subgenre that is often times a good amount of fun. It’s important not to take things too seriously though and put a lot of emphasis on campy natured fun. Day Shift from Netflix is a vampire film that definitely has its share of flaws, but it’s an enjoyable ride overall and a lot of the good in it is due to this talented cast.
Filling your film with actors that folks will want to spend time with is crucial. They don’t have to be huge movie stars already, but you need likeable protagonists and menacing antagonists. Day Shift has both of those things.
Jaime Foxx is as fun and high energy as ever. He plays his role in such a way that it’s easy to form a connection and a liking to him. He’s also just a badass and handles the action sequences very well. The man that ends up being his unlikely sidekick is Dave Franco and he really does a great job here. He brings a nerdy sweet lovability that provides a nice balance. His character is someone you’d want to be friends with.
Along with that sweetness is a sense of humor that’s awkward and really works. Foxx and Franco complement one another well. If Foxx had a partner similar to him, Day Shift would’ve ended up being less engaging.
The character that’s actually pretty similar to Foxx is played by Snoop Dogg. Snoop Dogg doesn’t have a large presence here and that’s actually a good thing because of the nature of the role he’s playing. His role is an uber accomplished vampire hunter who really just pops in and out when needed. It’s a fun character and Snoop Dogg is a good fit for it.
Karla Souza, who I was previously unaware of, does a very nice job as the villainess. I love a campy female villain and Souza finds a nice balance between menace and camp in her performance. I was impressed by her, and I hope she continues to get work.
The final cast member I need to praise for her performance is Zion Broadnax. She is a child actor who plays Foxx’s daughter. This young actress shows some real potential and delivers a couple of the top comedic lines in Day Shift. She could definitely have a bright future in the industry if she desires one. She has a sweet chemistry with Foxx too. Their relationship as father and daughter in the film worked.
I don’t think Day Shift would have been nearly as good without this capable cast. The script they have to work from is decent. The two main characters are pretty well developed, there’s a nice amount of action sequences, and there are a handful of funny moments.
There are two main flaws that stand out to me. One is that not enough time is spent on the development of Day Shift‘s villain. That character is delicious and fun, and she doesn’t receive an adequate amount of development. The other main flaw is that there wasn’t enough satisfying comedic material. There are some funny lines here and there (mostly delivered by Franco) but there needed to be a more consistent stream of it. That really would have given things an extra boost.
Luckily, these flaws aren’t large enough to sink the whole film. At the end of the day, it’s about whether there are more positives or negatives. I can confidently say Day Shift has a longer list of positives and if this is your kind of film, I think you’ll find it’s worth a watch.
Day Shift isn’t a home run, and it could’ve been polished up a tad, but all things considered it is enough fun to recommend.
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