Daybreak premieres October 24 on Netflix.
By Ariba Bhuvad
Netflix’s Daybreak is… interesting. Yes, it’s yet another young adult apocalypse show about fighting against the odds to survive in what’s left of the world. What makes this particular story unique is that it repeatedly breaks the fourth wall, with the lead character Josh Wheeler (Colin Ford). He’s constantly engaging with the audience, so Daybreak is rather intriguing in that regard.
While Daybreak isn’t the year’s best series or even the best apocalyptic story out there, there’s something to be said about the comedy, gore, and thrill of it all. However, you will find yourself getting overwhelmed by the amount of story that it throws at you. There are a lot of flashbacks as Josh reminisces what went down the day the apocalypse began. And ultimately, his mission is to find the girl he loves, Sam Dean, who he was steps away from when the whole world went to hell.
Daybreak follows one lead character but brings in an entire cast of teens that help shape the story and its purpose. It’s a bit confusing as to why only adults are affected by the apocalypse, which is a point the story doesn’t really explain well. But it should be noted that the teen ensemble is rather entertaining to watch as everyone is split into their individual groups and factions, as often happens in stories like these.
When you watch Daybreak, you will be reminded of movies from the past which have somehow been jumbled and mashed into one. We get a bit of Hunger Games mixed with Ferris Bueller, and somehow, it produces this series. While the show can be fun to watch at times, it definitely tries hard to live up to certain standards, such as trying to bring in the 80s vibe of horror, gore, and even Mad Max.
If you’re into the Hunger Games/Divergent vibe mixed with the apocalypse, this series might be the one for you. You will be entertained, but don’t expect anything more than that. The action is fun but underwhelming and the story is interesting but not riveting. And most importantly, don’t be surprised to find that Daybreak tries just a little too hard to live up to one too many things.
I give Daybreak a C.
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