Matty shines a light on UFO’s just about passable disaster flick.

Like the similarly ‘meh’ A.P.E.X. (1994), disaster romp DAYBREAK is another Phillip J. Roth production defined by the number two.

The second of two flicks music video helmer turned DTV journeyman Jean Pellerin tackled for Roth’s Unified Film Organization (it was preceded by Escape Under Pressure (2000)), Daybreak is the second fully fledged UFO programmer Paramount acquired, following Deep Core (2000) [1]. The major issued Daybreak on video and DVD on 21st August 2001, just under two months after Deep Core hit shelves. The film was also part of the UFO twofer signed by German media group Advanced Medien and continental entertainment giant CLT/Ufa. Advanced and CLT bagged Daybreak and Falcon Down (2001) for European TV broadcast which, in turn, paved the way for UFO and Advanced’s ill-fated six-picture deal; a disastrous union that resulted in a costly lawsuit involving financers Comerica Bank and — yup — only two movies actually being made, Deep Shock (2003) and – in the final bit of numerical madness – Interceptor Force 2 (2002)) [2]. 

Tardily cashing in on Stallone vehicle Daylight (1996) – which, for all its flaws, was still renting and regularly playing on cable – Daybreak’s carbon copy plot (well, give or take a few bits) finds a handful of folk trapped in a subway system in the wake of an earthquake. Best known as Al Bundy’s neighbour in Married… With Children, Ted McGinley stars as the Sly analogue trying to get everyone – all five of them – to safety. The requisite name, Roy Scheider, features as a civil servant assisting above ground.

A strictly low-end UFO offering, what good Daybreak achieves is largely due to another instance of two: the awesome production design by Roth regular David Huang (the train crash set is particularly impressive) and how the practical physicality is augmented by some tremendous CGI (a UFO trademark). As with many of the shingle’s capers, Daybreak’s consistently excellent VFX are overseen by Andrew Hofman (credited as ‘Visual Effects Director’). Hofman first teamed with UFO on Darkdrive (1997) before going on to supervise the FX on Total Reality (1997), Velocity Trap (1999), Storm (1999), Interceptor Force (1999), Python (2000), the aforementioned Falcon Down, and Pellerin’s Escape Under Pressure. He’s since found steady employment on a wealth of bigger projects, including but not limited to: Beowulf (2007), Guardians of the Galaxy (2014), The Meg (2018), Black Adam (2022), and — ready? — X-Men 2 (2002). 

Sadly, as vividly as Hofman renders Daybreak’s scenes of chaos and destruction, the whole film falters because there’s not enough of it. Pellerin, the cast, and composer Daniel J. Nielsen work overtime attempting to generate excitement when, really, there is none. Despite the story touching on such weighty themes as city corruption, grief and redemption (exactly like Daylight come to think of it), the drama is hindered by lame and repetitious dialogue, and the fact every key sequence basically involves running around dark tunnels. 

USA ● 2000 ● Action ● 90mins

Roy Scheider, Ted McGinley, Ken Olandt ● Dir. Jean Pellerin ● Wri. Jonathan Raymond, Phillip J. Roth (as ‘Phillip Roth’), story by Phillip J. Roth (as ‘Phillip Roth’)