Norwegian filmmaker Tommy Wirkola (Dead Snow, Hansel & Gretel: Witch Hunters) returns with another big slice o’ genre fare. This time around he’s trying his hand at the type of science fiction actioner that ran rampant on the big screen in the ’90s. How does he do? Pretty good, as far as I am concerned!
What Happened to Monday sees Noomi Rapace playing septuplets in a future society where siblings are outlawed. They all live in hiding under a singular identity, with each sister given a designated day of the week to live life out in the world, rotating out each day while the others remain in doors. Overpopulation is the theme here, giving us our requisite social commentary.
All of this is mostly window dressing around what amounts to a chase film, as it comes as no surprise that they are eventually discovered. What follows is a cross between the style of Peter Hyams’ Timecop, meshed with a bit of Paul Verhoeven-esque violence and social commentary.
This film isn’t perfect and it ends on a softer note than I’d like, but I had a great time watching it. It’s not hard to picture this being another multi-role Jean-Claude Van Damme movie, had it been made 20 years ago, instead of today. Don’t take that to mean it’s a martial arts fest, of course. I just simply mean that in terms of style and tone, it’s right in that Timecop/The 6th Day sweet spot of near future action. If that kind of movie is your thing, you should have fun with this.
What Happened to Monday is an original science fiction thriller. It is directed by Tommy Wirkola, from a screenplay by Max Botkin and Kerry Williamson. The film is produced by Raffaella De Laurentiis, Philippe Rousselet, and Fabrice Gianfermi. It stars Noomi Rapace, Glenn Close, Marwan Kenzari, Pal Sverre Hagen, Tomiwa Edun, Robert Wagner, and Willem Dafoe.
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