What Happened to Monday

One of those dystopian sci-fi flicks with many aspects that deserve criticism. But thanks to the premise and to how well it is made, you will quickly forgive all its shortcomings and you will enjoy the overcrowded world that a female dictator is trying to regulate. Noomi Rapace’s acting performance is out of this world. Probably similar to James McAvoy’s work in Split last year. I would never have thought that a single actress could create a different set of emotions for each of the seven characters that she plays in this film. It’s pretty clear she is in charge of this sci-fi movie. And since she is a pleasure to behold, it is a pleasure to watch the entire movie as well. (12/07/2017)

Cats have nine lives, while Karen Settman has seven, and each of them is a complete original. What Happened to Monday relies on an original idea and is anchored by the performance of Noomi Rapace, who manages to breathe life into seven identical yet so different sisters. Overpopulation is a hot topic even today and the film manages to build a pretty solid plot around dealing with this issue. Thanks to the hunt for the seven sisters, the film doesn't lack suspense and entertains for most of the running time. In terms of the screenplay, it also has some decent twists, some of which were predictable, but some quite surprising. A bonus is the participation of Glenn Close and Willem Dafoe, who almost always guarantee god performances. Weaker, but still four stars. (03/22/2020)

At first glance, an attempt at something fresh and new, plus drawing on the tried-and-true, with a repressive regime like Hunger Games and angular futuristic cars like The Island. It can be argued that the visual opulence is a bit low-key and that 2073 looks more like 2037, but what can be done for half the budget of a major blockbuster? The B-movie casting (with the exception of two names) is also hard to disparage. Unlike Glenn Close, who is off, Noomi Rapace does a good job again. Firstly, as an action heroine against her will and secondly, portraying 7 different characters is probably not very easy, plus the fact that only Charlize Theron can play such a physical role of a "male heroine" today. Except for the last 20 minutes we have a pretty decent mix of Bourne and something with a gloomy social post-apocalyptic atmosphere. The ending is botched and the twist predictable. (10/26/2017)

Wirkola finished it to the best of his ability given the situation, even though having seven Noomis on the set feels like a headache, and sometimes the acting with no one opposite can be felt. It's a pity that Botkin and Williamson made such a sparse and sour jumble out of the full substance, whose logic the director had to save with B-movie excesses (amusing ones, though). Overall, it's such a bizarre mix of Equilibrium, the new Total Recall with a second infusion from Minority Report and Children of Men. But to its detriment, it's about as intelligent as the former. So, a logical strainer with a head shot. If you don’t get the point an hour in advance, you belong in a cryo chamber. This should have been written by Andrew Niccol. As an evening sedative, it’s OK. (11/29/2017)

The rating is based solely on the fact that every minute of the relatively generous run was a lot fun (which, by the way, is the most important thing when watching a movie). And also despite the fact that every twist can be seen a mile away, and that this dystopian sci-fi flick is as intelligent as you can expect from the director of the zombie splatter Dead Snow and Hansel & Gretel: Witch Hunters. (08/31/2017)