On the 3rd Day Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		2.5
Video		4.5
Audio		4.5
Extras		1.0
Overall		3.5

On the 3rd Day Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Brian Orndorf April 14, 2022

For “On the 3rd Day,” director Daniel de la Vega looks to transform the material into a Dario Argento-style shocker, with the Argentinian production hoping to resemble an Italian genre offering. The screenplay (credited to Alberto Fasce and Gonzalo Ventura) aims to create confusion as a way to inspire the central mystery. It’s an approach that only works when the writing is top-notch, skillfully scrambling the pieces of the tale before a solution is eventually provided. “On the 3rd Day” isn’t up to the challenge, keeping viewers in the dark as de la Vega pays more attention to showmanship than storytelling. He makes a stylish feature at times, but he offers nothing more than shot construction, leaving the viewing experience disappointingly empty.

Cecilia (Mariana Anghileri) is hoping to avoid her violent ex-husband, taking her son on the road, where they’re soon involved in an accident with a strange man who has a coffin in the back of his truck. Picking up three days later, the feature follows Cecilia’s journey to the other side, hunting for his missing child while the other driver in the accident has pressing matters involving evil to tend to.

“On the 3rd Day” doesn’t gradually introduce these characters, with de la Vega dropping viewers in the middle of the moment, working with unreality and layers of consciousness to blur comprehension of Cecilia’s mission. A mother hunting for her son in the space between life and death has potential, but the helmer keeps away from assembling a pounding chiller, only periodically returning to parental urgency, spending more time with the artistry of the endeavor, which is, admittedly, interesting when dealing with giallo-style panic.

On the 3rd Day Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

The AVC encoded image (2.39:1 aspect ratio) presentation secures a full sense of skin particulars, with the feature's heavy use of close-ups exploring textures on faces. Interiors are also open for inspection, surveying household decoration and decay. Hues are stable, with lighting offering a cooler palette for supernatural events, while hellish encounters carry a sense of heat. Skintones are natural, and deeper primaries are intact, including red blood. Delineation is satisfactory.

On the 3rd Day Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The 5.1 DTS-HD MA mix only provides an English dub of the Argentinian production. Frontal power is present with dialogue exchanges, finding the English performances crisp throughout the listening event. Scoring cues are active, with sharp instrumentation. Music goes circular, offering a more immersive sense of suspense, and atmospherics are present. Low-end covers harder hits of violence.

On the 3rd Day Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• A Trailer (2:17, HD) is included.

On the 3rd Day Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

"On the 3rd Day" works very hard to generate an intense cinematic atmosphere of the unknown. But most of the feature remains in the unknown, which limits the participatory elements presented by de la Vega. He really wants to throw a fright fest with the effort, but doesn't have the discipline to prioritize a dramatic investment in what's happening to these strangers.