Curapedi
I cannot think of one single thing that I would change about this film. The acting is incomparable, the directing deft, and the writing poignantly brilliant.
Cristal
The movie really just wants to entertain people.
rdoyle29
Due to the depletion of the ozone layer, the sun's radiation causes all the animals to go ka-ka-koo-koo and start attacking humans ... especially at higher altitudes. Unfortunately for Christopher George, he has picked this day to take a bunch of city folks including Leslie Nielsen, Lynda Day George, Richard Jaeckel, Michael Ansara and Andrew Stevens on a nature hike into the mountains. This takes the basic 1970's disaster film formula and adds two things that folks couldn't get enough of ... animals attacking and ecology. I expected a bit of campy trash, but this is actually better than that. Sure, you have Nielson losing his marbles and wrassling a bear, but you also have a bit of legit suspense and some good performances. But man .... Nielsen is out of control here and it's magnificent.
SnakesOnAnAfricanPlain
Fun and face-palmingly brilliant killer monster nonsense. It was awesome to see so much use of real animals. I was also very surprised at who bought it and when, and in a film like this, sometimes who gets killed is the best part. The characters all turn against each other, or splinter off into groups. It's also fun to see a mother and child relationship which isn't all cuddles and sunshine. Best of all though, is Nielsen, in a performance that shows him as a tough mans man. He goes topless, he manhandles women, and he fights a friggin' bear. That, my friends, was an unexpected performance and just goes to show that you should never pigeon- hole an actor.
Michael_Elliott
Day of the Animals (1977) *** (out of 4) Steve Buckner (Christopher George) takes a group of people on a hike through some mountains and before long they become targeted by a wide range of animals. It turns out, via a message at the start of the picture, that the ozone layer is being damaged and now the animals are attacking people.After the success of JAWS movie producers were rushing to get any sort of "animal attacks" movie on the screen. William Girdler struck gold with GRIZZLY as it made well over $35-million on a very small budget. DAY OF THE ANIMALS isn't quite as good as that movie but there's no question that it's an entertaining "B" movie that's actually a lot darker than you'd expect.There are a lot of very good things here but I will admit that there are some flaws. One major flaw is that the film adds in a martial law sequence and I think the budget just didn't allow them to do anything with this. Another problem is the Leslie Nielsen character. He turns in a fine performance but what the character does during the final portion of the film was just downright silly and I thought it took away from the seriousness of the picture. On a campy level it's somewhat funny but it just didn't fit well with the rest of the picture.Speaking of Nielsen, him and the rest of the cast are a lot of fun. George, who also appeared in the director's GRIZZLY, is a lot of fun as usual. He's certainly got that tough guy persona working and he was a lot of fun here. Lynda Day George isn't wonderful here but she's at least watchable. You've got the likes of Richard Jaeckel, Ruth Roman and Andrew Stevens who add to the fun as well.The animal attacks are all well-staged and I'd argue that the film has a very serious and dark tone to it. This isn't something you usually see in these pictures but it's clear the director and screenplay were very serious at playing up the "warning" they were going for.
garyldibert
TITLE: DAY OF THE ANIMALS, Release Date: 5/13/1977, Runtime: 97 Minutes STARRING: Lynda Day George, Christopher George, and Leslie Nielsen The Day of the Animals is a 1977 American horror film thriller directed by William Girdler and based on a story written by Edward L. Montoro. Premiering on May 13, 1977, the movie reunited stars Christopher George and Richard Jaeckel, director Girdler and producer Montoro from the previous year's hit film Grizzly.SUMMARY: A nature-loving group of hikers set out on a two-week survival mission in the Sonora Pass area of California's High Sierras. As the group begins its trek, the animal population of the Sierras slowly congregates around them. One of them hears a news bulletin that scientists believe the earth's ozone layer has been depleted to a critical level with a warning of possible danger at higher altitudes. Therefore, begins the pursuit by the animals of the humans. The high drama and frightful tension will have you on the edge of your sea.QUESTION: Can anyone survive The Day of the Animals? MY THOUGHTS: The high drama and frightful tension will have you on the edge of your sit, asking yourself can anyone survive the Day of the Animals. I remember this movie because of Lynda Day George. However I was disappointed that she didn't play a bigger role. I did luck the scenery of the Sierra Mountains so I give this Picture 6 Weasel stars.
