REVIEW: ‘Make My Day’ Is An Emotional Science Fiction Journey

On the colony planet Coldfoot, an isolated icy planet tha’ts home to the White prison. There, inmates slave away in horrible conditions to mine the precious resource known as Sig. The criminals mean nothing in this sci-fi world. But when the colony’s mining operation awakens a long-dormant alien race called The Swarm, part-time prison guard Jim Mirror and all those around him are soon struggling to find a way to escape from a horrifying nightmare in Make My Day.

For an eight-episode series, Make My Day delivers a lot. The core story that follows Jim and his companions as they escape from their dying colony would alone make for a frantic-paced story. But layered on to this are exploratory moments that look at the mistreatment of inmates within prison systems, the rampant corruption of corporate structures, and numerous other social ills. While the series manages to touch on all of its topics in a way that clearly lays out its thoughts, whether by directly addressing the problem through exposition or the events of the story, the show ultimately feels spread a bit too thin as it takes on too much for the time it has.

But while Make My Day overloads its story with elements, the cast is kept at a perfect size for the journey it goes on. Every notable character has important moments that let them shine and develop as personalities, while also impacting the story. Jim himself provides a great anchor for both the story and the larger cast.

As a new, part-time prison guard, Jim is uncomfortable with the way the colony’s prison is operated. As the aliens emerge, Jim’s focus quickly narrows down to trying to save as many people as possible. Whether inmate, civilian, or civil authority, everyone has the same value to Jim. This puts him at loggerheads with much of the cast at various points as many see some lives as being intrinsically more valuable than others.

How many of these conflicts of worth and perception are resolved is the biggest element of Make My Day that many will have a hard time swallowing. The narrative takes an extremely positive outlook towards its characters, as the vast majority come around to Jim’s point of view. People who have been raised in a hardened system, accepting it as the way things are supposed to be, don’t typically break out of those molds nearly as easily as they do here. It isn’t bad per se, but some of the moral triumphs feel a bit unearned.

While the speed with which the story’s interpersonal conflicts come robs them of some of their impacts, the visuals do all they can to make up for it. The CGI presentation does a great job showing how much hurt, fear, and joy the characters experience throughout their escape. The expressiveness of the animation surprised me, as I often find fully CGI series struggle in delivering emotions.

But of course, the core peril that drives Make My Day is the ever-present threat of The Swarm. From their design to how they function, these bizarre creatures are certainly some of the more unique aliens I’ve seen in science fiction. While they initially seem unkillable, as the humans unravel clues about the threat, they quickly become more believable, though they never lose any of the danger their approach brings.

The encounters with The Swarm run the gamut from one-on-one interactions to large-scale battles. Here again, the animation manages to deliver the intensity of these moments. I had no problem being pulled into each encounter, as the danger was always well-presented throughout the series.

Make My Day delivers a narrative with a blend of story, action, heart, and social commentary that is memorable and impactful. Despite trying to do too much, enough of its plot beats and characters land to make this an easy recommendation for any fan of science fiction.

Make My Day is streaming now on Netflix.