A movie about a man living by himself in a monster infested city is nothing new these days; we've been blessed wth 28 days later and 28 weeks later and a number of T.V. shows to boot that hold this same notion, but that doesn`t damage the hype that was set around this flick. The first trailer for this film featuring a scared Will Smith walking into a dark room and having creatures running in the dark is bound to stir up some hype but the marketing fell through when they showed the monsters a bit too early and it leaked all over the internet, but oh well, lets get to the movie.This movie opens brilliantly; there is no music at the beginning just some talking, actually a news program and as the opening titles roll through we finally get to an interview. A woman is being interviewed and it's amazing because it shows that a doctor has cured cancer. It's a triumphant moment that's tenderly acted and brilliantly conceived, it's so powerful that it will give you shivers, then the screen goes black and we are introduced to something very different. We see New York, three years later, no one is there and it's way too quiet, then we see Will driving a mustang through the empty streets. This part is so eerie and the special effects are really quite amazing; this part is so haunting that it builds a creepy edge to this movie. We finally tag along for the ride as Robert Neville searches for a cure. The suspense in the first half of the movie is phenomenal as it builds up so nicely and the eerie quiet gets creepier and creepier. The flashback system works well too here as the director is hinting a something that's very dangerous and looming, he has a surprise for us. The filming is uncanny and fresh but what's even greater is the acting of Will Smith. Will Smith does an amazing job at finding a character and reacting to his surroundings and he's so fun to watch. This movie is really a showcase for his great acting ability and if an actor can make a man talking to a mannequin seem emotionally empowering, then, he is a good actor. Simply brilliant. Once the monsters get introduced is when this movie becomes crippled and the director loses steam.
The beginning is amazingly suspenseful and builds up to what should be a rousing movie that will stand the test of time but when the monsters get introduced is when the movie simply falls short of movie greatness. First of all the monsters are not monsters; they are infected humans and they are done with CG, yes CG, not actors who are in make up but CG and if you don't know what that is it's computer generated effects. This CG wasn't great either at times these monsters really aren't all that convincing making the beginning look like a gimmick. There were great moments of intensity and suspense; walking through a dark building flashing a light in different places making every moment jumpy, this scene was brilliant or even when Neville gets tangled in a trap makes for a great run and gun scene. This movie loses steam in the middle as new characters are introduced and the monsters just become more and more irrelevant. The ending to this film is passable and predictable and borderline cheese-ball but it works and makes sense for the movie but you can tell a studio made it.
Overall, this movie wasn't horrible the beginning was amazing and ingenious but the director gets muffled has we hit the middle of the movie and he loses that vibrancy that was in the first half. This movie is the best acted movie by the star actor and a reason why any movie lover should watch this flick. The ending also contains the biggest cliches and dumbest allusions that are stolen from The Matrix and any originality that was found in the first half of this movie was lost by the end. Although the ending was predictable it was pretty epic and profound and it worked with the movie making this movie a good, solid watch. The monsters could've been better but the skilled filmmaking made for some pretty creepy and intense moments. This is a package that doesn't fully work as a whole but it has moments and parts that shine so brightly and that made this not a wasted watch. This movie is good, not amazing, and a bit of an overstatement but it works.
