Smith assures his "Legend"ary status

Rating: 7/10 (19 December 2007)

Think about if you were producing a movie about the last man on earth. You *have* to cast one actor. Who do you cast? The answer is clearly Will Smith, "I Am Legend" aside. If the human race was 99.9% wiped out or turned evil by a mutating virus that was initially a cure for cancer, I would personally volunteer Will Smith as the last man alive. He could have my place.
Smith plays Robert Neville, a former military officer that before the virus outbreak was the leading figure on a defense plan in case something happened, and afterward is humanity's only hope for a cure. By day Smith and his dog hunt and wait at one spot for any survivors and by night they must remain confined to their home as the infected "super" humans have violent tendencies. Basically he has to survive long enough to find a cure and maybe he can fix the human race. The part just begs for Smith's resume (Independence Day, I-Robot)
With the film focusing on almost nothing but Smith, he has to be interesting or the film fails. Director Francis Lawrence (Constantine) helps Smith succeed by using suspense and a writing team of Mark Protosevich and the acclaimed Akiva Goldsman keeps the facts unraveling at the perfect pace for keeping up interest level in mere background alone. The audience is intrigued in Smith's every endeavor.
The visuals of this post-apocalyptic Manhattan are astounding and Smith takes command of it brilliantly, yet his character is portrayed as very emotional and unstable, unlike many previous films in which he is in the business of being "the man." It's believable and bad ass.
Any actor who can take a film like this that's so basic and make it any bit good and successful financially clearly is a legend. If this doesn't cement Smith's status as one of the greatest stars of this generation (right next to if not above Tom Cruise) then it will just take another box-office shattering action flick to prove it.