Watchable, but not great.

Rating: 6/10 (4 January 2008)

It's not a great movie but it's a good movie. The premise is simple (thank goodness), somewhat far-fetched (hey, it's Hollywood), and Will Smith is no Tom Hanks (the movie is kind of a take off on Castaway). However, except for a brief lull about two-thirds of the way through the movie where the Neville character is trying to make a point using the music of Bob Marley (which I'm sure will create a surge in people wanting to buy reggae music), the movie is watchable. As usual with most Hollywood movies, special effects are way overblown and after awhile are almost laughable. The dark seekers are frightening, at first, but what's somebody supposed to do when a bunch of them infest your house? This movie shows that if you get sick but lose your mind and regress into something resembling the cross between a screaming banshee and a housefly, you will not only survive but will flourish. Also, Will Smith was miscast for this movie's central role and his character's behavior and overall good mental and physical shape is completely inconsistent with his circumstances which are dire and life-threatening at best. Despite these shortcomings, the movie tells a story and for that reason is worth watching. But Will Smith is not Laurence Olivier and this movie is not Shakespeare. So if you're expecting something with a deep philosophical message, move on to something else.