I Am A Sucky Film

Rating: 1/10 (13 January 2008)

Really bad movie that I wish I hadn't wasted my money on. The plot is so full of hole it's ridiculous: * 3 years into the apocalyptic future, and Neville is driving about in just-waxed cars? How? Fuel oxidises in a few months, and certainly after 3 years would be fairly useless. Guess that doesn't matter? Guess product placement is more important than realism? * Neville has useless 'pastimes' with no explanation. Just juvenile fulfilment? Again, driving shiny fast cars through overgrown NYC. Hitting golf balls of an aircraft wing on top of an aircraft carrier? Hunting deer through the streets? All with no reason or explanation, just playboy fantasy.
*Everyone else has been eaten by the darkseekers or killed by the virus, but Neville somehow has a very flash 'pad' in the middle of the city that hasn't been breached by the night stalkers or looted by others? * The darkseekers purportedly cannot survive cold temperatures, yet have lived in NYC for 3 years where the temperature is minus during the winter. No explanation.
* Houses and stores are neat and dust free... after 3 years? Who is doing the cleaning? * Darkseekers have somehow superhuman skills, and can bound about like small monkeys, hang from the ceiling, and see in pitch dark. Totally out with the bounds of sense for what a virus could do to a human.
* The non-characters Anna and Ethan appear out of nowhere. Did they use a boat? A boat that, presumably, can carry a SUV, as they arrive in Vermont in the same vehicle.
* Anna pulls Neville out of his car wreck and into her car, even though he is twice her weight.
* Neville's home lab is well fitted out, with even a glass fronted 'cage' for restraining the darkseekers, how was this possible in the time leading up to the crisis? Or does everyone who is in the military medical division have their own fully kitted out private lab in the basement of their posh Manhattan home? * Neville is hung upside down by his leg for, presumably, several hours, yet is able to recover, cut himself loose, and regain the use of his foot. His foot would have been severely, probably permanently, damaged by the constriction.
* Somehow Nevilles house has remained a safe haven from the darkseekers for 3 years, yet they are able to breach it by chewing through the ceiling? * Why does Neville sprinkle a liquid on the steps of his home? No explanation.
* Nevilles blood is given to Anna, but not the formula for the cure? Doh! * Anna has heard of Damian Marley but not Bob Marley? Why? * There is more goofs at http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0480249/goofs I am sure there are many more blunders, but these are the ones I remember from a day ago.
This film really sucks the big one. As everyone says, the CGI graphic animals and darkseekers are cartoon-like and badly done. The gee-whizz overgrown NYC scenes are OK, but unless you live there, it doesn't really matter. The plot is thin for the first 2/3, then deteriorates rapidly with Anna the 'angel' spreading her gospel. The anti-scientific and pro-Christian undertones are obvious and preachy, and don't help the story at all. The flashbacks are annoying and serve no purpose other than to tell a boring story of how Neville's wife and daughter were killed, and the film fails to make us feel any sympathy at all for them (and shows us no reaction from Neville to the incident). The ending and meaning to the 'legend' is trite and cheesy. The dog dying is cheap emotion. We feel very little sympathy for Neville. There really is so much to dislike about this film. Utter nonsense, not worth watching unless it is shown on TV and you don't mind spending 1 1/2 hours of your life getting annoyed!