Oscar nomination worthy performance in terrifying movie

Rating: 8/10 (24 July 2009)

Thought this was a turkey from the arrogant title (oh, it's from the original book), and I'm really not a big fan of Will Smith, who I long thought cruised to great fame with a modicum of talent. But, this is a dandy, terrifying, sci-fri, zombie-vampire last man on earth movie.. and Will Smith turns out a tremendous nuanced performance. The shot of him cringing in the bathtub as night falls is an indication of how good he is in this virtual nonstop monologue, on screen almost every second, but he cycles through every emotion: hysteria, desperation, longing, madness, resolution, denial, disbelief, terror, agony all told it's an Oscar nomination worthy performance.
The creatures are fearsome hairless mutant humans, able to run 40 mph, climb walls, take 5 shots and keep coming.. and of course with an insatiable hunger for human flesh. The hiding from light of course is vampire behavior and zombies are supposed to be slow and dull witted, but who says genres are fixed in stone. This movie looks good- the scenes of an abandoned derelict New York are magnificent, the music is moving and ominous and the whole premise is deeply terrifying. Smith makes this movie work, and it really is a tremendous piece of work.