Fantastic Revamping of a Familiar Story...

Rating: 7/10 (26 March 2008)

I had heard a lot of hype about this film before I was finally able to watch it. I didn't catch it in theatres; I had to wait and purchase it on DVD. I wouldn't say it lived up to all the talk I'd heard, but it was still an awesome movie. The film is based on the 1954 book by Richard Matheson; in the year 2012, the world's entire population has been driven to near extinct by the Krippin Virus. The majority of the remaining population have been turned into Darkseekers, mutated into primitive creatures with a weakness to UV light. Will Smith plays Robert Neville, the last survivor in New York City who lives alone with his dog and struggles to find a cure.
Will Smith has been one of my favorite, most-respected actors in recent years and he does a great job in this role, considering the man is alone for the majority of the film. His only interactions occur with his dog or the mannequins he has placed around the city to give it some semblance of a civilization; I can think of few other actors that would've been able to give the same performance with so little. My favorite scenes in the movie all involve his conversations with the "locals", particularly a scene with Fred.
My only real complaint with the movie is the CGI. The Darkseekers were all done with CGI and probably some motion-capture. Unfortunately, most instances where you see the Darkseekers, it's very apparent that they're computer-generated. It's never obvious enough that it pulls the audience out of the movie experience but it does detract from the film a bit.
Overall, the movie is a totally positive experience. If you get a chance, make sure to check out the alternate ending on the special edition DVD. I found that I actually prefer the "controversial" alternate ending versus the theatrical ending. While the theatrical ending provides more closure, I almost felt it was pointless. Whereas the alternate ending provides the filmmakers for further exploration of the story in the future.