Comes perilously close to hitting a complete bull's eye

Rating: 8/10 (10 January 2017)

Resourceful and determined scientist Robert Neville (a fine and credible performance by Will Smith) does his best to keep his sanity and find a cure for a deadly contagion that has either wiped out most of mankind or turned the ones who are left into murderous nocturnal mutants.
Director Francis Lawrence, working from a compact and compelling script by Mark Protosevich and Akiva Goldsman, keeps the absorbing story moving along at a constant pace, brings an impressive sense of tremendous scope to the premise (the expansive shots of an empty and desolate New York City are extremely striking and jarring), and ably crafts a powerfully unsettling mood of pure dread and despair. Moreover, the strong bond between Neville and his fiercely loyal canine companion Sam (well played by the beautiful German Shepherds Abbey and Kona) gives this film plenty of touching heart and warmth. Smith plays it serious and straight for once with remarkably spot-on results, Alice Braga lends sturdy support as soulful survivor Anna, Dash Mihok cuts an appropriately fearsome figure as the savage lead alpha male mutant, and Emma Thompson has a nice uncredited bit role as the well-meaning doctor whose cancer cure inadvertently beget the virus. Kudos are also in order for Andrew Lesnie's sharp widescreen cinematography and James Newton Howard's spare chilling score. Alas, the CGI creatures and wild animals look really cartoonish and unconvincing while the bittersweet ending fails to wrap things up in a satisfying manner. Those flaws aside, this film overall sizes up as a real on the money sci-fi/horror end-of-the-world winner.