A Poor, Over-hyped Telling of a Good Story -- Trash

Rating: 4/10 (6 January 2008)

Virologist Robert Neville is the last man in New York after surviving a plague that was meant to cure cancer. Somehow, he is one of the few who was immune. Now, he continues to search for a cure while patrolling the streets with his dog, looking for survivors like himself. But, as the tagline says, "the last man on earth is not alone."
I had heard a lot of bad things about this film before going into it. My colleague, Tristan Sinns, trashed it in his review. I heard it was action-packed (which seems silly when you're by yourself in a desolate city). And it was directed by Francis Lawrence, who made "Constantine" (which, unlike everyone else, I don't care for). I tried to have an open mind and not compare it to the past versions I already enjoyed ("Last Man on Earth" and "Omega Man"). Clearly, this film doesn't match up to either of its predecessors, so don't watch those first if you want a chance of liking this one.
The biggest complaint I heard from people was what the critics call the "third-act collapse". As always, I cannot reveal the end, but I will say that there is some truth to the "collapse" -- after a suspenseful beginning and middle, we do spend a fairly short time trying to wrap everything up. And pretty much everyone who saw the film didn't agree with the way it was wrapped up. Myself, I thought it was abrupt but that the manner of the execution was decent and made sense. It certainly could have been much worse, and I'm glad that they chose a serious approach to the subject matter.
Another complaint I heard was about the "excessive and unrealistic" CGI. Believe me, I couldn't agree more. My hatred for computer effects is deep, and this film made sure to use every possible computer effect it could. Deer, lions and even infected humans are all computer-generated, and poorly done. If you can't get a real lion or deer, at least make them look good. And why have the people animated? It made them look cheesy and not the least bit scary. It's not hard to get people to be played by... wait for it... people! And it's not hard to make them look infected with a virus, as has been done in hundreds of films before.
If I had to say one good thing about this film, it's Neville's turn from God. Will Smith, in interviews, compared Robert Neville to Job. Except for the big difference: Job loses his family and becomes diseased and still loves God. Neville loses it all and ceases to believe in God. I found this to be somewhat edgy for the film and especially for Smith. There was no need to bring religion into the film, but I'm glad that they chose to do it in this manner: a strong, atheist character who still has impeccable morals despite a lack of faith. That's a bold move.
I don't recommend this film. At all. Watch "Last Man on Earth", "Omega Man" or "28 Days Later". Don't watch this one. It's bringing in high ratings now (for reasons I cannot understand), but I don't see it passing the test of time. A year or two from now and this film will fade into obscurity, or so I hope. Die-hard Will Smith fans will love it, and all others will just be bored.