Could have been so much better

Rating: 5/10 (1 January 2013)

This is a sad example of how a great premise and some great production and some great acting can be badly let down by crappy Hollywood conventions that ruin the atmosphere and puncture the viewers suspension of disbelief. I am referring to the awful cheesy old routines that are used over and over again. Stuff that makes A VERY LOUD NOISE for no reason other than to make the viewer jump. Yes well this viewer has seen way to many of those for it to have any effect any more except to be very annoying. Then there is the fact that every 'monster' must make a roaring shrieking hissing sound like a lion crossed with a hissing serpent, even if they only have a human throat and voice box to do it with. Then the fact that every 'nail biter' is always exactly the same. 'JUST AT THE LAST MINUTE' is really a tiresome old chessnut by now. How about a little real world timing for a change? The cars that seem to be doing 300 mph and then turn on a dime, the helicopters that spin so violently they would just disintegrate in real life. The people hanging onto the skids of said helicopter! All of this just ruins any sense of realism which this movie could have exploited so much more. It is really creepy to see a deserted New York rendered so effectively. Will Smith does fine. It just is cursed with this cartoon flavor which totally ruined it for me.