A solid opening, but wow, those effects...

Rating: 6/10 (21 July 2016)

Robert Neville, a brilliant scientist, is a survivor of a man-made plague that transforms humans into bloodthirsty mutants.
He wanders alone through New York City, calling out for other possible survivors, and works on finding a cure for the plague using his own immune blood.
Neville knows he is badly outnumbered and the odds are against him, and all the while, the infected wait for him to make a mistake that will deliver Neville into their hands.....
The first thirty minutes of this film is gripping, edge of your seat stuff, and if this was kept up for the rest of the film, it could have easily been one of the best films to be released in 2007.
Driving around New York City that has been overrun by wildlife and plant life looks absolutely breathtaking, with some wonderful shots, but still having that sense of claustrophobia and solitude about it.
Smith is brilliant, it's easily one of his finest performances, because he's restraint, and doesn't have to crack wise to his canine friend every five minutes.
But as soon as we meet one of the infected, the film goes downhill thanks to some really bad special effects. This is 2007 for crying out loud, and the effects are poorer then The Lawnmower Man.
Why not just have real people play the infected, there are good make up artists about. They did a really good job with 30 days of night, so why couldn't they do it here.
And it gets to the point where it distracts you from the action that is happening on screen. The saddest part of the film is ruined, because the effects just ruin the moment, and they turn into the elephant in the room.
Other than that, it's a solid movie, Smith has never been better, and the feeling of loneliness and threat are always present.
But the effects almost ruin the film.