All alone in the eerie deserted city of New York, carpeted with weeds breaking through the roads, derelict buildings falling apart, one man survives looking for a cure to fix a man made pandemic which has turned the human race into vampiric zombies.
Written by Elliot Lines
The visual representation of this world is the first element thrown in your face, the world is a wasteland, one of the busiest cites on the planet is no more. Making use of nature to emphasise this fact, the absence of man is felt strongly throughout the film, not only in the visuals though, but also in the deliverance from Will Smith.
Smith manages to sell this lonesome survivor role of Dr Robert Neville, where his only "friends" come in the form of a German Shepard and some manikins. He is desperate to find the cure, holding tests in the lab below his home, he is not ready to give up. But when the antagonists go after his way of life he reaches breaking point.
These antagonists come in the form of a combination of vampire/zombie like creatures, turned from humans. Unfortunately they don't do much to provide a scare, i'm sure put in Roberts situation you'd be petrified, but on screen they don't have the same affect. The only moment they have an affect is the first meeting, following Robert look for Sam (the dog) inside a dark building, the tension is key here but after this these monsters leave no real impression.
Now the ending, or endings. There are two of them, both of which work well but have different affects on the overall impact. This is something that needs to be witnessed and decided on with your own judgement, but ultimately, both work and provide a fitting end to the story.
Not hitting on all fronts, but Smith does well to portray a lonesome survivor attempting to bring some normality to his life. Perfectly set in a derelict world the only issues come in the form of Dr Robert Neville's own antagonists. Be sure to look out for that alternate ending.