Posts tagged Will Smith

If you grew up watching Will Smith, you may find yourself expecting another Independence Day/iRobot/Men In Black type situation, where the Fresh Prince saves the world whilst keeping us heartily entertained. Alas, this is not one of Big Wills best films, but you can’t help thinking…it’s not his fault…

The film centres heavily around Dr. Robert Neville, played by Smith, who is searching for a cure, and survivors, in the aftermath of a virus which has wiped out nearly all of mankind by birthing night walking zombies. An excellent cameo by Emma Thompson as the modest creator of the cure is worth savouring early in the film.

The directing is totally uninspiring, from shaky camera work in a hunting scene early in the film, that makes you feel queezy (more queezy than paying £7.60 for a cinema ticket in Harrow), to not justifying how this clean, slightly anally retentive, doctor, has a need to shoot and eat live deer/antelope/yak…(Call me spiciest, but they all look the same).

There are some moments of glory, but they should have been more than moments. When the zombies start to get more sophisticated in taking revenge on the Doctor for capturing one of their own, we could’ve easily delved into a darker psyche of the blood thirsty co-stars. The zombies themselves look like some rejects from a Lord of the Rings bad guy convention, and although the virus keeps them indoors wearing sunscreen SPF 8000, they seem to be able to leap over cars and climb up poles. Trust me, every zombie in this flick has a gym membership, and with your average US waist size being the width of a vauxhall corsa, that doesn’t make sense.

They roar, but don’t speak, die when shot in the head, but not when head butting bullet proof glass to the point where is smashes. The worst inconsistency is seeing Will fall asleep in a bathtub after blocking out all the light in the house, but waking up to the sun beaming on him in his bed. He must have cringed at the premiere. Also there is a scene where a sweaty topless Smith is is doing pull ups, ripped like an Olympian. Unless you have the same physique, don’t watch this with your girlfriend, she may never talk to you again.

Still amongst all this, Will Smith carries the character well. You see his lonlyness slowly start to eat away at him to the point of a failed suicide, and enjoy the compassion as he discovers more survivors. On that last note, product endorsements include apple juices, spam and Christianity, all completely unnecessary, but you’ll get it when you see it.

Never the less, Smith is absolutely compelling, a star in a fairly polluted sky of mistakes and sloppy work. If the lead was played by Bruce Willis, you may as well have launched the DVD in petrol stations.

So that’s where it ends, it’s a DVD you would rent, if the rental was free promo, or you would watch on TV, if you didn’t have to sit through commercials. It was 2007 biggest grossing opening film, with a fair amount of hype, but it got lucky.