For movies whose themes center on apocalypse and epidemics, some people would think of cliches and tired formulas. However, there are different strains of diseases and the means of transmission that determine how quickly they spread. It could decimate a population within at least a month, or at least a year. It could decimate a population nationwide or worldwide, and a handful of survivors are left to fend for themselves, and/or find a solution to the crisis at hand. For some people living alone, it is a never-ending nightmare; for others it can be manageable.
In this film, a measles virus has been bio-engineered to attack cancer cells. It is the case where scientists have achieved a breakthrough against the dreaded disease of the western world. Unfortunately, it turns out that the cancer killers have a side effect: they mutate their host into vampire-like monsters called "darkseekers", which are prone to daylight and attack in droves.
Dr. Robert Neville (Will Smith) is a lone survivor (though is still accompanied by his dog, Samantha). He is the only human left on the planet who is immune to the virus, and so is his pet dog. The degree of immunity varies between the two: Neville is immune to both airborne dispersion and a contagious bite; Samantha is immune to airborne transmission, but not to the bite. The doctor has spent countless hours trying to synthesize a vaccine with his blood, only for the progress to be slow and cumbersome. In the meantime, he and his canine companion fend for themselves in their fortified apartment, day and night.
This film does not actually follow a sequence of events from the past through three years to the present; from the day the virus has been pioneered and hailed as a breakthrough, to the night all hell breaks loose. The events are set as flashbacks for a guy who has been tortured by the loss of his wife and daughter who were caught in the mayhem after passing through security checkpoints. It is tough for one to be left alone in a world where nobody contacts any other survivor. It is cruel for someone to live on and not die with his loved ones so that he wouldn't have to live perpetually alone.
Most horror flicks of this theme would implement make-up and prosthesis to create realistic effects of diseases. This movie does not: instead it implements C.G.I. on the darkseekers, the deer and the lions. Many instances of this result in the rubbery nature of the figures. It can be hard to think that these things exist, and it would be often disengaging to take these creations seriously. However, the C.G.I. and digital alterations have been implemented to give the city of New York a look of an aftermath, abandoned after three years. It is typical of a city that has been neglected for this long, with cracks in buildings, overgrown weeds, rusting metals, perpetual blackout and dry pipes. In a city rundown to this state, it is a struggle to survive.
This movie goes a mile in illustrating a situation where mankind's long absence has led to the emergence of animal that would normally be confined in zoos or the forests. In a deserted city, deer roam free and lions abound, even if there is a possibility of other carnivores competing for food. They are not shown, possibly due to the higher chances of them killing off the main character. It is nice to see that animals thrive in an apocalypse where humans and even dogs are infected, but strangely enough the deer and lions (along with various unseen animals) are not infected. This is not much of an inconsistency since darkseekers confine themselves to the city; they are unlikely to have migrated elsewhere and infected other animals.
It must be a struggle to live alone. Will Smith plays a character who tries all he can to adapt, by keeping mannequins as human companions. He does it with an impression that he still has a high spirit. No matter the situation, he can still have all the food, petrol, water, clothes, and even a generator available to survive until somebody responds to his frequent broadcasts. This movie probably has a sparse plot, but when we ask what the world would resemble once humanity is wiped out, this movie demonstrates the case scenario.
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