[zybar]

I guess I'm in the minority, but I didn't think this was horrible.  Lots of holes in the story, but I went in with the mindset that this was going to be a popcorn action film, and on that level, I found it enjoyable.

You aren't alone on this one Phil.

I still found it mostly enjoyable even though it had lots of story problems.

Now if they could have just had a decent ending...

George

[kbuzz3]

I have to agree with kbuzz3 here, castaway did nothing for me except allowed me the time for an extended nap

Chuck Heston - 

Planet of the apes
Soylent Green
Omega man

Three of my Favorites in the sci-fi field i could name another half a dozen films of his out of that realm but  i will stick to sci-fi for now

we walked out yesterday ....and went to see something else.  Thoughts: at least it was better then castaway. tom hanks being the most boring and overrated modern actor.

secondly, can you say "chuck heston"

Let me amend my post...my wife walked out, i was kinda of enjoying it at that point which was about 20-30 minute mark, even though it was one hundred percent derivative e.g, a total bite of a dozen or so others.  With that said, i am a will smith fan, and do believe he has the chrisma and talent to make a good movie. While i understand those who cant get the fresh prince thing out of thier mind "(see beastie boys- never elevated or could get past "right to party") i think he is one who has grown up and out of the that kind of thing.

I may give it another shot with a friend. What always bothered me about this kind of story is, Why the f$%#K wouldnt  you just go to the burbs or country?  More importantly, it ridiculous that the only survivor is a leading virologist!!!

I mean what if the only survivior was as fashion designer or a audiogeek?

[PhilNYC]

What always bothered me about this kind of story is, Why the f$%#K wouldnt  you just go to the burbs or country?  More importantly, it ridiculous that the only survivor is a leading virologist!!!

I mean what if the only survivior was as fashion designer or a audiogeek?

SPOILER*****************
The explanation in the film was that New York was "Ground Zero" where the virus was first released.  Later in the film, you see a wall of pictures of "test subjects"...all of whom were tested for the vaccine over the last 1000 days...so it's clear that he stays there because New York has the greatest volume of test subjects for him to try to find a cure.  That a special forces soldier/virologist happened to be one of the 1% of humans naturally immune was a bit of a stretch, I suppose...
**********************

[JeffB]

I actually really liked it, even the ending.  Perhaps it is because I knew nothing about the movie at all and went with no expectation of it being good.
The super strength vampire zombie humans doesn't bother me, I just chalk it up to fantasy.

[James Romeyn]

I don't know why but for some reason I really have to stretch my imagination to be able to get into a "serious" movie starring Will "Fresh Prince of Belair" Smith. Star power is OK to sell tickets at the box office but I think in some cases unknown actors would add more credibility to the characters.
I remember the first time I saw Ben Kingsley in a movie.  In my mind I was actually seeing Gandhi as opposed to some big name($$$) Hollywood star portraying Gandhi. 

You wanna see Ghandi see the BBC mini-series (or movie, can't remember) Lord Mountbatten...positively eerie resemblance beats Kingsley (though Ben is good).  Even the Mountabatten character is a close double for the real guy.  Available on DVD.  A great apparently historically accurate depiction of India's independence from GB & the creation of Pakistan/Bangladesh (Bangladesh first proposed as West Pakistan).  Mountbatten's strange marriage also included, but not his sad death at the hands of terrorists years later.  Lots of kick ass BBC videos.

[Randy]

When the story was written, it was one of the first "zombie" stories since the 1930s voodoo zombie movies. The first film version was made four years before
"Night of the Living Dead," which is usually given credit for the wave of similar movies in the last thirty years or so. The producers of the film, titled "The Last Man on Earth," were forced to make the film in Italy because of censorship problems in the U.S. over what was considered a shocking story at the time.  Needless to say, it is very tame by current standards. At any rate, despite the dubbed dialog (many of the actors spoke only Italian), and the cheap 50s style sci-fi production values, and Vincent Price's hammy performance, it is far more entertaining than the Will Smith version. Not happy with the film, the author of the original story, Richard Matheson (script writer for dozens of Twilight Zone episodes) tried to get his name off the credits, but when told he would lose residuals if he did, he opted for a fictional "pen name" which appeared in the credits in place of his real name.  The Chuck Heston version, is a cheesy 1970s style movie, good for laughs. Only in "Last Man" are the zombies scary or even interesting, since they still resemble "the living dead," and are not cartoon characters like they are in the Smith version. The head zombie was in his previous life Price's best friend, and both worked in the lab looking for a cure for the disease. He shows up at Price's house every night calling out "Morgan, come on out!" A creepy episode is when Price's wife, who he had buried after she died of the virus, comes knocking on the front door, whispering, "let me in!" and reminds me of the classic short horror story, "The Monkey's Paw."

[nonoise]

Just saw the movie.
Kind of a retread at best. Smith does have some star power but it's based on his popularity with the masses and we all have cliches about that one.
I thought the CGI was derivative. The lead zombie looked like Mr. Hyde from the 'League of Extrodinary Gentleman'.
Not that convincing. It was formulaic all the way: designed to elicit a desired response within
the confines of the setup. Smith even said, on 60 Minutes, that all of his movies were based on what was popular: what grossed the most and how were they made. I don't see him taking any real chances, except for that one where he was homeless and with his kid.
I expected better, from the reviews.

nonoise

[martinr]

Saw it last night at an Imax....did not think it lived up to its reviews.....would give it a B- at best....didn't realize it was a ridiculous zombie movie

I thought Will Smith did a good job...but zombies?!?  Give me a break

[nonoise]

The best zombie movies are the ones where you know, going in, are zombie movies.
I don't think anything will ever touch 28 Weeks Later for some time to come. The sense of dread
and fear that builds was so nicely done. I guess its all a matter of style since one kinda knows
what is to happen. Its all in the story telling: the script, director, cast, etc.
When one is limited to only a few characters, one has to be careful and tasteful and this director just pushed buttons and aimed for the youth crowd. Even the shots of the red Mustang looked like something out of the Gran Turismo video game.

nonoise