House of ZAN Forum

[Ravage]

I just got back from seeing this movie. I dont' think you guys did it justice in your descriptions. It was a great movie. Admittedly, it would have been far better had I not been vaguely familiar with the original book. Thankfully, I didn't read the book, or else the movie probably wouldn't have stacked up.

Anywho, Wil Smith's acting was par excellence. I know they don't usually do this for non-dramas, but he needs an Oscar nomination. The first 3/4 of the movie was brilliantly lonely, much akin to Tom Hanks in "Castaway". Smith was no less gifted here.

My two complaints are 1) I felt the movie could have stood to be less action/suspense oriented. You don't need to be frightened in a movie like this, just get as much story as you possibly can. 2) The ending. While I will admit that the ending was very good, I was previously familiar with the original ending.

Originally, Neville found a sub-section of vampires, who looked like the infected people, but retained a certain amount of their humanity. This was kind of what they showed in the movie, with the more thoughtful activity, but the original story took it further. These still-living folks feared Neville, and sent one of themselves to spy on him. Long story short, they eventually end up trapping him, and dragging him to their lair, where they execute him. He had become a legend among their culture, as the day-walker who killed them in their sleep. Hence the title.

I think I would have preferred that ending.

[Grand Master Sef]

not real sure how I did not do the movie justice in my review on my Xanga. oh, you don't like xanga so you probably didn't read it. lol.
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[Ravage]

I didn't read your xanga, no, I meant when I was talking to you and Dana about it on vent, you both said it was good, but were debating whether it was worth it for me to see in theatre.

And on the Xanga front, I actually read your year-in-review and commented. So there!

[Erik Dodd]

I downloaded it and watched it, I thought it was awesome, cant wait to buy it
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Είναι όλα τα ελληνικά σε με

[Grand Master Sef]

[Dana]

Oh how quickly we forget!

I said the movie was excellent -- The CGI and cinematography was amazing. I told you guys that Will Smith's performance put him up there with actors like Tom Hanks and Anthony Hopkins. The two scenes that stand out in my mind are 1) in his lab when Sam starts to turn, and 2) in the video store the next day when he finally talks to the "woman" in the corner.

I hadn't read the book, but after d00g explained it to me, I can see what the big differences were. I'm glad I learned about the book AFTER seeing the movie, because otherwise the movie wouldn't have been as good.

Like Damin, I thought there was too much emphasis on the suspense and "scary" parts. I thought the monsters were too monstrous, with their unhinged jaws and ridiculously-exaggerated screaming.

What I DID say was that I didn't think the movie was worth seeing in a theater, where everything is ratcheted-up. But that's just me. The movie was VERY intense, putting the viewer on a roller-coaster of emotions like gladness, compassion, heartbreak and hopelessness. It's also a movie I'll only see once -- the re-watch factor of this movie is very low. I encourage everybody to see it... just don't ask me to see it again with you.
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[Ravage]

I think that's fair. You're absolutely right about those two scenes and how they reflect on Will Smith's acting ability, too. I dunno if I'd ever watch it again, just because there's really too little story and too much suspense, but if you haven't seen it, I definitely suggest it.

[Admiral Trell]

Personally, the movie ending seems better than how the book ending sounds - - at least the part about him being executed.

I absolutely LOVED the movie! Its main power was its ability to get you thinking about what the world would be like w/out us, how would WE have gone about surviiving (at least beyond learning how to use high-caliber machine guns YAAAAAAA!!!!!)

I admit that I got a bit lost in it. Really hit a nerve in me - probably the part of trying to get your family out, just knowing that this engineered virus is loose and is gonna wipe everything out. Freaked me out.

I would really like to see 2 more movies made on this. One should show a little bit more of the details of how everything fell apart, and his early days alone. Second, I'd like to see a movie about how the survivors try to "retake" the world/cure the Nightwalkers over say, 1, 10, 50, 100, 300 years down the road (or so).

Oh, and the next time I hear about someone trying to engineer new retroviruses, or the idiots trying to make "new life" (gotta look that one up)
- - TAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARDS!!!!!!!!!!!!!

RRARARAW-BBPPPP-WAAWWAWAWA-CORNHOLIO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Grand Master Sef]

[Dana]

While we're making apocalyptic and post-apocalyptic world movies, I wanna see a big screen adaptation of The Deconstruction of Falling Stars.
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[commandertracker]

I don't know what I can say here that hasn't been said already, except that I thought the intensity and the suspense made the move the excellent showpiece that it was.

Don't know how many times I would see it again though. Just not the rewatchable kind of movie.

You really got your nose rubbed into all the sad/despair/plodding along because you have to not because you want to atmosphere in the movie, and I don't think a person could watch that movie and ever again have a negative opinion on Will Smith's acting abilities.

I was kinda disappointed in the ending. I'm not sure that I would have liked the book's ending either though - it would have possibly been too much of a disapointment and maybe not emotionally charged enough to fit the rest of the movie. I could see a person going to the movie, being filled with and reacting to the despair, the dark somber mood of it, carry the tiny themes of hope threaded into the movie, watch it all get squashed at the end, and walk out of the theater with a hollow feeling of disappointment in the whole thing.

When I watched the ending I at first wished they had let him live, but that would have fit less with the movie than the other two.

Not sure how I feel about other movies either - the whole movie was the intensity of the situation and the acting of Will Smith. If you watched a second movie already knowing the story/atmosphere I don't think it would be as good...just like I am sure the movie would not be as good if you watched it a second time.
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[Wang]

I, like E. Dodd, downloaded it and watched it and I liked it. But too much stuff reminded me of Resident Evil. Yeah Will Smith was good in this movie but I just think move of Resident Evil when I was watching this movie.

[Ravage]

They made the "vampires" too cartoonish and feral in the movie. I think, had they opted to show the sub-society of intelligent, humanlike vampires, then the book ending would have been brilliant. As they developed it in the film, no, I guess it would be a letdown.

I'm not one that always looks for a happy/hopeful ending. Outer Limits was always known for sad, distraught endings, and I still feel that show had some of the best stories ever told.

[Grand Master Sef]

I'm sorry but the Wolf Canadian Destroyer keeps PWNING ME! GO WOLF! HOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOWL!!!!!!
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[Dana]

The greatest part is, it's not JUST a Canadian Destroyer, but a Canadian Destroyer POWERBOMB OFF TEH PYRAMIDZ!!1!

Seriously tho, those things are huge and take forever to load like Lee's sig did... probably isn't a problem at home w/ cable, but here at work they take a good while to load.
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