Critics Club II: 40 - Will Smith

[Neon Ignition]

The final Critics Club II entry for 2018 see's us take it Big Willie Style!

Will Smith





Vote for the movie you feel is their best whilst also discussing their other work, your reasons for voting and thoughts on what is their weakest.

Some will have very long lists so some trimming will be required to focus on the key entries but broadly the main selection will be available each time.

[QualityChimp]

I like Will Smith, both the actor and person, but he does seem to play a similar part in most of his popular films.

I've not seen some of his serious work though, so I can't judge those.

I really liked Hancock. Bit different from the usual Superhero stuff. I liked how he was a bum, totally fed up with everybody asking him to do stuff.

I've voted for I Am Leg End.

I like the book and The Omega Man, even The Last Man on Earth has its merits, despite its age, so to take a story that's been done before and make it the definitive version, is pretty impressive.

Thought he had a good character to play and mixed the Will Smith persona nicely with somebody dealing with isolation and the ever-present danger of the night and what it brings.

The dog scene - argh!

[Atticus]

Will Smith was at the Abu Dhabi GP on Sunday and I couldn't believe it when they said he was 50. Put a sideways baseball cap on him and he's still the Fresh Prince.

[QualityChimp]

Ha, yeah!

Did you see him "kidnap" Lewis Hamilton?

[Atticus]

haha, that's absolutely class

[Asura]

Had to go with Independence Day, as it's my go-to when I think of it.

I think his best performance was probably I Am Legend, but that film is ruined because it was made by people who didn't understand the book (not "didn't understand why it was good"; I mean literally "didn't understand the literal events in the text") because the changes they made to the story result in the title not making any sense. It's one of those adaptations that honestly would've been better without the licence and a totally different name.

[QualityChimp]

I Am Legend, but that film is ruined because it was made by people who didn't understand the book (not "didn't understand why it was good"; I mean literally "didn't understand the literal events in the text") because the changes they made to the story result in the title not making any sense. It's one of those adaptations that honestly would've been better without the licence and a totally different name.

I get where you're coming from and the twist at the end of the book is really clever, but I thought the "legend" part was that it's his vaccine that will eventually cure the world.

[Asura]

I get where you're coming from and the twist at the end of the book is really clever, but I thought the "legend" part was that it's his vaccine that will eventually cure the world.

Maybe, but it'd be like adapting Star Wars to be about the rivalry of two pop-stars. A "war" between "stars" might be involved but it's not a good adaptation.

[Dogg Thang]

They did it with Ring. Totally reinterpreted the title for the US remake.

[QualityChimp]

Maybe, but it'd be like adapting Star Wars to be about the rivalry of two pop-stars. A "war" between "stars" might be involved but it's not a good adaptation.

Will that be canon with the rest of the SWCU?

To be fair, the other two films didn't follow the story and have the book's punchline either.

I thought Blade had a similar vibe, where he was the fabled "Daywalker" and many of the vampires recoil in fear just at the sight of him.

FILM FACTS!
Will Smith approached Guillermo Del Toro to direct I Am Legend, but he decided to make Hellboy II instead.
However, Del Toro's influence can still be seen in the finished film. "Some of the notes about their biology actually came from me going to Warner Bros. to show them my ideas," he revealed. "I found it quite nice that visually the vampires in that movie had some passing similarity to those from my movie Blade II."

[QualityChimp]

It's also worth pointing out that Guillermo Del Toro was a voice in The Book of Life, as was Troy Evans, who was in Planes, Trains and Automobiles along with Kevin Bacon, who was in Super, with Liv Tyler, who was in Jersey Girl with Will Smith.

[wakka]

So much bad stuff in this list. The only gold for me there is the Men In Black series, which I always felt was well underrated (although I do seem to have a thing for critically panned comedies) and the Bad Boys movies, which are both fun schlock. I've never seen I Am Legend though.

My favourite would have to be the original MIB, I'd say. Loads of fun, a cool idea, some nice action and good gags.

[Cassius_Smoke]

Yeah the original MIB. He was made for that role and it's still a good film now.

[Neon Ignition]

I have a soft spot with MIB but it's for the third entry which I enjoy the most, a miracle given how much of a mess making it seemed to be but it was a great way to cap the series and an uplift from the ropey second entry.