I Am Legend (15)

This high-concept supernova begins with a news report that one Dr Krippin has found a cure for cancer. Only it's not, it's a deadly virus that has destroyed the entire human race, bar one man, an army scientist named Robert Neville (Will Smith). There are two remarkable things about this blockbuster.

The first is its bravura picture of New York the shots of a deserted Times Square and Fifth Avenue are amazingly eerie. The second is its portrait of isolation: it's not just that Neville, three years alone, is going nuts, but that Will Smith occupies a full hour's screentime on his own. It's bold, and successfully maintains suspense.