Movie Review: I Am Legend

Starring:
Will Smith, Emma Thompson, Alice Braga, Salli Richardson, Charlie Tahan, April Grace

Director:
Francis Lawrence (Constantine)

MPAA Rating:
PG-13 for intense sequences of sci-fi action and violence.

Release Date:
December 2007

Synopsis:
A terrible virus has spread across the planet and turned the human race into bloodthirsty monsters. Mankind's only hope for survival is scientist Robert Neville, the one person left unaffected by the epidemic. When he's not fighting for his life against the hordes of the infected, Neville searches for a cure to reverse the virus' effects, while battling his own doubt and despair as he spends every day alone.

My Two Cents:
Not being familiar with the original novel by Richard Matheson, and not having seen The Omega Man or any other adaptations of the film I was not sure what to expect from the Will Smith version. I only knew what was revealed in the trailers. Will Smith plays Robert Neville, the sole survivor of a terrible viral outbreak that turned every human being into creatures of the night, and the movie depicts his every day struggle to survive.

The outbreak is the result of a mutation in the vaccine created by Dr. Alice Krippin to cure cancer. The exact details of the mutation are unknown, but it is known that the KV (Krippin Virus) killed 90% of Earth’s population, leaving 9% infected but alive and only 1% completely immune and healthy. Those 9% infected have deteriorated into a primitive state of aggression and animal like agility. They hunted down the 1% that were immune and apparently ate them. Robert Neville is the only survivor, hiding out in his heavily boarded Washington Square Park apartment.

When the movie starts it has already been 3 years since the outbreak. Robert Neville is the only man alive in the world and is out hunting for food with his pet dog Sam, apparently the only uninfected dog around. There’s a shitload of deer running around right in the middle of Fifth Avenue as well as lions. Why those wild animals there, uninfected, I not explained. Robert only wanders away from his home during the day, because the infected are heavily burned by the slightest rays of sunshine. Like vampires, the only prowl the streets at night, looking for food and trying to find Neville’s home.



Similar to Tom Hanks in Cast Away, Will Smith is the only onscreen character for most of the movie, not counting the infected and his dog. He talks to Sam and to mannequins he has placed around different spots, like a video store he likes to visit. After 3 years of being alone, talking to plastic people would seem pretty normal. Will Smith is such a fine actor and likeable guy that he doesn’t even need co-stars to make a huge blockbuster hit. The movie’s budget was around $150 million dollars and grossed over $540 millions. Smith is the man.

I liked the movie, the effects and pretty much everything else, but when the action started to pick up the credits started to roll. I felt the ending was too depressing, even if hope is never truly lost. The Special Edition DVD as well as the hi-def versions of I Am Legend will feature an alternative ending that I think should have been the official theatrical ending as well. Actually, the alternate ending was the real ending but this was changed at the last minute for some reason. But regardless of the ending, I had a good time and enjoyed Will Smith’s performance, feeling his despair and soiling my pants whenever an infected crept by the screen. I Am Pleased.

Score: