I Am Legend (DVD)

The movie opens in 2009, with Dr. Alice Crippen (Emma Thompson) announcing the discovery of a cure for cancer, unaware that her vaccine also causes rabies. Fast-forward three years, and we find New York City in complete chaos. The healthy few are being evacuated, while the infected are being left behind to morph into ghouls. Although virologist Robert Neville (Smith) has been given a clean bill of health, he gallantly opts to stay in the city to work on an antidote in the lab in the basement of his brownstone.

So, after he tearfully bids adieu to his wife (Salli Richardson) and daughter (Willow Smith), he divides his time between research and blowing away the occasional nocturnal creature he encounters after dark. Not surprisingly, Will Smith comes across as quite the macho charmer in his familiar role as the hero having to save the planet.



I Am Legend is actually at its best early on, while Will is solo and captured starkly against the breathtaking backdrop of the vast, urban wasteland. Unfortunately, the second-rate special effects leave a lot to be desired, so the arrival of the cheesy mansters he has to wrestle with fails to measure up to the tension built in anticipation.

Nonetheless, it's got a great performance by Smith and just enough edge-of-your-seat entertainment to remain recommended, even if the cinematic house of cards collapses during the third act.

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I really liked this film i never thought i would be glued to a film like this which has so little actors in it but will smith was great my eyes never left the screen.
To worn you it is said but still brill.
One to watch.

it is a brilliant film from start to finish, i went to see it at pics and i said that when released i would buy it and here we are, excellent.

Pro's
The opening half of the movie...in which New York is vividly recast as post-apocalyptic dystopia.
Smith's portrayal of a man slowly going insane. Considering this is a big-budget Hollywood movie, this is subtle and quietly moving. Flashbacks to pre-apocalypse confusion are interspersed with care and inform Smith's character and the plot.
The idea that it is Smith who is now the monster. After all, from the perspective of the other residents of the new New York it is Smith who is the outsider. He lurks in his basement like a Frankenstein conducting lethal experiments on innocent subjects he captures.
The sense of dread. This is built slowly and cumulatively. The scene where the dog runs into a dark, seemingly empty building is exquisitely tense.
Sam the Dog. Seems strange to praise a dog for its acting, but for most of the film it's just Smith and Sam and they make a fine double act.

Con's
The second half of the movie. Once the monsters are revealed in all their CGI glory the movie turns into a loud, shouty action flick. The psychological and moral arguments are shunted out of the way and we are left with a series of ever-louder explosions.

I'd consider this an interesting but flawed movie. The first half is great - filled with loads of striking imagery and interesting thoughts about isolation, survival, personal morality, the boundaries of sanity and human arrogance. The second half is more interested in bombs, guns, and monsters. Worth watching for the performances of Smith and Sam.

What can I say? All the best bits are in the trailer. I was really looking forward to this film being a sci-fi fan, but was left very dissapointed. It lacks the strong storyline of Richard Mathesons book. If you want a good story, save your money and get The Omega Man instead.