I Am Legend
By Mitch Emerson
December 14, 2007 - 12:54
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Starring: Will Smith, Alice Braga, Dash Mihok, Salli Richardson-Whitfield, Charlie Tahan
Directed By: Francis Lawrence
Produced By: Erwin Stoff, Michael Tadross, Dana Goldberg
Genre: Action/Adventure, Science Fiction/Fantasy and Adaptation
Release Date: December 14th, 2007 (wide)
MPAA Rating: PG-13 for intense sequences of sci-fi action and violence.
Distributors: Warner Bros. Pictures Distribution
It's 2012, Robert Neville (Will Smith), is the last survivor living in New York after the “cure” for cancer mutated the rest of the population into bloodthirsty, light sensitive monsters. During the day he hunts and hits golf balls with his dog while waiting for other survivors to find him. But at night, he hides in fear of the mutated population that wants to kill him. Why? We don't know. And, Neville just happens to be a scientist trying to find a cure.
I Am Legend starts strong, with sweeping shots of a New York city gone to seed, slowly being reclaimed by nature. We learn what Neville does every day with little spots of Will Smith's trademark humor. Intermittently told through flashbacks and dreams is the story of what happened to the world and Neville's family in particular.
Will Smith does a great job of carrying the film pretty much on his own, being that he is the only actor onscreen during most of the film. By taking mannequins and posing them in a video store, he creates some semblance of the way life used to be. While this could be construed as crazy, you can plainly see that this is just a step in keeping his own sanity. He does have the required crying scene that seems to be in most of his recent films, but it is understandable in this film and I won't penalize Smith for it this time. Not much more can be said about the cast except for a neat little cameo by Emma Thompson as the Dr. who found the “cure”. Also, fans of the Sci-Fi Channel's Eureka may recognize Salli Blake. She plays Smith's wife in the flashbacks and is Allison Blake on Eureka.
Before I get to why the movie was disappointing, I want to say that the first three quarters were really good. It takes a combination of talents to keep a movie with mostly only one cast member interesting. Director Francis Lawrence coupled with Will Smith does this quite well. The effects are top notch. New York looks extremely creepy, reminiscent of the establishing shots of London in 28 Weeks Later but with the style of WETA's work on Peter Jacksons King Kong. The creatures are creepy without looking too dehumanized.
What doesn't work is the end. Feeling truncated and incomplete, I Am Legend could have easily added another twenty minutes to it's running time of an hour and forty minutes to provide a better sense of closure. I can't say any more without giving it away, sorry.
Notice that there was no mention of any of the other versions of this film. There have been two others, Omega Man starring Charleton Heston and The Last Man On Earth, starring Vincent Price. All three films were based on the novel by Richard Matheson, he who has penned What Dreams May Come and The Incredible Shrinking Man, among others. There was no mention because I haven't seen any of the others or read the book. Plain and simple.
All in all, I cared more for the dog than I did Robert Neville. What does that tell you?
Until Will Smith really is the last man on earth,
keep reading
Mitch Emerson
mitch@comicbookbin.com
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