I Am Legend

Rating: 7/10

I’m writing this after my second viewing of I Am Legend. The first time I saw the film was in the theatre with a rude audience. This second viewing was in the comfort of my living room. Amazingly, my opinion of the movie didn’t change much between viewings other than I think I got a bit more out of it the second time since I wasn’t struggling to hear it over the running commentary from the other viewers.

I Am Legend begins by introducing Dr. Krippin (Emma Thompson) who has developed a cure for cancer by genetically modifying a virus to only attack cancer cells. Unfortunately, things take a turn for the worse and the modified virus mutates and begins killing the hosts. Many of those that it doesn’t kill turn into nocturnal zombie-like creatures. These creatures come to be known as “dark seekers” as the story progresses.

Dr. Robert Neville (Will Smith) is one of the few people that is unaffected by the Krippin virus and has managed to avoid being killed by the dark seekers. He is first seen driving on the empty streets of New York (in a spotless, new Ford Mustang) hunting deer. He comes to a road block where he leaves the car and starts hunting on foot. When he finds a deer standing alone he lines up his shot but can’t fire before the deer is taken down by a lioness. Her mate and cubs are nearby and the alarm on his watch is sounding that sunset is coming so he returns home empty handed.

Upon returning home he pours bleach on the stairs to remove his scent, prepares dinner, and locks down his fortress. He falls asleep with his dog in the bathtub and dreams about life with his family before the evacuation. He has a handful more flashbacks which do a nice job filling in the back story. In the morning he checks some of the rats that he’s using to test potential cures and sees one promising result which he notes will need further human trials. He then resumes his daily routine and so the story goes. The story doesn’t really get interesting until his dog chases a deer into a dark building.

I actually really enjoyed this movie. I think the correct amount of time was spent on establishing the character and situation. I think the dark seekers were revealed at just the right time as well. What really surprised me the most about this film though is that I actually liked Will Smith’s performance.

Unlike Tom Hanks in Cast Away, Will Smith managed to really capture the emotion of being completely alone. Perhaps the difference comes from Will Smith having a dog instead of a volley ball or his being in New York rather than on an island but I’m not convinced of that. Will Smith’s performance here is really among his best work.

I Am Legend is not without flaws. One of the biggest things that struck me during both viewings is that the creatures probably should have been actors in make-up rather than the CG creations they were. I’m usually a fan of CG but this is truly a case where it should have been left out. Had this been done in a more traditional style I think the movie could have been much more believable.

I was also kind of disappointed with the ending. The original ending just seemed so contrived and didn’t really make much sense. I found out about an alternate ending and saw it online about two weeks ago and couldn’t believe how much better it made the last five minutes. Now that this is on DVD be sure to watch both endings and see which one you prefer.