I Am Legend (2007)

Movie Info

Will Smith’s angry “I’ve got a gun” face

Dr. Robert Neville (Will Smith) could be the last man on Earth.  Living in New York City with his dog Sam, he has survived a plague that has destroyed humanity.  A virus that was mean to be a cure for cancer mutated and transformed a large chunk of the population into killers like vampires that cannot survive in the light.  Neville is working on a cure…but can he save the world?

Directed by Francis Lawrence, I Am Legend is based on the classic 1954 sci-fi horror novel by Richard Matheson.  The movie was previously made as The Last Man on Earth with Vincent Price in 1964 and The Omega Man with Charlton Heston in 1971.  The movie was released to massive box office numbers and mostly positive reviews.

Oh hell no you did not just take my hot vampirish woman!

I was a fan of the book I Am Legend and the movie was in development hell for years.  The movie was seen as a movie for Tom Cruise, Michael Douglas, and even Arnold Schwarzenegger (who later almost became a producer for the Will Smith version).  While I’m not a Will Smith fan, the movie has some merit, but also fails in places.

I still like the concept of the movie, but the version of the film that made it to the screen had faults.  The movie allowed a little “Will Smith” to get into the picture with his relationships with the manikins which seems a little forced (yes, I know he’s been alone for years and a bit crazy).  It also has a messy ending which was reworked multiple times with Smith sometimes living and sometimes dying.  The plot of the other survivors and the idea that “vampires” were also evolving was lost…which was unfortunate.

RIP Sam…you got out before Will Smith would have blown you up with a grenade…

Will Smith generally rubs me the wrong way, but this is one of the lesser offenders of the Will Smith movies.  It is ironic since Smith is forced to hold most of the story together since he is the only person in a majority of the film.  A lot of credit does have to be given to the canine “actors” Abbey and Kona who play Sam and does provide a lot of emotion to the story.  Alice Braga and Charlie Tahan are added too late to the script and Dash Mihok as the Darkseekers leader isn’t developed enough.  For flashback scenes, Salli Richardson plays Smith’s wife Zoe and his real daughter Willow Smith plays his daughter in the film.  It is also odd that Emma Thompson appears in such a small role as the doctor who created the cancer cure that mutates.

Ok…I think this guy needs a new expression if he hopes to make friends.

Where I Am Legend does succeed is in its special effects.  The dead of New York City is quite impressive and I think the designs of the vampire-esque zombies is pretty impressive.  I like that the movie attempted to give the zombies emotion, but the re-write of the plot prevented this for being fully explored.

I Am Legend is a fair action movie with a horrible ending.  The movie is a lot of build up to an ending that feels like a cop-out and compromise that is not satisfying and could actually make some viewers angry.  I wouldn’t be surprised to see more versions of I Am Legend made since it is a great concept for a story, but it is a bummer of a story that generally can’t get it right.

Related Links:

The Last Man on Earth (1964)

The Omega Man (1971)