Review of I Am Legend

I Am Average

The Last man on earth is not alone! Because there are poorly done CGI vampire creatures roaming the streets of Manhattan at night. Yes that's right it's another monster movie fronting as an intimate look at the psyche of the last man on earth who just happens to be a military scientist who has dedicated the rest of his life to finding the cure for the epidemic that has claimed the whole world over. Of course there is more to the story but there are a few surprises (very few) to be had at the end of the film and I don't want to spoil anything.

The really only redeeming quality for this film and really is big enough to forget the rest of the poor story and acting is the production quality. While the creatures in full look terribly CGI, the deserted streets of Manhattan and the decay it has gone through is absolutely stunning. The opening scenes with Will Smith racing through the empty streets are truly amazing. From the plants and grass growing in the streets, the deserted cars, to the blown bridges that connect the island to the rest of the world, look amazingly real and frightening. However the visuals even have flaws and sadly they fall with the vampire creatures who just look too unbelievable for their own good and fail at adding that horror aspect that the creators were looking for.

And you know you're in trouble when the big supporting character of the movie is a dog and he completely overshadows his co-star Will Smith in acting talent. He just could not carry this movie. He just couldn't portray Neville's declining psyche and in the end leaves a very little impression in the viewer afterwards. What you really need from that lead actor is somebody the audience will never forget and can actually convince you of all the hardships he has to go through while finding this cure and achieving his life's work and Smith just fails at every aspect.

The real problem of the film is that it gets itself into a trap of a very good beginning while having a really lackluster ending. What started off as a very interesting idea turns into an action movie fare that goes nowhere and feels rushed. While there were a few good scenes like when he tries to save his dog after he goes running into a dark building filled with a hive of these creatures and when he gets tricked by his own trap, the movie fails to live up to the production value and interesting premise that the film had.

However, and this is my last however, if you do see this film go see it in IMAX just because there is a 6 minute preview of the new Batman film, The Dark Knight, directed by Christopher Nolan. That alone is worth the price of admission.

Posted on 12/19/07 by: matt2648 11:25 AM

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