Review of I Am Legend

I Am Legend is not for your mom

The movie poster was all over the subway well in advance and the box office numbers look good, but there appears to be a major marketing problem with I Am Legend. Three women in their twenties told me that their mothers went to see I Am Legend and said "it sucked." I saw I Am Legend the day it was released, and it certainly does not suck. I was watching the movie when I told myself that my Mom would hate it. I Am Legend is an apocalyptic science fiction horror show about mothers and daughters dying brutal deaths. Tell your mother to see something else, but bring your brother to see I Am Legend immediately.

The lions in the beginning tie in with the interesting and fitting Bob Marley theme.

Will Smith's acting is top notch here as he captivates the audience without interacting with other actors. I Am Legend is about reminding us what is important in life. The story is about the death of everyone you know. Do not expect Smith to be shouting about kicking alien butt like in Independence Day, Men in Black, and Men in Black 2. Smith has chosen roles in fun Science Fiction blockbusters for families, but this movie is not a feel good family film, although it stars his daughter in her debut. The humor is much more subtle, and it is used sparingly. I laughed. I cried (literally). Smith leads his audience through a full range of emotions. Can we still find some humor and purpose when we are left all alone in a world in which everyone else is worse than dead? When you have nothing left, do you really have nothing? How important is companionship? I Am Legend reminds us that life is potential and hope will always play an important role for us. You will not leave this holiday blockbuster thinking about new shoes, but you will appreciate your loved ones and pets more.

I Am Legend was shot on location in Manhattan using a large amount of production assistants to lock off portions of the city. I think that is great, but I think they should have had actors instead of computer generated people. CGI has come a long way, but it still doesn't replace real people.

I never saw Omega Man or Vincent Price in The Last Man on Earth, so whether they are better adaptations of Richard Matheson's novel, I Am Legend, is up to you. I have no desire to see the main character fight or hurt the CGI characters. I love that he clings to the notion that he is a doctor/scientist who must save the sick, that is until he loses it and attempts suicide and revenge simultaneously. Honestly, I am pretty sure that I would have done the same exact thing in that situation. He was desperate for someone to love, which makes my only problem with the direction that he was not more open when hope re-emerged. Maybe I saw myself in the character. I thought Will Smith's acting in I Am Legend was his best, but I never saw Pursuit of Happyness.

Posted on 01/09/08 by: A Nick 09:04 AM