rating:
(out of
4 stars)United States; 2007
Directed by Francis Lawrence; produced by Akiva Goldsman, David Heyman, James Lassiter, Neal H. Moritz, Erwin Stoff; screenplay by Mark Protosevich, Akiva Goldsman
Starring Will Smith, Alice Braga, Charlie Tahan, Salli Richardson, Willow Smith, Emma Thompson
A deadly virus has killed all of mankind except for one man, Robert Neville (Will Smith). Together with his dog they walk and drive the streets of Manhattan during the day, only to hide from dangerous creatures at night. Impressive visual effects open this third version of Richard Matheson's novel. Although the film can not live up to this opening, it stays entertaining and from time to time even quite scary. Will Smith in a one-man show deserves much of the credit.
The opening images resemble those from '28 Days Later', that British thriller/horror film where Cillian Murphy wandered an abandoned London. I liked that film a little better: it was not just a scary film, but turned into a study of human nature near the end. 'I Am Legend' plays it straight. Zombie-like creatures create suspense at night or in dark places where the sun does not shine. And although there should be no reason Smith has to appear at night or in dark places, the screenplay finds a way.
Of course I disagree on how these sequences are fabricted, but I have to admit that they are indeed suspenseful. Smith is not a fearless hero, but more real than one might imagine. Even he gets scared. That he is also a scientist trying to find a cure for the zombie-desease I'll take for granted. The zombies, by the way, used to be human, still look al little like us, but for some reason are now four times as fast, jump six times as high and can handle many, many blows to the head without dying. It's just an observation, I think I liked them.
In the final act, inevitably, Neville meets people. They want to go to Vermont where a colony of survivors lives. The link with '28 Days Later' pops up again. Especially these final moments were not really rewarding. The build up and calm approach made the film seem more intelligent than it really was. In the final twenty minutes or so its true colors are shown. In this way 'I Am Legend' ends with a bang, but more the literal than the positive kind. I was not disappointed, but I think it could have been more satisfying, at least as much as the first hour.