I am Legend
A Review by Cade Antilles
In the vein of the post-apocalypse, I just watched I Am Legend. I vaguely remember watching The Omega Man starring Charlton Heston back in the early ’90s, and I remember finding that to be a strange film. Maybe because it was made in the ’70s, maybe ’cause I was still a kid, or it was just plain weird. Anyway, I Am Legend and Omega Man were both based on the same source material: the novel I Am Legend by Richard Matheson. (and apparently there was another adaptation in 1964 called Last Man on Earth starring Vincent Price) I Am Legend, I thought, was a very good movie.
The film follows the exploits of survivor Robert Neville, portrayed by Will Smith, alone (except for his canine pal, Sam) in New York City. We see how he lives, what he does with his days, and how he deals with being a lone survivor. At night, mutated, blood-thirsty humans roam the streets in search of prey. Over the course of the film, we are shown flashbacks to before the apocalypse, and the story is progressively explained. The setting and plot are interesting, the character of Neville is entertaining, the visual effects for the environment were excellent, and I relished the eerie atmosphere of the film. On the flip-side, the plot felt predictable at times, the creature effects were sub-standard, and there was very little that was up-lifting about it (a standard for apocalyptic fiction, I know, but it doesn’t mean I have to like it).
Personally, I’ve been tired of Will Smith. He’s basically played the same character in every movie: the not-so-smart, slightly witty, ballsy jock. (I haven’t seen The Pursuit of Happyness, but I’m told that he’s very good in that) But, I was pleased with his performance as Robert Neville. For once, he comes off as a different personality. No longer the fearless jock, Smith comes off as a vulnerable, scared, frustrated, and intelligent survivor. His “slightly witty” side still shows through, but I won’t hold that against him as the humor comes from the character’s emotional and psychological instability.
The CG’ed “dark stalkers” (as I believe they were called in the film), were creepy, but not believable. The creatures looked fake. I couldn’t bring myself to taking them seriously. Only one shot, the very first glimpse of them, was worthy. The rest of the time, I should have been watching some CG cartoon. Even the normal animals looked fake. And, a couple of blue-screen shots weren’t that good, either. But the visuals of a decaying New York City were awesome!
The DVD release
The 2-Disc DVD isn’t anything special. The first disc contains the theatrical version of the film and a few “animated comics”. These animations follow other people in the same world setting. Neat, artistic, but nothing fantastic. The second disc has an alternate version of the film. I was told to watch the ending of that version, because I was told that it was better. So, I did and it wasn’t. It felt entirely out of place from the rest of the film, and it was too cuddly of an ending. Things tied up too neatly, and it was too happy. It also felt terribly uncharacteristic for both the film’s plot and the character’s actions. When I said before that I like up-lifting moments, even though the post-apocalypse is prone to depressing feelings, I don’t like it when endings become ridiculously, and unnecessarily, clean. This ending was way too nice and clean. If that had been the theatrical ending, it would have ruined the movie for me.
Plot and Setting: A-
Acting and Characters: B+
Visuals: B-
Overall Grade: B+
Special DVD: C- (Don’t waste your money on this Special Edition)
On a final note, there is word of a sequel in the works for a 2010 release. This film doesn’t need it. Any sequel they make for this movie will be horrible.