I Am Legend (2007) Review
Written by: gabs1515
First - I write this review as an outsider. I have never read the book and have not seen any of the other films (3 that i know of) that are based off the novel.
This is a movie that had a mixed group when the final credits rolled. Some felt it was an awesome movie, others felt it fell short of their expectations. For me, I was expecting more, but I didn't feel cheated when the end of the movie came. I did not LOVE the movie, but it's one that I'd buy on the 4 for $20 rack at the video store.
My biggest beef with the movie is its blatent OVERUSE of computer graphics. I can understand most of all the animals being CGI for obvious reasons, but I didn't think that all the vampires needed to be CGI. A few scenes I can see it, but not for everyone of them. It may have been a budget thing, but I was really turned off by that.
The story itself was interesting. A miracle cure for cancer mutates and wipes out the entire civilization except for a few that are immune. I always enjoy those post-apocalyptic films. They're just so dark and eerie, and this film shows some of the scariest, creepiest settings I've ever seen. I went with a few die hard horror fans and there were a few scenes that made ALL of us jump in our seats. That part was very pleasing. I was hoping for some good scares.
Will Smith's acting was pleasing. I like this actor and think he has a lot of talent. I know some may disagree with me, but I just like the man. He's always been cool at what he does, and the few minutes that he breaks down into the reality of it all was quite convincing. Good job Will, good job.
There were parts of the film that did give off an emptiness. No noise, not much going on, just silence and Will Smith. There isn't anything wrong with that, and I think they were trying to portray how isolated that man was...to get the audience to understand the character better, but I didn't like it. It's like watchin Kill Bill Vol 2 again, while sitting in the theatre and someone in the back screaming....Do something already! That didn't happen this time because they came in fairly short bursts, but I was just waiting for the next thing to happen.
I liked the film, and I think nobody will really HATE it, so I'd recommend it. It's almost hit or miss, but its mostly hit. It's not something that will impact the genre in anyway, but it is a nice addition.
I Am Legend
Directed by Francis Lawrence (Constantine)
Written by Richard Matheson (novel)
Mark Protosevich (screenplay)
Akiva Goldsman (screenplay)
Key Actors - Will Smith (Independence Day)
Alice Braga
My Personal Feelings on the Film
Characters - 7/10. All the characters were pretty believable...but I never really fell in love with any of them. (not from a romantic standpoint...perv)
Setting - Post-apocalyptic New York. Very cool, very creepy. Cars everywhere, vegetation struggling to grow through the man made ground. I liked it.
Gore - Not a whole lot, small amounts of blood and dead things, but not much was very gross. PG-13
Nudity - None and not necessary. Unless they were trying to repopulate the earth....then hey yeah! but this is not the case....Its more of a race to a cure.
Shock Level - 6/10. I say that because most of the movie was about mood and setting, but there were a couple of times I was pretty tense and jumped in my seat.
Humor - 4/10. A few well placed comic reliefs were thrown in there, but it was pretty much a serious movie.
Realism - 10/10. The settings and causes were not so off the wall that it COULDN'T happen. New York looked great, I especially liked the poster for an upcoming Batman/Superman crossover. Nice touch.
Ending - 5/10. Its been done before, and it was rather grim. Hollywood is getting notorious for grim enings lately it seems.
Interest Level - 7/10. My mind did wonder at points throughout, but I couldn't wait to see how it ended.
Classification - Post-Apocalyptic Nightmare.
Sequel - Well considering the money they're raking in I could see them trying to make a story that follows this...but its really really not necessary. Plus there are other takes on the film with Vincent Price's "Last Man on Earth," Charleton Heston's "The Omega Man," and Asylum's newest rip-off "I Am Omega." So there's plenty to go around in terms of I Am Legend....so move onto something else please.