Brilliant scientist Robert Neville (Will Smith) is left alive and apparently alone when a deadly virus wipes out all of New York City, America and possibly the world.
Being naturally immune, he has lived isolated for three years, foraging in the streets - now overrun with escaped zoo animals and abandoned vehicles - while working on a vaccine for the plague.
When Neville discovers he is being secretly watched by a race of cannibalistic fallout victims, his seemingly impossible task becomes a race against time to save mankind itself.
This is the latest film to be based on Richard Matheson's 1954 novel of the same name - a cinematic fulfilling of the greatest daydream of all time.
They say:
Variety: "Will Smith strongly holds the screen in a one man Alamo besieged by marauding cannibals."
The Guardian: "This is a deeply depressing experience as no doubt Matheson intended it to be back in the angst ridden Fifties."
Empire: "While the sun shines, it’s a four star thriller. When the moon rises, it’s a two star horror cartoon."
We say:
I am Legend has been adapted for the screen three times under different monikers, the most notable of which, 'The Omega Man' starring sci-fi king Charlton Heston, was filmed way back in 1971.
Despite an atmospheric opening, The Omega Man failed in the same way as its successor - unable to sustain such a mesmerizing premise for a feature length story.
Director Francis Lawrence's update employs the 'vampire element', which Heston's movie actually avoided (deviating from Matheson's novel) - but it is less a suitable plot complication and more an unnecessary frustration. There is no need to waste the 'last man on earth' idea on schlock horror, as it is worth so much more than that.
Still, I am Legend does distract from B-movie pretensions by being so damn wham bam. Nothing is really schlock when $150 million+ has been spent on it, no matter how hokey the genre.
Everything is as heavy as a rock in this film, with subtlety playing second fiddle to subliminal advertising. Even when our hero switches on his mp3 player (with one deftly impossible touch), it feels calculated to make you download some Bob Marley tunes. And 'Three Little Birds?’ Please, he might as well be listening to 'It's the End of the World As We Know It'.
In spite of (or perhaps because of) this gloss, I am Legend still works as a routine timewaster. The first sight of rampaging plague victims terrifies as it should (unconvincing CGI apart), the dog snarling a tad more than usual evokes a lump in the throat, Smith stuck hanging in the air by a snare as the sun goes down - impressively exposed and vulnerable.
For all his substantial effort, Will Smith is, once again, just Will Smith - the man can play nothing but Will Smith with added or reduced sentimentality depending on the part.
Always at his utmost exhibiting a smidgen of crazy, his moments of quiet insanity (flirting with mannequins in a deserted DVD store being most effective) do bolster proceedings with a sense of unease that Lawrence can only seem to manage when the night beasties are loose.
But why oh why must there only be one story about the last man on earth? Creative types see I am Legend as its only possible interpretation.
Next time try something different, spend a little less and tell a whole lot more. Oh, and that sense of deja you're feeling? It's 28 Days Later.
Extras:
The major selling point of this two disc Special Edition is the alternative ending – and with good reason. While not the most exciting experience in the world visually, it does alter the story’s message. The conclusion is now meaningful (to an extent), satisfying and far less abrupt. Not a classic film by any means, but definitely worth a second look.
Most of the remaining special features are accessible via a DVD ROM weblink, which is all very well and pointless in our opinion. Though the Cautionary Tale documentary (basically a study of deadly diseases) is a grim and thoroughly entertaining journey. Squeeze in some innovative ‘animated comics’ and this makes for a spiffy package –probably better than the film itself.
A cool as hologram on the box helps separate the cash from the wallet too. And, yes, that kind of thing does impress us, along with novelty shaped box sets and Indiana Jones Lego.
CAST
Will Smith
Alice Braga
Charlie Tahan
Salli Richardson
DIRECTOR
Francis Lawrence
TIME
100 mins
POSTED...
Thu 10 Jan at 8:52am
