***I Am Legend***
This film is a kind of disaster movie; but not in the usual pattern that I was expecting. I enjoy watching end of the world type scenario's like The Day After Tomorrow or Independence Day - big action films, when humanity pulls together to save the world. However, although the film does centre on disease killing off the population, here the similarity ends.
The 15 certificate is a clue that this is not family entertainment and the film is a lot darker than the aforementioned films.
The main hero of the piece is played by Will Smith as Robert Neville who appears to be the sole survivor in New York of a plague that has rapidly killed off the inhabitants of the city.
The film follows his search for other possible survivors; a search that takes years rather than weeks. Robert Neville is also a scientist (as luck would have it) and he combines his search, with trying to study
the virus and to hopefully find a cure.
Some people may think the next paragraph is a spoiler, so look away if you don't want to know anymore than the first 10 minutes of the film.
It appears that there are survivors who have been genetically altered by the disease and basically now look like zombies. (Hope I haven't given too much away there - but this does become apparent in the early stage of the film) Robert Neville hopes his medical research will be able to help them return to their former selves. Although, other characters participate in the film, most notably in a series of flashbacks, Will Smith has a lot of screen time, so if you are not a fan, then it is best to avoid this film altogether.
***Opinion***
I was a bit disappointed by this film, but some of this I think is because it was not at all what I was expecting. I really enjoyed the scenes with Will Smith and his German Shepherd dog, adapting to life alone and going about their daily routine. I also liked the desolate scenes of New York City, over run with vegetation and wild animals and I think that this was done to good effect.
Will Smith as an actor I thought did a good job portraying his loneliness, determination and paranoia all at the same time and I felt as though you could begin to imagine what life would be like, if you were left all alone as a sole survivor.
There are some particularly well acted scenes with his dog. The flashbacks were useful as a way to tell the back story, so that the film could jump straight into his lonely, desolate life and the story was not at all hard to follow.
This first half of the film I enjoyed, but then I felt it drifted into the realms of a different type of movie altogether. The idea of being a sole healthy survivor is an interesting one, but then it became almost a horror movie and I felt it deserved its 15 certificate (if not higher!). I think the first half of the film could be believable (just), but the second half was just daft.
The film did well with creating feelings of suspense, especially in the scenes when day was about to become night. At times, the lack of soundtrack contributed to this feeling of loneliness. In fact, after viewing the film I couldn't remember any of the soundtrack apart from a Bob Marley track, so I have to say the music didn't leave a lasting impression on me.
The ending I though was rushed and poor, a bit of a cop out really. If the film could have continued on its serious path, then a different ending altogether could have been pursued.
Of course the basis of this type of film is fantasy, but watching it, I kept thinking where does the electricity come from to power his video? How is he able to pour milk on his cereal? Small details, but I think things like this stand out like a sore thumb.
I think it is worth a watch and a good film for hiding behind the cushions! If you have read this, you have done more research than I did and you will know a little bit what to expect.
I will give it 3 stars, because it did entertain, but I didn't think it was outstanding.
***Availability***
As I have already said, I have reviewed the film only version, but the film is available to buy for a very reasonable £3.98 on Amazon, you probably couldn't rent it for much less. The film is 96 minutes in length.
This review will also appear under the same username on Dooyoo and Ciao.com.
Summary: The film was ok, but this is not your usual end of the world, will humanity survive scenario.
05.07.2009 04:00
i think the movie is good ,and i like it very much ,when i saw your review, i thin k the movie is more than that, maybe i should watch it one more time ,oh ,my god , i just cant help to say your revoew is the best .
12.05.2009 21:40
Great review, I didn't think much of this either, x
05.05.2009 22:44
It's a shame that the film didn't follow the book more closely as I personally think that it would of made for a better film overall