Movie Review - “I Am Legend”
** 1/2 STARS
I am not sure why I went into “I Am Legend” expecting to get more than what I ended up watching. After the finish of “Legend” I felt like there should have been more to the story. Don’t get me wrong, I loved the tense quiet moments in this film, but the loud bang ‘em up monster chase sequences have that “been there, done that” feel to them. Instead of an introspective creepy mind bender, we get a Hollywood cookie cutter popcorn flick, and that is just fine for what it is.
It is soley because of Will Smith and his relaxed acting style that make this film truly work. He is in the best shape of his life and his subtle comedic touches always endear himself to the audience. I love Will Smith the comedian and the action star, I am not such a big fan of his more “serious” work. That said, Smith earns his ranks in the Hollywood action film star hall of fame with his terrific stunt work and physical abilities.
“I Am Legend” has a familiar plot that has been tackled many times before in films like “28 Days Later”, “The Omega Man”, “Night of the Comet” etc. But this film uses the introspective conflicted mind of a lonely soul survivor to tell the story. When we are introduced to the other people and the “monsters” in the movie the film becomes your typical zombie/vampire horror film fair. I would call this movie a cross between “28 Days Later” and “30 Days of Night”, it just feels that “familiar”.
The key scenes with Smith and his canine companion are the true winning moments in “I Am Legend”, they remind of the bond that Tom Hank’s had with his faithful friend “Wilson” on a deserted island in “Cast Away”. There is a sweet and gentle side of Smith that audiences just can’t get enough of, and it is abundant in this film.
The warm moments with Smith alone and the claustrophobic sequences in the dark are the most chilling in this film. Even though it did not give us a new story or break any new artistic boundaries I give “I Am Legend” credit for trying something new in a genre that is getting stale fast. This isn’t a family friendly picture, but it is a mindless fun way to spend some time at the movies this holiday season.
December 18th, 2007 at 8:29 pm
An accurate write-up. One thing missing is the obvious “God” factor prevalent in the movie.
The reason the human race was wiped out was quoted as “God didn’t do this, *we* did”. That, along with a family prayer upon evacuating Manhattan and “God Still Loves You” bumper stickers set the tone.
The two most important scenes in the movie were ruined, in my opinion, due to the way the God Factor was handled. “How do you know”? “God told me” was one crudely written line… and the ending was just a little over-the-top with the church in the center of the shot.
If they were changed to be more subtle, the overall movie would bump up a lot in how it was received, but they kind of hit you over the head with it. I’d be more specific with descriptions and how things could be better, but I don’t want to spoil it for anyone. I’d wait for it to be on cable. (Don’t burn a spot in your netflix cue or video-on-demand with this one).