I am Legend (2007)
I am Legend (2007) 8/10
Actually quite entertaining, with a beautiful shot of an empty, desolate New York cityscape that reminded me that opening scene of 28 Days Later. Will Smith as the lone, solitary human (with a canine companion) wandering the empty urban landscape gives the film a visual power that just grabs you. It is this day to day minutiae that proves gripping. What is not interesting, is the flashback sequences, which seem perfunctory and serve perhaps to only deliver some kind of backstory for Smith’s character. It was not necessary, and in fact detracts somewhat from the mood and feel of this film. As i have said, the film works because it is about the last man on earth. Towards the last half hour or so, the film introduces new elements which detract from the premise and weakens the story. It isn’t entirely a disaster, but still it was awkwardly executed and cobbled the smooth momentum of the film. And then there are the zombie-vampire-monster thingy which seem out of place and very obviously CGI-enhanced. In this case, less is more for the monsters. When they are hinted at, they are excellent as a plot device, but in the latter half when they congregate in packs they aren’t particularly impressive because of their obvious CGI quality. They don’t look particularly real or scary. Luckily, the film isn’t about these monster, although the last act does descend into a battle with monsters action sequence which similarly befell otherwise excellent films like 28 Weeks Later. As a blockbuster, I am Legend is actually worth of all the box office success it has reaped. If you are going to watch a big budget blockbuster extravaganza, I am Legend is worth a look.
