''My name is Robert Neville. I am a survivor living in New York City. I am broadcasting on all AM frequencies. I will be at the South Street Seaport everyday at mid-day, when the sun is highest in the sky. If you are out there... if anyone is out there... I can provide food, I can provide shelter, I can provide security. If there's anybody out there... anybody... please. You are not alone.''
Years after a plague kills most of humanity and transforms the rest into monsters, the sole survivor in New York City struggles valiantly to find a cure.
Will Smith: Robert Neville
One man who is immune against a deadly virus that has wiped out humanity tries to survive and find any remnants of humanity with his trusty canine pal Sam.
Will Smith who plays Robert Neville does his part. Although he's been in this kind of hero-type role previously. A slight nutty character.
''God didn't do this. We did!''
What a glorious first half of a film which spirals off yet still retains resonance. A few scenes which were intriguing and provided scary atmospheric suspense were impressive. Reminiscent of silent Hill or Pulse. The night creatures look menacing although they could be something out of Harry Potter(Dementors) the way they do the lighting.
The look and feel of post apocalyptic New York is really a visual treat. The plastic covers over the buildings, blown bridges, grass growing everywhere...really added to the seriousness of the storyline.
''Come on, Sam. We gotta go''
His thoughts and delusions feel real and although humorous at times, underlined the fact that he is alone save his best friend Sam. I can only put my self in his shoes to replicate his loneliness and sadness. It was gut wrenching to see him lose his best friend Sam and the way he chose to end her pain. That scene had me choking...
I didn't care much for the ending though. For those expecting to see a resident evil type movie, don't watch this. There is much more depth to this movie and it's definitely a serious thought provoking movie with bits of action thrown in.
My only gripe is the zombies are a little too powerful and intelligent for overheated creatures. Effect wise it wasn't too bad but I feel I'm being kind as it wasn't perfect. Sounds, music and visual concepts were astounding. Brilliant concept and starts of so compelling shame it's 2nd half is comprised of some sadness. Worth a watch.
''In 2009, a deadly virus burned through our civilization, pushing humankind to the edge of extinction. Dr. Robert Neville dedicated his life to the discovery of a cure and the restoration of humanity. On September 9th, 2012, at approximately 8:49 P.M., he discovered that cure. And at 8:52, he gave his life to defend it. We are his legacy. This is his legend. Light up the darkness.''
All positives aside, there are a number of key elements from the book that Legend virtually ignores: The overall vampire legend itself, Neville's personal struggle to save his little family from the dust-borne plague, his undead wife returning to him; the daily vampire hunt, his former carpool buddy and neighbor, Ben Cortman, who has become his nightly nemesis and most importantly, the near fatal "stopped watch" incident, which even The Omega Man indirectly paid homage to. All of these items would have required the screenwriter and producer to do some actual writing, rather than letting the CGI guys take over the production.
The 1954 sci-fi/vampire novel I Am Legend by Richard Matheson has now been filmed three times: as The Last Man On Earth in 1964 originally scripted by Matheson himself, as The Omega Man in 1971 without the vampire elements, and now with the original title and expensive sets and special effects. This time the seemingly sole survivor of the worldwide pandemic Robert Neville is played by Will who is an actor with real charisma and charm and considerable box office appeal who has beefed himself up for the role. The principal weakness of the movie, however, is the realization of the surviving victims of the virus. The CGI characters are almost as silly as they are scary but, above all, they are presented as more cannibalistic monsters than human. The Omega Man handled these characters much better presenting them as sad as well as scary. The other serious fault is the lack of clarity in the narrative - at times, it is simply unclear what is happening and why and a longer director's cut would be welcome. Finally the references to Ground Zero and God may play well with US audiences but will not be so resonant to audiences elsewhere.
There were definitely some great parts, the cinematography was fantastic and the computer generated scenes of a dilapidated and seemingly uninhabited New York were amazing. It most certainly was scary on the dark scenes, although animation in daylight was appalling and not particularly impressive, in fact, it reminded me alot of the movie 28 Days Later but not it's equal by far. Smith once again proved himself a very capable and believable actor as said before. The first half is great, though the second will definitely leave you with a bad taste in your mouth.
''I can help. I can save you. I can save everybody.''
A movie that has the appearance of a summer blockbuster...personally i would never imagine myself saying this but in my concern, Will Smith is so damn good in this movie...just think about it, it's not that easy to play a role in a film when you're a solo character most of the time...you are interacting with yourself...and a dog...i can see him trying his best to lead something that looks like a normal existence, slowly loosing his sanity a little (there's a great little scene where he's trying to think of a way to pick up a mannequin) and yet save the world all at the same time...not many actors could pulled that off...Smith did-which is just terrific...I really love it when a movie can give you that "shoot! this guy is so damn screwed up!?" feeling, and I Am Legend did that on a couple of solid occasions... not only screwed because of he's being the only human left alive with all those infected out there wanting to rip his delicious neck meat out...but also some pretty suspenseful action that had you on the edge of your seat a little...
a teriffic movie i'm proudly recommended...
i think i would have liked it better if they would have used real people as the zombies. i started to cry when his dog was getting killed!! and died! ;(....idk want ending i like better... (i got the dvd)
I was a good movie, it has very good action, the suspense will keep you on the edge of your seat. It has a lot of similarities with 28 Days Later. The effects are good but the cgi for the infected was a little poor, I mean why do all of them have the same appearance. The story about a man who supposedly is the only survivor of a deadly virus that left a deserted New York City, tries to find a cure for those who survived and are infected and transformed to a strange kind of zombies, is good and interesting, although it left me some doubts. Will Smith's performance is very good, he has a lot of mood changes, he can be funny one moment and immediately he turns serious and then he turns sad, he is a very versatile actor. To conclude, it is enjoyable and entertaining. This movie has everything to become a blockbuster although it isn't the greatest movie.
Will Smith did a great job holding his own in this movie! I loved his relationship with his dog. My fave scene has to be the FRED part, LMAO. And I loved the part with the mannequins. It would be a terrifying situation and I can't even imagine what I'd do if I had been Robert.
Gripping, captivating, and well made on all fronts, I Am Legend is a film that knows how to balance adrenaline with slow suspense. The result is a highly enjoyable feature that holds an immersing performance by Smith in an equally immersive world that even manages to throw some true thought into a bleak atmosphere. Allegories and questions of advancement are hidden qualities in an adaptation that molds few characters in a bygone world into an enjoyable piece of cinema.
At the heart of a dead world lies a single man: a survivor of advancement and a symbol of punishment to humanities striving for a seamless world. Societies need to conquer death (in this case - cancer) has been given an ambiguously allegorical light in I Am Legend to, on one note, show the human will trying to conquer the natural course in life and effectively conquer God. The film shows a punishment of this through its hellish, zombie-like plague affected who may act as Matheson's tool of discoursing society from its tireless rampage against death. But what makes this ideal in the film of combating creation and God so great is that its allegorical intentions are ambiguous. On a different note, the portrayal of a worldwide epidemic like this provokes the notion that God merely is inexistent; a notion forced by Smith as he bellows, "there is no God". The allegorical question asks whether a backlash like this is shown as punishment, or proof of the lack of a creator.
Or maybe this is reading too far into a film that caters highly on entertainment and thrills, which are given in abundance. Smith's lonely character trudging for a seemingly unfindable cure is a harrowing tale to watch at times. His isolation is a tale of both tears and laughs in a city all to himself. This balance of sprinkled humour in a horrifying situation are painted wondrously in the first act of the picture, as Neville practices golf on a jet wing and hires movies from a DVD store, all the while trying to live a normal life. But this need for normality takes its toll, and emotion eventually takes a stranglehold on the tiring battler: qualities given expertly by Smith in a near sole role for the film, who once more proves that his acting chops far exceed expectations and public recognition.
But where I Am Legend fails is in the same textbook reason that other thrillers fail - divulging the evil. The first act brings suspense and a slow anticipation. Smith's sole wanderings are the strong point of the film as there is a clear connection with the audience. But act two of the film begins plummeting as the evil is given a harsher light and thrills make way for visual pleasure. The nose dive is never overly sharp, but the incline is enough to worry an audience who had experienced some truly wonderful moments of film in the first half.
will smith in a zombie movie with a pretty tired plot, but some good thrills compensate. as a side note, this title reminds me of our old internal rallying slogan at scient - "be legendary". man, '99 was a fucking joke at times...
I really have difficulty reviewing this movie. I usually don't like zombies movie. But this isn't a zombie movie. In the original book, it's vampires. The ending is very "Hollywood", the Dark Seekers are too much CGI, Except that, well Smith is a perfect actor. The story is well crafted. For those who can decide between a dramatic movie and a thriller, this is the one.
Too simply but a bit interesting. There are way better films out there with more story but one thing..Will Smith's acting here is what makes you watch it.. simply great.
The death of the dog hit right where it hurt (losing a cat after 19 years will do that to you). The ending depressed me a little but something good came out of it so it wasn't all bad. Damn excellent movie if you ask me.
Well, it may not be the best film to watch with your girlfriend on a sunny day for sheer pleasure, but it's good anyway. A little bit frightening at times (I hate horrors, so these creatures did frighten me), yet still... I love Bob Marley. I could watch 'I Am Legend' just for it's soundtrack. Light up the darkness!
I Am Legend is about military scientist Robert Neville (Will Smith) who is the lone uninfected survivor of a man made plague in the middle of Manhattan. His mission is to develop a cure and end the catastrophe that man has brought upon himself, but he's not alone in NYC- the infected turn into hairless, cannabalistic night prowlers who can not come out in the daylight.
The first thing that you realize when watching I Am Legend is how good Will Smith is in it. Yes, he does things that I call Smithisms, but overall he's very good and very solid in the role of Robert Neville. The story is well presented and tightly packaged: what could have been a three hours opus to man's mistakes is trimmed into a sleek action piece that still gives you a little bit of a message.
The one thing that drags the film down are the special effects. Now before I bash them I have to say that the effects of a Manhattan that's been deserted for three years are simply amazing. It's the infected that look like bade renders from a Playstation 2 game. They pull you out of the film and one has to wonder if conventional make-up with CGI touch-ups would have been better.
I will warn you that there are two endings for I Am Legend and unlike most films each ending is very different. After seeing both this is probably the first time that I can say that I don't really like one over the other. Both have their good points and bad. Overall the film is a nice action/psychological/thriller/drama that pulls you into a realistic post apocalyptic world that could be a few years away.
I personally thought this movie was amazing except for a few one or two things. I though the special effect could have been better. Other than that this movie is basically flawless. It is heart warming, exciting, and even has some comedy in it. Will Smith was amazing, his acting was amazing. You actually feel in this movie like you have connected with him. You feel the pain that he is going through. If you have not seen this movie yet, go out and get it right now. You will not be disappointed.
MCT:November 11, 2008
MCT:June 6, 2008
MCT:May 1, 2008
MCT:December 1, 2008
MCT:November 27, 2008
