I Am Legend
Will Smith acting alone for almost 2 hrs. is something that might scare a few away from this movie. I shouldn’t say he acts alone, he has one helluva dog companion for a lot of that time. Either way, I Am Legend is a good popcorn action flic that keeps the audience glued to their seats with anticipation from the opening scene till the end of the movie. So hold on to your butts!
PROS of the FILM
I’m going to have to say the best part of the film is the suspense and dramatic scene setting. Each scene of the movie seems to have the mood just right to pull the audience in and really capture what is happening. Whether it’s the lighting, or the music (the lack there of) or the actual scenary around the main character – but it all seems to work for what it’s intended to do. Once again being the graphic geek that I am, I have to say that personally the CG of the city after it’s been overrun with the zombie like creatures is the best part of the whole experience. Just to see what it could look like some day after we’re all long gone and it’s taken over by wildlife and vegetation is just really something to behold on the big screen.
The action of the movie is what most people are going to enjoy though. The intensity of the main character struggling day in and day out to survive and to come up with some type of cure for the “infected” is what works for the masses. I will admit that it is pretty intense in some scenes and you definitely have to hang on for the ride!
What worked the best for me as far as performance is concerned, were the parts where Will Smith showed two sides of the character. On one hand you had a strong, independent man that was dedicated to eliminating the populous of the “infected” and finding a cure while maintaining some sort of control. Then you have the complete opposite flip side of that with him acting some what “out of it” due to the lack of human contact and emotion one should involve them self with day in and day out. There is one particular scene where he breaks down because I believe that in this scene he starts to realize that he might actually be losing his battle for his sanity, because he is upset that a manikin will not speak to him or acknowledge his presence.
CONS of the FILM
There are a couple things that this film doesn’t do right that could’ve made it a really great movie and probably could’ve ended up on my top 10 list.
First, the director expects you to really buy into the plot without a whole lot of explanation. We are somewhat thrown right into it and then given glimpses of the character’s past to try and piece together what exactly has happened, and then we are expected to understand everything going on without asking why.
Second, the actual zombie type creatures are really scary as long as they are kept in the dark and the scene’s suspense is kept tight. Once they hit the light and you can see them, you see how bad they did on the CG work for these creatures. The CG looks completely fake and doesn’t do what they should look like, any justice at all. In the movie you are kept scared a lot easier while the creatures lurk around in the darkness and all you hear are strange and eccentric noises with a brief glimpse of a shoulder or the top of a head being held very low by their staggering stature.
Third, Will Smith’s ability to take good acting at times and then bring it to the point where he is going to go a bit over the top … and then does. Will Smith is a great actor. He has done well in many movies and can do serious or silly. In this film the points where he is serious at some times are way too over done by just the simple facial expressions that he seems to force rather than have them come out naturally. I can’t pin point a particular time in the movie that this happens, but that’s just due to the fact that I saw this film almost three months ago.
SUMMARY
This is a good movie. I didn’t expect it to be great, but it could’ve been. I’ve heard tell that it doesn’t follow the original story of what I Am Legend is … but I think all it’s meant to be is an interpretation and not a exact copy. If you are a fan of Will Smith or any type of “the world is ending” apocalyptic type scenario then this is a movie that you should enjoy.
FINAL RATING: 8/10 (changed the rating from a 7.5/10 with some careful thought)
Right if you are a fan of stories regarding “end of the world” this is a best one…Actually I expect more in this movie as I first see it in trailer and all my expectation was right…I admit I am a fan of Will Smith that’s why I admire this movie a lot but not that if you watched the movie you can say that what I’m saying is right…Anyway I am curious with your rating 7.5/10, thee tailing “.5″…why not given it a plot 8…something bothering you???
^ (in response to TV Show)
I gave it a 7.5/10 because to me it wasn’t good enough for a solid 8 out of 10 due to the lack of effort on the CG for the creatures and also for the many loop holes in the story/plot. I don’t want to say much about the plot or go into what those loop holes are, because this blog is not intended to spoil a movie for anyone who hasn’t seen it yet. I’m a big advocate to allow those who haven’t seen a movie yet, to develop their own ideas and opinions of the film without spoiling it for them with my own personal ideas etc.