Director: Francis Lawrence
Producer: Akiva Goldsman David, Heyman James, Lassiter Neal H. Moritz
Writer, Screenplay: Akiva Goldsman, Mark Protosevich
Novel: Richard Matheson
Starring: Will Smith, Alice Braga, Dash Mihok, Salli Richardson, Willow Smith, Charlie Tahan Running time Theatrical cut: 100 min.
In the very near futu
re a doctor creates what appears to be a cancer vaccine. I genetically engineered virus that when injected into 10,000 cancer patients, cured every single one of them. The problem is, when you play God, you may find out you’re not as good at as you might think. The virus mutates into a plauge that pretty much wipes out the entire human race, killing the vast majority of the population almost instantly, while leaving some survivors…. but most of those survivors are turned into Vampire/Zombie/Rage Virus type beings who lose their humanity and kill every survivor left uneffected. Will Smith is the last human being in New York, and maybe the world, who is also a military geneticist (what great luck) who works tirelessly to not only survive in this new nightmare world, but also struggles to find a cure for the rest of those who are infected.Ok, didn’t think I’d end up saying this… but Will Smith is pretty damn good in this movie. When you think about it, it’s not easy to carry a movie when you’re the only character most of the time. You’re interacting with yourself and a dog…. and that’s it. In that way I am Legend had a sort of “Castaway” feel to it, and while Smith doesn’t quite pull off a Hanks lone performance, he does do it quite well. We 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. Lesser actors couldn’t have pulled that off, and Smith did, so kudos to him.
This one killed me. Will Smith is keeping careful detailed notes and memos as any good scientist would do. He even makes this video entry into this computer about how he noticed one of the infected guys stuck his head into the light for a second, which was unnatural behavior for them. However, in another scene, one of the infected (minor spoiler) sets an elaborate booby-trap for Smith to fall into. These are supposed to be mindless rage machines… and they this one shows complex reasoning and planning… and Smith never mentions it again in the movie… ever. I know that’s a minor point… but it really stuck out.
I didn’t have much hope for I Am Legend, but I’ve got to say I enjoyed it. Certainly not as good as it could have been, but a decent time at the movies nonetheless. Smith is solid, the premise is good than they move around in this eerily empty world very well. Not half bad action and suspence although it could have been a bit shorter since the film starts to slowly loose your attention after the first hour. Still… not a bad film.
Movie Gooroo Rating: * * 1/2 (2 and 1/2 Stars)
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