I Am Legend (DVD, 2008, Widescreen)

It takes a great actor to hold down a movie by himself. In "I Am Legend" Will Smith embraces his character to the point where at times you actually forget its a movie!

Regardless if you are a fan of Sci-Fi type movies or not, the emotion that Will Smith puts into his role is amazing. Let's face it, in a movie like this it's easy for various scenes to get dry and boring. This movie doesn't contain elements of either with great cinematography, script and acting.

If you arent a fan of Will Smith, you will be after this one!

To the modern eye, the Plot for the 1954 Richard Matheson novel "I Am Legend" might sound something like "Cast Away" with Zombies. Truth be told, that's not a terrible premise, and 'Constantine' Director Francis Lawrence runs with that. Where he takes it works hard, and you are ensured to enjoy this ride.
Will Smith plays Robert Neville, a Virologist investigating a genetically engineered cure for Cancer that has gone very, very wrong. With most of the World's Population wiped out and a small remnant turned into ravenous, infected carriers, Neville ekes out a lonely existence with only a dog for company in the remains of New York City. He hunts, forages, and explores by day and shuts himself in at night. The infected, as it turns out, are vulnerable to ultraviolet light.
Through flashbacks, we see how Neville came to be in this predicament, and how he dedicated himself to finding a cure. Part of that involves capturing infected humans for testing. In doing so, he incurs the wrath of one of the local CHUDs and Neville soon finds out that these creatures are not as mindless as they look.
At first, the film wrings a nightmarish plethora of scares out of Neville's encounters and does an amazingly great job of revealing the monsters bit by bit, until finally unleashing them in their CGI hardcore. By the time they're in full-on assault mode, they are resembling Zombified/Vampirish CHUD's., right down to their wall-scaling and coordinated visceral attacks. This makes for incredibly exciting action sequences., without ever dialing down the horror quotient.
Smith, for his part, does a superb job of communicating the pathos and desperation of the last man on Earth. His slow disintegration into Madness is subtly evoked, and in one particularly emotional scene, he handles one of the most tired clichés of the Zombie Genre with genuine depth.
The script gives him plenty of help. Screenwriters Mark Protosevich and Akiva Goldsman show plenty of restraint, teasing out the details of the Virus and its Outbreak over the course of the film while elegantly laying out how Neville interacts with this Post-Apocalyptic World in episodic vignettes.
Ultimately, the film seems to be on the verge of asking intriguing questions about faith and humanity. While doing so, "I Am Legend" maintains the power to awe. The Production Design by David Lazan and Naomi Shohan is nothing short of amazing, rendering a Big Apple reclaimed by nature with stark realism.
This film is simple breathtaking....and absolutely cannot fail you !!
DO NOT MISS THIS !!
This was a Long-Time Coming !!
5-Star !!

This third incarnation of Richard Matheson's masterpiece is superior to its predecessors in every way, but in spite of that achievement the film is still lacking and comes across as a disappointment in too many ways.

I can't bear to rehash the plot as nearly everyone knows this story by now, and if you are one of the few unfamiliar with this story, then please read Amazon's well-written synopsis or Trashcanman's excellent review in the Spotlight review section. I just plan to hit what I enjoyed about this film and what was so disappointing.

The Hits:

(1) Another top-notch, winning performance by the ever reliable and likable Will Smith.
(2) Outstanding set designs combined with CGI effects of a desolate and abandoned New York City make this film seem more important than it is.
(3) Best adaptation of Matheson's highly influential novel (even if it isn't the most faithful to the story in a literal sense --it captures the spirit of his work extremely well).

The Misses:

(1) The most glaring problem with this film, in my view, is the CGI effects for the vampire-like survivors of the plague. They are too cartoonish for me and appear far too much like video game villains. A good example of this for me is the early scene where Smith's character enters a building to get his dog and finds some zombies hiding in a corner. They are real people, not CGI, and they are frightening; however, later, when he's attacked by CGI zombies, it is unintentionally humorous as they appear like Gollum from LOTR on acid. The CGI effects are either not believable or just too over-the-top, thus, the scenes with them lose their punch.

(2) Uneven pacing of the story is a problem here. The opening segments give the impression that we are going to see a masterpiece here, but the second half of the film never matches the first half and it feels very rushed. It has that "hey, guys, we just ran out of money, so we have to wrap up this film up this week" feel to it. In a film with a deliberate and nearly dignified opening to fall into a shoddy rushed finale severely hurts this film and leaves a bad taste in one's mouth.

The film is still solid entertainment in spite of its obvious and significant flaws. It is probably one I will even buy when it becomes available on DVD later, but it is rather disappointing for a film that seemed to have so much going for it. Its box office receipts may reinforce that perception as it set opening weekend records with a take of about $77 million, but by its third weekend it only grossed about $15 million and that is a severe drop off. For a film that reportedly cost $150 to make it has grossed a disappointing $228 after a month at the box-office. That doesn't even qualify it has a hit with a mere $78 million dollar profit at this point. I do think it will be a hit after it's been released world-wide.

BTW: Some may ask, "What is a hit by today's standards?" That's a good question with really no one set answer, however, Hollywood traditionally likes to see a film generate double what it cost to make in order to classify a film as a hit. This film with a cost of $150 million to make is expected to earn $300 million to be considered a hit, but certain stars, like Will Smith, are expected to bring in better than double the cost of the film (hence, why this may end up being considered a "disappointment" at the box-office even if it hits the magic $300M mark).

This movie was a great holiday hit for a reason. Sony's special effects house did an excellent job with New York City. The only time the CGI didn't work was in the very beginning when the sports car was racing through the city. I felt as though I was playing GranTourismo.

The premise of the movie was effective and imaginative. The story-line was suspenseful and it built the idea of human survival even in the roughest of times. Perserverence will triumph every time.

Where this movie went awry was when the zombies went from crazed zombies who lack brains (which would be why they love to eat brains so much) became an arch rival species in the intellegence department. There's nothing wrong with a crafty zombie, but the portrayal of a throwback species rivaling one of the greatest scientists man has ever known (Will Smith's character) wasn't believable. Further, the zombies themselves displayed abilities that defied physics.

One of the subplots had to do with the alternate ending. Being familiar with Sony's special effects department, I was aware of the ending AFTER I had seen this movie in the theatre. The original ending was not a surprise to me because it was implied all throughout the subplot between Will Smith and the zombie leader. The original ending, however, tested so awfully that Sony had less than 2 weeks to manufacture the ending that made it into the theatres. The writers would have done better if they permitted the zombies to "feel" emotions, but kept the spider man like acrobatics and human-like intellegence to be in line with physics and the "reality" portrayed in the destroyed New York city.

At the end of the day, this movie was very entertaining and it eliminated all doubt that Will Smith is the blockbuster male actor of Hollywood.

Will Smith does an excellent job in this movie, as he does in any movie. I have watched Will Smith since he played in Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, and probably just about every movie since then and his acting just continues to improve. As the years pass he gets deeper into his roles as he did in this movie, I am Legend.

I usually don't appreciate the Science Fiction genre as some do, but still really enjoyed this movie. This was the perfect combination of science fiction and action. The story line is never dull and keeps the watcher interested.

This was an excellent movie with a great acting...Perfect for a weekend movie night!

This movie was excellent! Worth owning not just renting. It was action packed and and is not just a movie the parents can watch. It is safe for the younger children to see, with no bad language or any other adult content.

Great action movie a must see for anyone who likes action movies. Lots of explosion lots of violence. This is a must buy for everyone

Tree roots have buckled the pavement; the weeds on 5th Avenue are plentiful enough to support whole herds of deer. Times Square is prowled by lions rather than tourists. There's not a person in sight anywhere — except Robert Neville, who travels, when the sun is highest in the sky, to the South Street Seaport, to broadcast the same message he's been broadcasting for almost three years: "If anyone is out there, I can provide food, shelter, security. If there's anybody out there ... you are not alone."

Manhattan, and indeed the world, has been emptied of humanity by a man-made virus that was supposed to cure cancer. Alas, viruses mutate, and this one developed a deadly strain, killing most humans outright and turning the rest into light-phobic zombies who only come out at night.

The island of Manhattan — Ground Zero for the epidemic — has long since been quarantined, all its bridges and tunnels dynamited. Three years later, Neville is the last uninfected resident, a virologist searching for a cure, talking mostly to his dog, and to his tape recorder.

"Day 1001," he murmurs. "Vaccine trials continue. I'm still unable to transfer my immunity to infected hosts. ...the cryptovirus is elegant."

For much of its length, so is I Am Legend. Hollywood's digitizers have outdone themselves, turning truncated bridges and rusting traffic jams apocalyptic, and Smith, who has to carry much of the film without dialogue, is persuasively stir-crazy and heroic. But sooner or later, of course, those zombies have to appear.

When they do, banging their heads against plate glass as movie zombies always do, I started needing something else to think about. And maybe it's just that unlike most of you, I've seen a whole fall's worth of War-on-Terrorism, Rendition-for-Lambs -In-the-Valley-of-Elah movies, but what I started thinking about was that I Am Legend fits right in with those pictures.

I mean, it's still a sci-fi blockbuster, but take a look at that plot: Western medicine takes a virus (a bad thing) and manipulates it so that it can fight cancer (a worse thing). Sort of like Western military forces arming jihadists (which they regard as a bad thing) so that they'll fight communists (which they regard as a worse thing).

And then the built-up virus — the bad thing — mutates into something much worse than the cancer, and it turns on its creators. And this starts where? That's right: In New York, which everyone in the movie keeps calling Ground Zero. And some poor schmoe who didn't start the problem has to try to fix it.

But even if he comes up with a cure, a way to make the nasty infected guys human again, they're just going to keep coming, banging their heads against plate glass, destroying the civilized world and — here's the kicker — either killing everyone they come into contact with or converting them into monsters just like themselves. And the only solution is to shoot them dead — or withdraw behind metal walls, into a fortress-like homeland. And that's not working.

I was really looking forward to seeing "I Am Legend", from the moment I found out earlier this year. In preparation to seeing the movie, I watched Vincent Price in "The Last Man on Earth" and Charlton Heston in "The Omega Man". Even though the main ideas of the two prior versions were the same (last man, virus, night creatures, etc.), the delivery varied for their particular time. So I was intrigued to see how the storyline would be adapted to our time.

The first thing that struck me was the set. Growing up in New York City, it really hit me hard to see the devastation and isolation of the city that "Never Sleeps". The streets, the abandoned cars, the bridges, the U.N.,etc. It really hit home. Then we see a much slender, leaner Will Smith trying to cope with the fact that he was alone. His portrayal of Robert Neville is great. Very moving. I find the origin of the virus quite interesting as it comes as a side effect for a cure for cancer. The prior two movies used a plague (The Last Man on Earth) and germ warfare (The Omega Man) to explain the virus. The use of a cure that transforms into a virus gives it an ironic twist.

The film opens well, and continues that way until the introduction of the other two human characters, but that's about an hour or more of Smith, alone in Manhattan after a genetically-altered version of the measles has either killed or mutated the rest of humanity into super-violent creatures who prey on those unaffected, but only at night. They're killed almost instantly when exposed to sunlight. Smith, playing Robert Neville, was an Army Lieutenant before the virus was unleashed three years prior, and he spends his lonely days walking and stalking on the grown-in streets of Manhattan with his dog, Sam. At night, he locks himself in his apartment and attempts to find a cure. It's interesting seeing Smith carry the movie with only himself, Sam, some various wild animal species, and some mannequins. He does an excellent job, and I'm sure that's not an easy task for an actor. This is easily the most likable character he's ever played, and he brings a lot of great stuff to it, including humor and a scene that had me on the verge of tears.

Will Smith and the strength of the story outweigh the two mot glaringly bad things about this film. However, the creature effects are WAY too over-reliant on CGI, but then again, so are most horror films these days, so you might be used to it. Animatronics and foam rubber latex effects pioneered well over thirty years ago look a lot more believable than this cartoonish junk. And the other thing is the ending. It's not terrible, and it won't make you dislike the rest of the film, but the original story's ending is very sad and ironic, and this, like the other two adaptations, just can't seem to cope with the magnitude of the situation, so they always leave you with something WAY to hopeful for what we've seen throughout the rest of the film, and also, it seems that they're afraid to teach you the incredible lesson the original Matheson story had to offer. This is a good adaptation of Richard Matheson's 'I Am Legend.' So far, none of the three have nailed it, due to the inability to just use the story's ending, but this one comes close and is certainly one of the best of the three (the other two are good flicks so I recommend them all).

I really like Will Smith in a lot of his roles. He did a decent job of making the best of the situation.

The story line was atrocious. It was a computerized 'B' movie. *Spoiler Alert* - don't read on if you actually want to see this movie.

First off, they quarantine NYC. Nevermind the several months prior that others in the country would have been infected. The director just wanted some explosions. Then all these infected people only come out at night because UV affects them? They can figure out how to rig up a sophisticated trap, but can't figure out to wear long sleeves and pants? When was the last time that you got sun burnt from normal electric lights? Then why do all the 'zombies' run when light is shined on them?

It just gets worse from there. A woman and her kid just happen to show up at night with these zombies all around, and she happens to be carrying a big light and saves Will Smith from a swarm of zombies. Don't forget that infected humans can now scale walls at full running speed. Oh, and they can repeatedly smash into a wall and not break bones, bleed or get knocked unconscious.

I really enjoy a movie that has a good story line, good execution, and good acting even if it does stretch reality quite a bit. This was way too far to the extreme. It was ridiculous. The director apparently liked working with the computer animators, because that's what 70% of this movie was. An exercise in making computer zombies look real.

After my wife and I watched this, we just looked at each other and said that was by far the worst movie we have seen in years. And we do watch our fair share of movies.

My honest opinion? Don't waste 2 hours of your life on this.

This was a horrible movie. Don't waste your money. Will Smith's worst movie yet. My son wanted this movie, so I bought it. Even he didn't like it.

Well it starts off ok and then it gets exciting. This movie is full of suspense and omg the action is off the hook. Its totally worth every penny when you buy it.

I am Legend is a remake based on a book by Richard Matheson that was released in 1954. There have been two other movies called The Last Man on Earth and The Omega Man that have also been based on this book.

The main draw of this movie is the strength of Will Smith's acting. For the majority of the movie it is Will and his dog! You'll love it!

The idea behind the book is that a cure for cancer has been given to humanity. It was created by Smith's character. However, the cure ends up acting like a cancer that turns humans into basically vampire like creatures. There are only a small number of humans that are immune, and they are hunted by the viral humans.

Smith's character is immune and he spends the majority of the movie testing a cure.

Smith's acting is excellent. You get to see how 1 person alive in New York would react.

I love the movie but I also found the theater ending a bit preachy in a religious way. However, the alternate ending was better on the DVD. :)

5/5
Latsyhrc
Tamarack Collectibles

The movie was incredible! I was on the edge all the way through.,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

I can honestly say that being a SAHM with 3 kids, I don't really get to go to the movies too much. When I do, I try to pick the one that I think will not be a complete waste of my time.

This movie was NOT! I was lucky enough to get to go out on a date-night with the hubby and see this at the theater.

Another Blockbuster for Will Smith! You know it's great when he can take a movie like this all by himself and make you feel it, love it, wanna see it again. It's like a Tom Hanks in Castaway performance, just Superb!!!

This was a good movie but not great and not one of Will Smith's best performance. That is my personal view. A graphic movie with quite intense violence and not one for your children to watch. There were parts that I jumped to! The ending was a little strange and weak for me as well.

A good movie overall and good to see more of the Smith family breaking into films further!

Ceri

Will Smith being in the movie is a plus. Some of the graphics are kind of cheesy, and the story line is a little out there. I would definetely recommend watching it at least once.

Will Smith did a great job. Dog did a great job. Script could have been better. Fantastic special effects. Thought that real people would have been better than Animated. Although, very frightening. Overall, a really good movie. Thumbs Up:.)

Superb, Will Smith does it again! You might actually forget its a movie. It has a compelling story plot, loads of action, suspense, horror, of course some comedy, and some truly heart wrenching moments. Watch the ending, and the alternate ending.

The story holds true to what could be happenning right now by fooling around with mother nature and not being sure of the outcome. You are led to believe you can figure out the ending of the story only to be fooled with a surprise.

THIS MOVIE WAS NOT AS GOOD AS I THOUGHT IT WOULD BE. THE STORY LINE IS A LOT LIKE A MOVIE CHARLTON HESTON WAS IN. THIS IS ONE MOVIE ONCE YOU SEE IT YOU DON'T WANT TO SEE IT AGAIN.

Will Smith with another great acting performance, really new idea for a movie very original, all in all a very good movie but not great

It was action packed...you feel alot of emotion...and will smith is one hell of an actor! 2 thumbs up!! This is a MUST SEE Movie!!