I Am Legend Movie Review

Feb 6, 2012

Legendary Foundation, Lame Finish

The world is too big for one man to carry on his shoulders. Sadly, this even holds true for the iconic Will Smith. In Francis Lawrence’s I am Legend, Smith is the sole actor through most the film. The reviewing critics agree that his performance is touchingly brilliant but the movie cannot be saved by Smith alone. The special effects and the poor story development of the second half of the movie overshadow Smith’s genius. Smith’s brilliant acting could not save this movie any more than his character could save the world from destruction.

Robert Neville, Smith’s character, is living in a post-apocalyptic world and is the last person alive in all of New York City. To his knowledge he’s the last person alive in the entire world. As daunting as this seems, the opening scenes speak differently. Life seems almost exciting and care free for Neville and his dog. They have all of New York City to do as they please. They are first seen hunting wild animals while racing down the New York streets in a sports car. Scenes like this show the amusement and wonders of having the entire city as a giant deserted playground. These scenes are immediately countered however, as horrifying flash backs give insight into how this world came to be so desolate. A medication that was said to cure cancer grew into a virus which plagued the world. Neville is a neuroscientist who was trying to find a cure for this rampaging disease, and is still in this pursuit for the antidote. He lives a very structured life which includes many hours in his basement lab and a strict policy of never being out after dark. A policy that is quickly proven to be justified after it is revealed what lurks in the night. It is true that most people died during the apocalypse and Neville is the last remaining “human” New Yorker. However, there also grew a new human like zombie creature from a portion of the population that was infected. The sunlight seems...