I Am Legend (2007)
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I Am Legend Movie Review
I Am Legend is a 2007 post-apocalyptic science fiction film directed by Francis Lawrence and starring Will Smith. It’s a solid and effective, but ultimately disappointing blockbuster.
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“God didn’t do this. We did!“
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The story is your regular post-apocalyptic setting where most of the humanity has been wiped out by a dangerous virus and it is up to Will Smith’s character to find other humans, evade zombies and try to make a cure all the while being followed by his faithful dog companion. I found the first half very good actually as it is intriguing in its first couple of scenes, very mysterious and pleasantly sophisticated, slow paced and smart for a major blockbuster.
But ultimately it all went downhill in that frustrating second half. Not only do the zombies make no sense in terms the plot, but they are also not scary at all and I just have always disliked these creatures and here the same applies. I liked the introduction of another human, but the ending itself is very mediocre and simply unfulfilling. I actually disliked both the original and the alternate ending as none offer a good solution to end the film which was obviously too ambitious for these filmmakers to grasp.
Sam is such a wonderful dog character and her death was truly heartbreaking. The relationship between the two is beautiful and easily the heart and soul of the film. Neville himself is a solid protagonist very well played by Will Smith in what is easily one of his best, most emotive and serious roles.
I Am Legend has pretty mediocre special effects in the second half, but pretty good effects in the first half and particularly the deer running sequence was very effective and memorable. I liked the score as well and the cinematography is very strong.
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The film isn’t realistic at all as the plants wouldn’t grow in the city that fast, but this is a blockbuster and in those terms, it works in terms of the story, but again they didn’t know where to go with it as the film is overly ambitious. But it does deal with some weighty, important themes and I loved the slow pace and a serious approach.
I Am Legend is a solid, but eventually disappointing movie which features one of Will Smith’s finest performances, a couple of very emotional sequences, memorable imagery and an excellent, very intriguing first half, but the second half ruined the entire film owing to the introduction of annoying zombies, some poor VFX and many questionable plot points, including a pretty mediocre ending.
