Movie Review: I Am Legend

I Am Legend was directed by Francis Lawrence and the screenplay was based off of the original novel by Richard Matheson. This story has been made into movies before or inspired movies such as The Omega Man. The director's previous experience includes music videos for pop stars such as Britney Spears and the Keanu Reeves starring film Constantine.

I Am Legend stars Will Smith as the seemingly sole survivor of a plague that began in New York City. The virus wiped out most of the population and turned some of them into creatures that are more or less beastly vampires. Smith's character is determined to find a cure for the virus and "fix" things back to normal, however his capturing vampires to test on them seems to provoke the rest of the blood suckers into taking action against him in return.

This movie did outstanding at the box office: worldwide. It is indeed an amazing looking film, with a high quality sheen to it. However, what truly carries the piece is the talent of Will Smith. Smith is superb in this role and really shows his wide range of acting abilities as a man dealing with scenes involving loss and despair and then gung-ho action style scenarios.

The major downside to the look that many people have been critical of would be the vampires. They are heavily doused in CGI technology and do not exactly look very real. Some people think that their movements are unrealistic and silly looking as well, with their screams and facial contortions almost like that ghost kid in The Grudge. I did not find the CGI look of the vampires to hinder the film in any way and was able overlook that aspect quite easily. Will Smith and the overall tone of the piece keep one enraptured.

In the end what disappoints me is that the film doesn't seem to have much actually to it. It felt like it should have been done on a more epic scale, beyond just showing us a lone dude hanging out in an empty New York city. Somehow I wish there was more to the story or the characters overall adventures.