2008 Woodie Awards
I Am Legend Review
Will Smith shines, but too much downtime brings 'Legend' down
Alex Quevedo
Issue date: 12/6/07Section: Torch Online Exclusives
2 out of 4 stars
There have been plenty of stories of virus outbreaks and the "freaks" produce of those who cheat death. Richard Matheson's novel "I Am Legend" is about just that and is the latest book adaptation, starring Will Smith. Smith has handled drama incredibly well, as seen in films like "Ali," but his skill just wasn't enough to save the heavily hacked adaptation from being a disappointment.
While the novel took place in Southern California, Lt. (and scientist) Robert Neville resides in New York City. Rather than presenting the story chronologically, the background is shown through a series of flashbacks. An Army scientist developed what she believed to be the ultimate cure for cancer. Unfortunately, the cure was actually a virus that turned those injected with it into ravenous monsters with vampire-like qualities. Manhattan became Ground Zero and the military-issued quarantined failed. The virus became airborne and soon, nearly everyone on Earth was dead. Those who survived turned into said monsters. The film takes place years after the fact, with Neville living alone with his dog, stock piling food and supplies, and working on a cure.
He keeps a collection of rats in his basement lab to help develop the cure. The rest of his days are spent broadcasting a signal for any survivors to head to a certain location where he will be every day at the same time. At night, he locks himself into his Washington Square apartment, bolting up all windows to avoid any attention. When he does travel around, he keeps his dog Sam with him and hunts the "monsters" as necessary.
Now, for those who are familiar with the novel, don't go in expecting the film to be anything like it. This may or may not be a bad thing, depending on how you feel about it, but the film just isn't that great. It in no way is a bad film, but there's just so much lacking. Thankfully, watching Smith in this project was a joy, but the material he was working with wasn't top notch. He does a great job conveying the mind of a man who hasn't seen or heard a human voice in over three years. One laughs at first when he talks to mannequins as if they were talking back, but after the first couple times you can start to feel for him. However, they could have focused on it just a bit more. The rest of his interaction is with Sam, his only friend in the world, and the sole connection to the life with his family.
There have been plenty of stories of virus outbreaks and the "freaks" produce of those who cheat death. Richard Matheson's novel "I Am Legend" is about just that and is the latest book adaptation, starring Will Smith. Smith has handled drama incredibly well, as seen in films like "Ali," but his skill just wasn't enough to save the heavily hacked adaptation from being a disappointment.
While the novel took place in Southern California, Lt. (and scientist) Robert Neville resides in New York City. Rather than presenting the story chronologically, the background is shown through a series of flashbacks. An Army scientist developed what she believed to be the ultimate cure for cancer. Unfortunately, the cure was actually a virus that turned those injected with it into ravenous monsters with vampire-like qualities. Manhattan became Ground Zero and the military-issued quarantined failed. The virus became airborne and soon, nearly everyone on Earth was dead. Those who survived turned into said monsters. The film takes place years after the fact, with Neville living alone with his dog, stock piling food and supplies, and working on a cure.
He keeps a collection of rats in his basement lab to help develop the cure. The rest of his days are spent broadcasting a signal for any survivors to head to a certain location where he will be every day at the same time. At night, he locks himself into his Washington Square apartment, bolting up all windows to avoid any attention. When he does travel around, he keeps his dog Sam with him and hunts the "monsters" as necessary.
Now, for those who are familiar with the novel, don't go in expecting the film to be anything like it. This may or may not be a bad thing, depending on how you feel about it, but the film just isn't that great. It in no way is a bad film, but there's just so much lacking. Thankfully, watching Smith in this project was a joy, but the material he was working with wasn't top notch. He does a great job conveying the mind of a man who hasn't seen or heard a human voice in over three years. One laughs at first when he talks to mannequins as if they were talking back, but after the first couple times you can start to feel for him. However, they could have focused on it just a bit more. The rest of his interaction is with Sam, his only friend in the world, and the sole connection to the life with his family.
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