I am Legend
April 11, 2008
Being that this is my first review, its fitting to start with one of the best movies of last year. There are only a hand full of must see movies each year and here’s one of them.
Robert Neville (Smith) is the last man on earth following a man-made virus that wipes out everyone. Or is he? Neville is an army scientist who is trying to find the cure to what was supposed to be the cure for cancer, gone wrong. 1000 days later and many failed (dead) test subjects. He is still working for the cure he feels is his duty to discover. As it turns out he isn’t the person on earth, just the last uninfected person. The remaining population that didn’t die right away became sort of rabid zombie like creatures that can not be exposed to sun light in any way or they will die. So, they stay in dark run down buildings and only venture out at night. Dr. Neville (Smith) is very aware of the delicate balance of his daytime freedom and the vampire-zombies night time reign. I don’t make it a habit of giving away the whole movie and all its surprises because these reviews are really for someone who has not seen the movie yet. So I’ll just says this. When Neville manages to capture of the creatures for testing, that’s when the movie really takes off. Enjoy this one. I give it 4.5 out of 5 stars.
Acting. Superb, Will smith is fantastic. easily holding the movie alone, the way Tom Hanks did in Castaway. His potrail of a man who considers himself alone in the world. Working to cure the zombie like creatures that are trying to kill him, as well as trying to stay sane, knowing the cure may never be found and he may have to spend the rest of his life with mannequins and monsters is some of his best acting yet. There are some wonderful scenes where you get to see what it might be like when you are on the verge of losing your mind from isolation and lack of human contact. The small supporting cast does a wonderful job as well.
Plot. The story isn’t new. there have been a few attempts at this book in the past “The last man on earth” and “The Omega man” both didn’t fare so well. There have also been plenty of post apocalyptic type movies in one form or another. Not many have been able capture the suspense, action , and drama as “Legend” does. And with the premise of the cure for cancer turning in to a deadly man-made disease scenario, its very believable.
Special Effects. I thought this was the only part of the movie that could have been better. The landscape of the New York City ruins and overgrown streets we some of the best yet. But, the rabid, zombie vampires leave something to be desired. at no point in the movie do they ever look real and close up they are even worse. The first sighting in the movie when they are all in a huddle is the best and scariest moment for them. After that, they just CG monsters. they move too fast, are too strong, and just too unbelievable to take seriously. If they could have made this movie with live actors it might have been the best zombie action movie of all time.
Final Word. One of the best movies of 2007 and worthy of the action thriller hall of fame. This movie has it all, action, suspense, drama, scares, even as wonderful dog side-kick. It is a must see and definitely “What-to-Watch” tonight. (if you get the chance, watch the alternate version(ending) for a real surprise!
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One Comment, Comment or Ping
Shaun Thompson
I thought the plot of the movie was good until the end. Neville’s sacrifice of himself at the end made no sense, however. Why did he hold the grenade and run at the zombies? Why didn’t he just throw the grenade and take shelter behind the protective glass that was keeping the zombies at bay? It seems to me that the script writers wanted a dramatic ending and simply didn’t have any better ideas.
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Oct 15th, 2010
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