Better than Omega Man

Rating: 2/10 (11 February 2010)

The only thing I Am Legend and the 1971 Omega Man have in common is that they are both based on a 1954 Richard Matheson apocalyptic novel. Other than that, the zombies in Omega Man look like acne-ridden geeks who became zombies from sitting in front of a TV screen as opposed to being changed by a disease. The zombies in I Am Legend look like the crazed, beastly freak-shows they're supposed to be. Will Smith is actually a decent actor, if not earth-shakingly so, while Charleton Heston continuously left me wondering how he made it in Hollywood in the first place. Probably bribes or something. The last, and biggest, difference though, is that I Am Legend is good. Unfortunately the same can't be said for Omega Man.
What is it about I Am Legend that makes it good? It has some of the best suspense building scenes from 2007. While it never reaches full-out horror, there are plenty of intense moments. It's very psychological. Nothing is shown, really, violence wise. There is no gore or disembowelment's. This is all the better, as it makes moments like seeing a group of these creatures in an abandoned pitch black apartment building.
Will Smith is also very good. He provides a very powerful, if somewhat dry emotional, performance. He never has been one to get especially teary, or otherwise intense emotionally, except in Pursuit of Happiness.
The other characters don't stand out as much. No one is really bad, but no one is memorable, either. Of course, this doesn't make as big a difference as it would in other movies because, despite what the director tries to get the audience to believe, the only character that's important here is Robert Neville. And again, Will Smith does play him very well and believably.
The story itself is very simple. A disease has ravaged Earth, leaving most dead, and some zombies. Robert Neville is the last man alive. Honestly, that's such a great basis in and of itself that I can only imagine adding more complexity to the plot would diminish it rather than enhance it.
One more thing. I said earlier how Will Smith's performance, while very good, was somewhat emotionless. Well, I think I must say that he plays desperation very well, indeed. Sadness, not really. Happiness? If you want a movie that'll make you feel warm and fuzzy inside, my friend you have the absolute wrong film. This and the Road are probably the two most depressing-outlook apocalypse movies I've seen. (Although the Road to an even greater extent.) But anyway, when the time calls for it, Will Smith plays a man being driven to insanity by his own isolation and imminent doom very well. He's crazy. Are emotions really that important?
So while there may be some character flaws, they matter much less here then they would in pretty much any other film you would care to name. And the movie itself is fantastic, if not inspirational or uplifting, as Pursuit of Happiness was. But this is better than that one was. And much better than Omega Man. Oh, and I have to stay, as far as cinematography goes, that is one convincing utterly annihilated Manhatten.