The Legend of His Time

Rating: 8/10 (7 October 2009)

In the 2007 film I am Legend, directed by Francis Lawrence, three years have passed since a viral epidemic swarmed the globe turning the world's population into nocturnal mutant predators. Will Smith stars as Robert Neville, an Army scientist who is immune to the virus and also possibly the last man on earth. The film takes place in New York City, 2012. The movie follows Robert Neville as he attempts to find a remedy for the virus. Neville hunts the infected vampire-like creatures to conduct experiments in search for a cure. Neville tries to experiment with the infected to reverse the effects of the virus using his own immune blood. I am Legend has two different endings, such as a theatrical ending and the alternate ending. The alternate ending corresponds more with the book than the theatrical ending. I tend to like the alternate ending more because it helps people understand the meaning behind the film. It gives viewers a better perspective of the message the director is trying to establish. It is very hard to understand the meaning of the film by viewing the theatrical ending and can throw off viewers who have not read the book. Like Tom Hanks in Castaway, Will Smith commands the screen alone for most of the movie along with his companion dog Samantha (Abbey). There are multiple forms of critical intention in the film to make the film seem more realistic, although some are more practical to the film than others. The director of the film uses music minimally allowing the cityscapes to remain mostly silent to give the impression of extinction to no other life forms at all. An overgrown and deserted Time Square adds suspenseful moments to the movie. The scene of the lion hunting the deer brings the thought of how civilization has ceased and natures overwhelming power over mankind. The film was nominated for seventeen awards and won seven awards. The film won the Saturn Award for best actor and the Teen Choice Award for Best Horror Film. The film also won an MTV Movie Award for the best male performance.