So Close...

Rating: 8/10 (12 May 2012)

I am Legend starts off excellent. Will Smith's character is incredibly believable along with the shots of the barren New York City streets. The plot is wonderfully put together and dispersed and small portions of comedy are thrown in to suit Will Smith's personality. The scare factor is certainly present as it uses surprise and suspense as its greatest factors. I found myself jumping as I saw the infected zombies ravaging around.
Will Smith's performance is certainly the strongest point of the film. The emotions and traits he displays are amazing and convincing. whether he be sad, calm, or nearly insane, you'll be rooting for him the entire movie. His character provokes nearly every emotion you can feel, and you'll very quickly become attached to his companion dog.
Now let's talk about the downsides: The simulated zombies were very poorly made with almost no detail. There is almost 0 variance of the designs on the infected. However, it is understood why the creators resorted to using CGI because of the absurd speed and strength of them. The lack of back story and explanation is very bothering to the audience. It was already a short movie to begin with, so an extra half and hour of seeing the start of the virus and Will's character's preparation would've been appreciated.
**SPOILERS** The ending was certainly not satisfying. The sense of love and compassion felt by the infected was not at all convincing and it makes you wish they either killed Will's character in the end, a successful cure, or more to their escape. Only one shot of the survivors driving away is below par for an ending of such a great beginning of a movie **SPOILER END**
Let's recap: Will Smith is amazing as usual, you'll become attached and feel sad, scared, and even happy throughout the movie. The overall composition of the movie is good, but more explanation would've been nice. Finally, the animated zombies aren't too amazing and the ending might leave you a little dissatisfied. However' it's totally worth a watch.