An interesting update of "The Omega Man"...

Rating: 6/10 (14 December 2007)

...which is to say, "I Am Legend" no more hews to the Richard Matheson novel on which it's based than its early 70s predecessor did, beyond the basic premise of the last man on earth trying to survive the aftermath of a catastrophic plague to which he is immune while doggedly attempting to find a cure, but this Will Smith vehicle offers much to satisfy an audience jaded by cinematic visions of apocalypse. Director Francis "Constantine" Lawrence presents a fully realized urban wasteland of near-future New York City, thanks to superb art direction, production design & set decoration (much of it provided by the core design talents of "Constantine") and flawless camera work by Andrew "King Kong/LotR" Lesnie. In that respect, "I Am Legend" is a marvel to behold. Likewise, Smith's performance as Robert Neville is a quantum step above his typical characterizations, and an equal pleasure to watch. Who'da thunk this desolate, beleaguered man was once the fresh prince of anything?
Less pleasurable, though, is the story (although changing the dog to a faithful companion and link to the past was a strong plus), which overlooks most of the psychological/philosophical concerns of the novel, in favor of raw survivalism and blockbuster-style action, primarily in the third act. Writers Mark "Poseidon" Protosevich and Akiva "The DaVinci Code" Goldsman (who also produced) have again removed the vampirism from Neville's antagonists. This time around, the plague survivors are psychotic mutants, incapable of speech, eliminating all subtlety of interplay between Neville and his opposition. Conflict is reduced to kill or be killed, without a hint of negotiation, very much a page torn from the "28 Days Later..." playbook. I'll not spoil the ending, other than to mention that Protosevich and Goldsman turn the meaning of the title on its head, a complete reversal from the novel. If purists thought the ending of Frank Darabont's "The Mist" was sacrilege, fans of Matheson's novel have it even worse.
As of this writing, "I Am Legend" is sporting a ridiculous 70% "10" rating here on the IMDb, which will undoubtedly sink like a rock once Joe Sixpack weighs in. It'll be interesting to see just how fast that descent occurs. The opening-day midnight crowd I saw the film with seemed to enjoy themselves, but there was no applause when it ended. "I Am Legend" isn't the travesty that "I, Robot" was, but I suspect that Will Smith ought to avoid headlining movies that start with "I..."