No way near as legendary as I'd hoped

Rating: 7/10 (15 January 2008)

You have to hand it to the British people for discovering a cure for cancer which involves turning ninety-nine percent of the world's population into either corpses or bloodthirsty zombies who prey on the one percent that remain immune. That's earned us a cup of tea for sure. I Am Legend follows the life of Robert Neville (Will Smith), a Lieutenant Colonel/scientist stationed in New York city in the wake of this global disaster, attempting to develop a cure for over three years while living with his only companion, a dog named Samantha.
Though many elements of the storyline stray dangerously close to ripping off 2002's 28 Days Later (in which the rage-infected zombies were also courtesy of British scientists; congratulations us), 'Legend's execution is so stylish it hardly seems to matter. We are treated to panoramic shots of a crumbling New York, its streets populated with a multitude of rusting cars, fauna sprouting uncontrollably from every crack in the ground. All bridges in and out of the city are destroyed, their skeletal frames still visible in some places. Wildlife from the Central Park Zoo runs freely through the city, unchecked by human hand. And living amongst all this is the Fresh Prince, wearing his cap sideways and shouting "Aww, hell no!" at every opportunity. Not really. Once again, Will Smith delivers in spades. Throughout the film he accurately balances the dramatic with the humorous, with neither (until the final third) overshadowing the other. His conversations with his co-star, Abbey the Dog, are the source of the humour, though they also serve to highlight Neville's fragile hold on his sanity, as is shown further in the movie when he does temporarily lose his grip on reality. Smith portrays all this with veritable aplomb and makes you feel sincerely relieved that you were one of the 99% who were not immune, and thus able to sleep all day and dance all night. The zombies themselves are very similar to the perpetually vomiting cavemen from 2005's The Descent (perhaps director Francis Lawrence really likes British cinema), but for some reason much less terrifying. Perhaps because they've crossed the line from looking scary to looking ridiculous. Yes, that's it. However, the film isn't really about them, it's about one man and his dog. And assault rifle.
Problems in 'Legend begin with the arrival of Anna, a refugee with a ten year old child in tow who heard the message Neville was broadcasting on the radio (Gettin' Jiggy With It I believe), urging survivors to find him. They are rather unnecessary to the plot and seem as if they were included only due to the film's hashed ending sequence. In fact, they are responsible for all the annoying points in the movie. Here's a list: 1) They ate Neville's bacon; he was saving it, 2) The child is responsible for allowing Shrek to take up half the running time of the film as it can be heard in the background, 3) Anna keeps referring to God and His plan for her which just seems out of place and awkward, 4) Anna does not know who Bob Marley is, 5) Neville has to tell her Bob Marley's Legend is the greatest album ever; he's wrong, and 6) Anna is directly responsible for leading the zombies to Neville's safe house, ushering in a watered down, cloying ending. Overall though, this does not affect the entertainment factor in any major sense.
I Am Legend is also full of little extras which make you smile and generally enhance the viewing experience. Sure, the main one comes in the form of a Superman logo/Batman logo cinema poster, kind of like the alien skull in Predator 2, but there are others such as playing golf off a Blackbird jet, a two minute Emma Thompson cameo and the horrific waking deaths of billions of people. Splendid.
To conclude, while some parts may seem a retread of the superior-in-every-way 28 Days Later, 'Legend is still definitely worth watching and Will Smith remains on top of his game, though with gold such as "It's just... I was saving that bacon!", how could he not?