The Weakest Remake of a Great Story

Rating: 6/10 (24 May 2008)

In 2012, the American scientist and colonel Dr. Robert Neville (Will Smith) is the unique healthy survivor in Manhattan, missing his beloved wife and daughter, died in a deadly accident. The human race deceased or became mutants living in the dark due to the outbreak of a virus intended to cure cancer. Dr. Robert Neville keeps a routine life for his own survival with his dog Sam, fighting against his loneliness to maintain mentally sane, and entirely committed in researching an experimental vaccine using his own immune blood to get the cure in the laboratory in the basement of his hideout. When Robert attacked by a large group of "Darkseekers", he is rescued by Anna (Alice Braga), another survivor that arrived in Manhattan with the boy Ethan after listening to a message broadcasted by Robert. Her intention is to head to a sanctuary in Vermont, but Robert is reluctant to leave the ground zero and his researches. However his shelter is located by the mutants that break into the place with tragic consequences.
When I was a teenager, "The Omega Man" (1971) was a very successful film in the movie theaters and I probably have seen this movie about ten times along my life. In my opinion, it is one of the best Apocalyptic Sci-Fi movies of the 70's (together with 'Soylent Green'), when the world had the cold war to threaten and the population had a great fear of a biological weapons. A couple of years ago, I saw the original "The Last Man on Earth" (1964), a frightening and dark view of the fate of mankind. In those years, the preoccupation with radiation and biological weapons due to the cold war leaded people to this type of fear and preoccupation.
Both versions are great movies because Richard Matheson's novel "I Am Legend" is excellent. Therefore my expectations with this new remake was the greatest possible, especially because of the name of Will Smith in the role of Robert Neville. Unfortunately this version is the weakest among the three foregoing movies. The director Francis Lawrence forgot that a movie is not only explosions and special effects and wasted the opportunity to make a great film. The strong and fast creatures are ridiculous when compared with the zombies in "The Last Man on Earth" or the dark sect leaded by Mathias in "The Omega Man". Further, the alternative ending on DVD is something ridiculous. My vote is six.
Title (Brazil): "Eu Sou a Lenda" ("I Am the Legend")