Will Smith Strikes Again

Rating: 8/10 (14 October 2012)

Everyone you or I have ever known has seen this movie and will read this review. I am Legend was not really what I expected. Will Smith delivers another great performance as a scientist in a post disaster New York City. Once upon a time it was believed that a cure for cancer was discovered. It turned out that this cure turned into a virus and killed most of the world's population. Some survivors turned into infected zombie-like monsters. Then they started feeding on the living and leaving a small living population of humans left in the world.
Will Smith plays Robert Neville, a scientist who is looking for a cure. The search for a cure keeps him alive because he feels he can fix the mistake humanity made. He is at ground zero; it is "his site." He is alone in the entire city, but finds ways to keep his sanity. He exercises, talks to manikins, and is in love with his dog. He takes care of his dog Sam and she becomes a beloved character. Smith also watches old newscasts on TV. His brilliance in this movie is remarkable. He is in survival mode and he raids old houses and scavenges the city for supplies. Every night he puts his house in lockdown to keep out the infected. He has many weapons and has set explosives around is house, and sprays gas everywhere. How he has survived and the preparation he makes everyday just makes the movie different. There isn't a lot of dialogue or characters so the audience needs another way to be entertained, and it worked. This movie had chilling moments, funny moments, heart breaking moments, and memorable moments.
Throughout the movie we see flashbacks of what happened during the evacuation of New York. We learn the story of his daughter and wife and what happened to them. His daughter, Marley, is an important character herself. She reveals symbols and is a symbol herself. She is named after Bob Marley and his music is heard throughout. In one flashback Marley talks about a butterfly. "Look daddy, a butterfly." This becomes important later towards the end of the film. It is little things like that which makes the movie interesting and something a real fan can enjoy.
Now, New York is infested with former human beings but are now infected with the virus. They hate the sunlight but come out at night and wreak havoc. In blu ray these monsters are terrifying. Their screams sound real; you can see the detail of how their skin had burns and their veins pop out. Meanwhile, Neville catches one in a brilliant scheme and he puts it in his lab. Neville is immune to the virus so he cannot become infected but he tests the cure on rats and eventually the human sample. This angers the infected and they get back at him.
The infected are smart themselves and set up a trap. They move a manikin into a position and Neville's insanity kicks in and he thinks the manikin is real and he shoots it. Then he goes over to it and gets caught in a wire. He passes out and wakes up at dusk. He cuts himself down and injures his leg, again brilliant by infected humans. What happens next is just epic. The infected let out their infected dogs to attack. Neville and Sam crawl back and there is a final ray of sunshine keeping the dogs from attacking. The inevitable attack commences and Sam, the dog, makes the ultimate sacrifice. Neville survives but Sam is hurt, really bad, and Neville has to choke out is dog and best friend. That scene was powerful and difficult to watch. We don't see the dog. We see Will Smith's face and his reaction as the claws of the dog scratch along the floor and eventually stop.
This brings the introduction to two new characters Anna and Ethan. They save Neville's life when he basically tries to commit suicide and take down infected with him. Anna saves his life and brings him home. Smith shows more insanity and how he has no people skills anymore and the only good thing the kid does in the movie is pick up the knife when Neville flips out and tosses the plate. The kid really annoyed me and he was an unnecessary character. He didn't say one word in his thirty minutes on screen and was pointless.
Other problems with the movie were small. In the beginning when Will Smith is driving the brand new car in a post apocalyptic world. Come on? That's just the car paying the movie to advertise their new product. Ethan was pointless, Anna was not in the movie enough and honestly at time I was a little board with the movie. There were very few characters, little development, and little action. It was still a fun movie and given the circumstances it was still a good movie.
Overall, I Am Legend was a good time. I bought it on blu ray, so it was a good movie. I could watch it again and again and still be entertained. It had a great a great storyline, a fantastic lead actor, awesome special effects, and clever moments. Is this movie really memorable? Not really, it isn't a classic but it is a good activity to do on a rainy day. Watch it alone, with friends, whoever. Small children may be scared but no big deal. I am Legend gets the WillyT Seal of Approval.