Bad, boring, and bland

Rating: 2/10 (11 January 2008)

If you've seen 28 Days Later then you've already seen I am Legend. Basicaly, New York has been wiped out due to a cancer cure gone wrong which causes anyone infected to become zombies. In 28 Days our protagonist wakes up from a hospital bed to find London deserted during the day and filled with Zombies at night. In I am Legend, Will Smith is the sole survivor wandering around a deserted New York during the day and locking himself away from the Zombies at night. As in 28 Days Later, Wil Smith miraculously encounters other survivors who know of a 'safe colony' to escape to.
This is apparently based on a novel - but if other IMDb reviews are correct,there is much distortion from the original storyline.
I spent most of the time bored - it felt like a much longer movie than it actually is and the disjointed flashbacks are simply annoying and add no emotional punch to the movie. The only time the movie is scary is when the dog is injured - the dog, by the way, was great. Go Inspector Rex!
There are other annoying touches - like the way there are mannequins in the DVD store... Why? Who puts them there? I'm not sure that I care. I normally like Will Smith - but even such a likable actor can't save this trollop. Perhaps, if you haven't seen 28 Days Later, you may enjoy the movie - if you have seen it, then you've already seen I Am Legend. 28 Days Later was much scarier, better written and much more engaging... Rent that instead...