Not your average zombie movie

Rating: 7/10 (4 January 2008)

Those that are going to see "I Am Legend" expecting it to be yet another big blockbuster about zombies will be in for a surprise. Yes, there are typical blockbuster elements. However, they are actually pretty few and far between.
Rest assured that the action, although not that plentiful, is fairly good. It's nothing you haven't seen before, but it's competently done. Some have complained about crappy CGI but I had no problem with that. What is a bit bothersome was the fact that the sound effects were awfully loud, but this is probably more to blame on the poor cinema were I watched this movie.
For the most part however, "I Am Legend" is a fairly serious character study into loneliness and loss. A significant part of the movie is just Will Smith doing his daily chores and trying to survive in a deserted New York and for the most part this is done pretty well. Smith gets plenty of time to develop his character and there are some truly touching scenes. Moreover, the depiction of his post-apocalyptic life is for the most part rather convincing (he doesn't become raving mad, but's he's not 100% sane either any more).
On the other hand, the flashbacks that depict what happened before New York became deserted are the standard Hollywood happy family routine, and are definitely a bit too sappy, let alone predictable. Also, Smith is not a real character actor and that shows at times.
The biggest problem comes at the end however. For the first hour or so, "I Am Legend" is a fairly suspenseful and touching tale, but then the movie suddenly goes into overdrive and before you know it, it's finished. Not only that, but the ending once again feels like a cop-out to keep the audience happy and will likely upset those that have read the book.
In the end though, "I Am Legend" is a fairly successful mix between "Cast Away" and "28 Days Later" that combines character study and Hollywood blockbuster reasonably well, at least until it all falls together a bit in the end