Strong film that falls a little short near the end

Rating: 7/10 (29 December 2007)

I Am Legend, based on the Richard Matheson novelette of the same name, is quite good. I loved the pacing and never felt bored with the film even though almost the entire film focuses on just one character and his dog. It falls a little short at the end, but is still a worthwhile experience.
In a world where most of humanity has been transformed into zombies or killed off by a man made plaque that was suppose to cure cancer, one man, the lone survivor of New York City, struggles to find a cure and somehow save humanity. His name is Robert Neville, and as played by Will Smith, he gives the character depth. That is something that not all actors can do, and with a film which follows just one character and his dog for about ninety percent of the film's length, I'd have to say Will Smith does a splendid job. We sense his fear, his anger, and his struggles with loneliness since his only companion is an animal that is unable to carry on a conversation.
There were some things in the film which made me feel a little leery. One would have to be Neville's confrontations with mannequins. I'm not sure what would happen in real life if someone was left alone for such a long time, but would they actually do what Neville does? And I'm not talking sexual either. If anybody saw Castaway with Tom Hanks which involved a soccer ball, you might know what I mean. Tom Hanks had a character that was alone for a long period as well, but he made it feel a little more convincing then Will Smith does. With Smith, it just felt a little awkward, with Tom Hanks it was a little more natural I guess.
Now onto the CGI and the sets and special effects. The director Francis Lawrence did great things with all the New York scenes. New York felt quite desolate, and it had to be hard to get and effect like that in the city that never sleeps. It makes you wonder how long it took to get those scenes to work so well. The creature effects were okay but could've been better, and it was the CGI that weakened the last third or so of the movie. A creature here and there was okay, but then you have a bunch all at once and it was just not as effective.
The finale was different from the novel, but it still left and impression after it was over. It gave us more hope for humankind. Overall I liked the movie and would recommend it to anybody who's a fan of such movies.