Very Good

Rating: Null/10 (6 March 2008)

I Am Legend (2007)
*** (out of 4)
First there was The Last Man on Earth with Vincent Price, then Charlton Heston was The Omega Man and now we have Will Smith as the last man on Earth who soon realizes that he's not alone and something deadly is out there after him. This third version of the story is without question the best and what was most shocking is how dark, bleak and at times depressing this film is. The screenplay is incredibly smart and tries a lot and accomplishes most of what it sets out to do. the film goes down someone during the final act when it turns into an all out action film but everything leading up to that point is rather suspenseful, intelligent and very well made. The opening shots of New York city deserted are haunting and this is something really missing from the earlier versions. This version really gives you the sense that Smith really is the last man on Earth. There's a haunting tone running throughout the movie about being alone in this world and it's quite brilliantly done. A lot of the credit has to go to the screenplay and director Lawrence but the real key here is Will Smith who gives the best performance of his career. I found Smith's performance here a lot better than his two Oscar nominated roles in Ali and The Pursuit of Happiness. Smith is downright terrific in the scenes where he's trying to cope with being alone and his relationship with his dog is very touching. The scenes of him talking to the mannequins are also very well done. I'm not a fan of CGI but I think the effects here are very good and that includes the creatures. I'm sure more human monsters would have had its benefits but I enjoyed what they did with them here none the less. As I said, I think the film runs out of gas in the end when the brains get pushed aside for the muscle but this is still a highly enjoyable film with a lot going for it.