Will Smith is THE MAN!

Rating: 7/10 (10 September 2008)

I Am Legend is a 2007 post-apocalyptic science fiction film based on Richard Matheson's 1954 novel of the same name. It is the book's third celluloid adaptation. The film stars Will Smith and comes from director Francis Lawrence who earlier directed Constantine.
I Am Legend is a futuristic film which is dependent on basically two things : Will Smith, and stunning visuals. The later succeeds in grabbing one's attention to an extent. The visuals of a 2012 Manhattan; empty, deserted, abandoned completely after the spread of a deadly man-made virus, are truly something to marvel at. However, if one remembers, this is nothing new. We have already seen such images in Danny Boyle's earlier film which revolves around a similar story, 28 Days Later. The only difference is that the setting there was London. The let-down here is that the film is a little too dependent on the visual effects. Even the zombies here are CGI as opposed to what they were in 28 Days Later. After a point of time, it no longer seems interesting anymore. There are just two sequences that are actually scary throughout the 100minute film.
However, the marvelous thing about I Am Legend are not the visuals, it is Will Smith. The actor shoulders just about everything on his own. It is entirely upto him to keep us involved, to keep us interested. And therein lies the savior of I Am Legend. The film itself might not prove to be much of a legend, but the individual who shoulders just about every second of the film is. Will Smith is The Man. He, singlehandedly, makes I Am Legend what it is. He makes you care. For him, for his pet dog, for his remaining cans of food, for his mental state, everything. The ending of the film was a bit of a let-down, as was the background score. Then again, maybe I was expecting a little too much. It loses out to 28 Days Later when it comes to being a solid post-apocalyptic film with zombies, but it still is quite a good watch.
6.5/10. All for Will Smith.