Yet another potentially good movie killed by lousy CGI

Rating: 4/10 (27 October 2008)

I have come to the conclusion that CGI is the bane of the movie industry. It is not the ground-breaking, eye-popping technology it once was. The days of being wowed by shockingly real-looking dinosaurs or space insects are over. Now CGI is used by studios too cheap to pay for sets, extras, stunt coordinators, animal wranglers or make-up effects artists.
Will Smith plays a scientist who is trying to find a cure for a virus that causes people to turn into cartoon zombies. He tries various vaccines out on the cartoon rats in his lab. Sometimes he and his dog venture out to hunt the cartoon deer that run through Manhattan. Occasionally they even watch a cartoon lion capture one of the cartoon deer so that some cartoon cubs will be able to eat. Will and the dog also sometimes run into the cartoon zombies.
The moments between Will and the dog alone are fairly compelling. But any time an infected person or other species of animal shows up, the movie turns into yet another showcase for phony, ridiculous special effects.
Were it not for the GODAWFUL effects, I AM LEGEND would be a marginally entertaining adaptation of Richard Matheson's infinitely superior book. With the effects however, it's yet another piece of bloated, excessive Hollywood trash, perhaps slightly less forgettable than most.