Stupid development in the genre (SPOILERS)

Rating: 3/10 (16 December 2007)

Zombie movies make statements on the societies in which they are set. They represent the country tearing itself apart and a reaction to the graphic war footage during the Vietnam Era, mindless consumerism in the original Dawn of the Dead, and our own senseless violence coming back to haunt us in 28DL.
The tradition of a hideout that zombies cannot instantly penetrate (i.e.: a house, a shopping mall, a high-rise apartment, etc.) sets up a mirror of society. The smarter or luckier survivors barricade themselves there and are able to maintain it for a while. The contrast of their attempts at civilization inside with the apocalypse outside is striking. And when conflict builds between the survivors and their own microcosm of society breaks down, the cooperation which allowed them to maintain the barricade crumbles and they are overrun.
But with I am Legend (and the house in the beginning of 28 Weeks Later as well as the locked room where the civilians are placed during the breakout), the new zombie hideout is simply a place to hide, and it provides virtually no protection once the zombies find it. These zombies are ridiculously strong so they can easily turn SUV's over, bash into Neville's secure lab without breaking their bones, and tear through thick walls with bare hands, all the while maintaining a body temperature that would destroy their brains. The steel coverings Neville repeatedly closes over his windows provide no protection once the zombies attack. There is no feeble attempt to maintain civilization inside his home while the zombies attempt to break in; once he realizes they followed them home, it's all over. So the trade-off is for more powerful zombies (I assume the intention was to make them scarier, but the opposite was actually the result) while losing the interesting social commentary and any semblance of realism. Our own violence coming back to haunt us is a more sensible premise than an attempt to cure cancer that happens to go wrong. Smith's acting is excellent, but his lamentations over cooking the last of the bacon, while amusing, do little to develop a theme other than illustrating that he misses his old way of life.
A break from tradition and taking the genre in a new direction is a good thing, but it should be interesting and thoughtful such as making the new generation of zombies fast and adrenaline-pumped (but not completely over-the-top) in 28DL, not just done merely for the sake of doing something new but ridiculous like I am Legend. Contrast this with the more interesting solution from The Omega Man: Neville is able to fend off the zombies because they refuse to use modern weapons. Or Romero's new wrinkle from Land of the Dead: the city is secure until the zombies evolve to become more intelligent thereby attacking the city from the unexpected river border.
Throughout the film, newness and sensationalism is favored over interesting writing. The collapse of society and wildness of the new environment is reflected in the 2 lions roaming Manhattan? Hello? Did some animal lovers free them from the zoo during the mayhem? What statement is this making about the collapse of civilization? In 28 Days Later, by contrast, we see "The End is Extremely *beep* Nigh" painted on the wall and hundreds of missing persons posters, and we are able to imagine the collapse and sympathize with what the characters must have been experiencing in a more interesting way. Fascinating how a cheap camera, inexpensive makeup and creative movie-making can produce something so superior to a high-budget but poorly made film! Taken merely as an action movie without reading so much into it, I am Legend is entertaining, yet it makes me wonder if Francis Lawrence has ever watched a zombie movie....