Will Smith's got one heck of an immune system...

Rating: 6/10 (7 May 2008)

Note: This is a review of the original theatrical version, not the one with the alternate ending, available on the special edition DVD.
The title is from a novel, not a quote from Will Smith when asked to describe himself in three words or less. Also, I don't know what disturbed me more, seeing a desolate, uninhabited New York City or the fact that Robert Neville (Will Smith) chose to alleviate boredom by watching endless repeats of Shrek. And despite the obligatory "I'm pushing 40 but I'm still ripped" half-naked workout scene, it's an entertaining movie.
I was surprised at how simple this movie was, and also at how drastically it changed as soon as the other two survivors came along to rescue the "I've given up all hope" Neville. What was a riveting, intense character piece touching on issues of loneliness, humanity, isolation and grief, becomes a no-holds-barred fight to the death against infected mutants, then wham! the end clicks back into "thoughtful" modeI was more than a little jarred. But despite this, I still found the movie very enjoyable.
I was also surprised at how similar to I, Robot it is, and not just coz of the workout scene. There is a blatant (borderline advertisement) product placement moment at the start. Neville is seen cruising around in a swanky, tricked out Ford Mustang, which strangely disappears for the rest of the film. Converse All-Stars, anyone? If he had of skidded to a halt and said, "a thing of beauty", I would have been lunging for the STOP button. Aha, one of the writers wrote I, Robot, and a 150 million dollar budgetI guess they needed a boost. Anyway, it's forgivable because it's, wellforgettable.
I Am Legend is more a (although I shudder to use the term) "re-imagining" of 1971's "The Omega Man" than it is an adaptation of Richard Matheson's novella, however viewed as a standalone piece it still works, so forget all the naysayers on here who stupidly feel the need to pick apart every single movie they see. If you think this is your kind of flick, it probably is. If, like me, you really dig "end of the world" type movies, you'll get more than a few kicks out of this one. Not least of which is the empty, barren, lifeless New York City. It looks, in a single word, awesome.
Far from being crap, the screenplay and/or film appears to have been "sliced and diced" to achieve a round 100 minute running time, as certain issues are raised and not followed through, other things appear to just skim the surface rather than diving in, and the ending is a little deus ex machina, but I still liked it.
Okay, summing up, I like apocalyptic end of world movies, so thought I'd dig this one. I hired it, was pleasantly surprised, slept on it, then decided the next day to buy the speccy edition DVD because a) I'll watch it again, more than once, and b) I wanted to see the alternate ending. So, if you're anything like me (check out my other reviews to get a random idea of flicks I love/hate) you'll probably dig it too. Have fun!