Nice Update of a Classic Sci Fi Piece

Rating: 7/10 (17 February 2008)

Will Smith gives I Am Legend a powerful performance built upon an excellent script with strong psychological realism and boosted by great art direction and solid directing.
Smith plays Robert Neville, a military biologist who may be the last truly human member of Homo sapiens sapiens left on earth. A genetically engineered virus which cured cancer has mutated into a pathogen which has turned 99% of the earth's human population into hyper-aggressive murderous cannibals with no social habits and no mercy. These viral zombies own the world and, from his generator-powered lab in the Big Apple, Lt. Col. Neville struggles to retain his sanity with the help of his German Shepard while almost hopelessly searching for a cure. Each night at sun-down, his patients come out and seek to infect anybody they can find.
It's an old story by Richard Matheson, which has been made into three somewhat different films - The Last Man on Earth (1964), Omega Man (1971) and now this. Each of these films is a product of its time, and has a different flavor. The 1964 version, starring Vincent Price, is more of a standard horror flick than the other two, and focuses on creating mood, atmosphere, and tension, then paying off with a modest amount of gore and action. 1971's Charlton Heston more sci-fi film, Omega Man, is heavy, philosophical and more than a little angry and scary.
I am Legend loses a bit of the philosophy and anger, retains but reorganizes the action, and adds better characterization, special effects (especially in set design - the abandoned Manhattan is mesmerizing), and writing. But, as if I haven't already made this point, the final key ingredient here is Smith's incredible performance. It is no mean feat filling the shoes of Charlton Heston in one of his most memorable roles, but Smith goes well beyond this and creates a character that is very much his own.
I am Legend is on the best post-apocalyptic films recently released, and one of the ten best Zombified horror films I have ever seen. Highly recommended for sci-fi and zombie film fans. Weakly recommended for horror fans - this is a very non-traditional horror film.