I Am NOT Legend

Rating: 4/10 (3 January 2008)

This version of the classic book is certainly well-made. And Will Smith shines as never before, in a virtual solo performance. Unfortunately, in tossing out the original, brilliant ending of the book, the filmmakers have not only abandoned the entire justification for the exercise (not to mention for the title), they've failed to substitute any of their own. The resulting experience is not unlike watching a film called Tale of Two Cities that does NOT end with Sidney Carton doing a "far, far better thing"... or a remake of Citizen Kane in which Rosebud unaccountably turns out to be Kane's chauffeur.
The film is thus doubly disappointing. Not only does Hollywood cop out on Matheson's profound and widely-admired philosophical observation, it concocts a story that violates every precept of Drama 101. The initial two-thirds of the film presents Matheson's original character arc; the final one-third veers off wildly, and fails to pay off in any way on the lead-up. Conversely, nothing in the conclusion is properly foreshadowed, hence the ending can only seem arbitrary, contrived and unsatisfying. Yet another mindless Spielbergian Deus ex Machina.
Thus, what could easily have been one of the truly great achievements in SF film ends up being merely a rather poor B movie -- slick, action-packed and momentarily diverting... yet ultimately hollow, bland and forgettable. I suspect it will be left to the Brits to make a proper version of I Am Legend one day; Hollywood has once again proved it hasn't the guts -- nor even the basic dramatic skills.