Entertaining but disappointing, with many mistakes

Rating: 6/10 (9 January 2008)

I Am Legend must be the dream of every actor. A 1.5 hour movie where about 1.4 hour passes with you and no one else on the screen. The actor, in this case Will Smith, sure had some fun with this movie, but are the spectators in for a Will Smith showcase?
New York is deserted because a virus that went spreading a few years ago. For reasons unknown, our hero is immune - it appears that he's the only person IN THE WORLD being immune to such virus - or is he? He has no one anymore but his dog, as he lost his family in the evacuation of the city. He goes around New York City with awesome cars, loads of weapons, etc.. Because he's alone, he also simulates people with manikins. Like Cast Away's volleyball, these manikins just show that our hero's brain is fusing because of loneliness and paranoia. If that wasn't enough, during the night some infected people (zombies) lurk the city searching for food, and so the life ain't easy. These zombies are pretty stupid and have weak points like not being able to be exposed on light, therefore surviving is hard but not impossible.
The 1st half of the movie creates the atmosphere. Shows you how the city is, what happens, what does Will Smith do, how's his dog, etc. etc.. A few flashbacks pretend to explain what happened, but it's a very superficial explanation in reality - not to talk about the actors who showcase in these flashbacks are not quite on par with Will Smith's great performance. This part of the movie, despite making a great premise, is pretty boring. One would think the 2nd part of the movie which shows some interesting change (some people survived) would then rule everything, but some plot-hole ruin this part too. Or maybe these are not plot holes - but we get such a superficial explanation of what happens why that it's unclear what is logical and what is not. Indeed both zombies and people do things that defy any logic. In a scene for example, zombie dogs can't cross a tiny stripe of light, because that'd hurt them. Near the end though, hordes of zombies run without problems between lamps and explosions, which are making quite a lot of light as well. Also I don't see why a virus would make you turn into a zombie which is killed by the light, but that's not relevant. Not to talk about the characters doing things that I definitely don't imagine that people would do if they'd find themselves alone in such a big city, but that's not too important either. The last 15 minutes build up a great suspense despite the plot holes and the lack of real explanation - and the end is simply bad. I'm not spoiling it in case you didn't see it yet, but it does not make much sense, as the 2 final events are one good and one bad:

the good one could have happened about 3 years earlier

the bad one could have been EASILY avoided Thus, making for a very inconsistent finale.

As for the look, the movie is gorgeous: awesome CG, impressive effects, great actor work, and deserted New York City looks absolutely unbelievable. But pretty look does not make up for the often predictable, often flawed and often illogical story, which sees Will Smith on a 1.5 hour long mission to survive - but seeing the mistakes he does, I wonder how could he survive 3 years. He even falls in a trap that he usually uses. Also the last part has a very War Of The Worlds feeling, but in a bad way, as that movie, in my opinion, is superior to this.
I said many bad things about this movie, but is it bad? Not really. It's actually entertaining - but the storyline is extremely flawed. If you're a fan of the book, of Will Smith, of apocalyptic movies in general, or you simply want to sit back and enjoy an action-packed movie for 1.5 hour - watch this movie. If you want a real storyline, plot twists, or any sign of "intelligence", don't watch this. The story in fact looks like cut out straight from an arcade zombie shooter from a bowling alley - and, no wonder, there's even a semi-official game for this movie. But its final line is the same as my review for this movie: it's a decent idea done half-decently. And that's not good.