Good version of a favourite book

Rating: 8/10 (4 January 2008)

I rather liked the previous films based on Richard Matheson's novel "I am Legend", but for different reasons. The first - Last Man on Earth - is a more or less faithful adaptation of the book, the second - The Omega Man - is such a "mod" update of it and very particular for the 70s. This adaptation is certainly influenced by the second but seems much more "realistic".
The main thrust of this film isn't the "vampires" as such (they're not really Zombies) but the immense sense of isolation felt by the main character, whose only friend seems to be his only link with sanity.
Won't go too much into the plot much, but what impressed me the most was the convincing depiction of a derelict, overgrown New York. I know it involved some form of 3D modelling but I just couldn't see the seems. I noticed all the credits for the Coast Guard - just what did they do? But the thing is, this is a truly great "Warehouse Earth" film. Others include 'The Quiet Earth', and 'The World, the Flesh and the Devil'. In such films we see a stark contrast between between the world we know, and what happens when all of sudden we're no longer sharing it like we used to. That accent is on what's missing, rather than what it.
What's missing is a lot of dialogue. Most of what we here is in flashbacks and on recorded videos and news casts. Neville (the main character) talks to his dog Samantha a lot, and her fate disturbed me a great deal.
A film well done.