I Am Legend

Rating: 5/10 (17 January 2009)

A plague sweeps across the world and renders civilization a mass of dead and infected savages(..named Darkseekers who only hunt at night with an inability to withstand sunlight it seems), a survivor, Doctor Robert Neville(Will Smith)seeks a cure, working effortlessly in his lab, slowly losing hope of ever achieving such a feat. He also often hunts the Darkseekers at night, setting traps to capture live specimens so that he can attempt to cure them. During the struggle to find a cure, Neville's resolve and courage begin to dwindle, and his need for human interaction are proving to become his undoing.
Rather simply and predictably told, with CGI creatures which look like characters from a video game, it's Smith's riveting performance that keeps this rather weak interpretation afloat. Some action/thriller elements are delivered somewhat well as Neville finds himself in life-threatening situations with the Darkseekers. Alice Braga and Charlie Tahan are Anna and Ethan, mother and son survivors who enter Neville's life towards the middle of the film as he, in desperation and despair, almost kills himself by driving straight into an army of Darkseekers. Smith is able to convey a sense of loss and a desperate need for companionship with the film expressing a quiet, devastated New York City. Smith's work opposite his pet companion, Samantha, are really effective and his scene with a department store mannequin echo The Twilight Zone episode, Is There Anybody Out There? But, you've seen this all before and the film really doesn't set itself apart from other films which focused on the same type of Matheson story. Still Smith does what is required of him and the film benefits from such a performance even if the special effects are not up to par.