The best version of the novel... ya gotta love the dog.

Rating: Null/10 (1 October 2014)

From Vincent Price in "The Last Man on Earth" (1964) to Charleton Heston in "The Omega Man" (1971) to Will Smith in "I Am Legend" (2007), each version has had its strengths in telling the age old story of the human race being wiped out. But for my money, this was the best. Here's why.
In all three versions, the focus is on the last man on earth--in particular, his psyche in dealing with the crushing emptiness of being the last of an extinct race. Vincent Price's character is focused primarily on survival with only momentary episodes of deep reflection. Heston takes it a step further and displays the subtle yet poignant degradation of a plagued mind, more in line with the cryptic meaning of the book's title "I Am Legend" which we only realize after contemplating the ending. Here, Will Smith knocks it out of the park with a tremendous performance, making this version as much a psychological thriller as it is an action story.
In particular, we watch with deep empathy as he creates a world of imaginary people, having emotional conversations with inanimate objects. Smith plays a scene with a wax dummy that may bring you to tears... can't say I've ever seen an actor do that before (barring maybe Erich von Stroheim in the 1929 classic "The Great Gabbo").
Even better, the filmmakers saw fit to make one small but significant addition to the cast of characters: a dog. Smith's connection with his canine co-star is by far one of the most powerful displays of the human-animal bond that I've seen in any movie. If you're a dog lover, you should watch it for that bit alone. Beyond that, it demonstrates our hero's critical need for companionship, something that all humans would require just as much as food or water. And that's why this version is particularly affecting.
This film also goes further into the meaning of the title "I Am Legend", although it's still a challenge to figure it out. There is an alternate ending which, I think, explains this theme a little more clearly. I'm torn on which ending I like best. Just be sure to check out both if you see the movie, since they are very different.
In all, I don't see this as a straightforward action flick. To me, it's a great psychological character study augmented with lots of action. And like I said, the acting is absolutely 1st class. If you like movies that pack a little more substance beneath the surface, don't miss this one.