Tense and touching

Rating: 9/10 (10 December 2007)

I got "Omega Man" from Netflix and watched it a few days ago in anticipation of this film. Thank goodness they have little to nothing in common. The Charleton Heston was dire, needing those MST3000 heads in front of the screen shouting out rude comments. The remake is more polished, but with a few problems of its own. The CGI "baddies" aren't the best. They are reminiscent of the mummy in "The Mummy," but if you suspend your disbelief, you will be freaked out by how fast they move. The first half of the film is more about a man and his German Shepherd named Sam - how they try to survive in a world in which about 6 billion people have died. The last half is a bit more frantic, with the Dark Hunters (I think that's what they were called, coming after our protagonist. Overall, "I Am Legend" is a fine addition to the apocalyptic film science fiction sub-genre. And will probably do a brisk holiday business. The theater at which I saw the sneak peek was overfilled - rare these days - and they had to turn people a way. If it's worth anything, the audience also clapped.