| Product: |
I Am Legend (DVD) |
| Date: |
15/02/08 (85 review reads) |
| Rating: |
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Advantages: Great performance [Will Smith] and a wonderful message conveyed
Disadvantages: You'll spend the first 80 minutes wondering and dozing off
I Am Legend (2007)
[film only]
The sound of the alarm clock that rang several times in the film actually managed to keep me awake, or at least to awake me when I dozed off. The film is based on the idea that a certain virus, created by human beings as usual, attacked the earth, and the vast majority of people were killed. The military virologist Robert Neville [Will Smith] believes that he is the only person left alive, but he never loses hope. Living with his dog, Samantha, he sends messages through the radio every single day at the same time, hoping that some day somebody will communicate with him. He also tries to find a cure for those people who remained alive and yet were affected by the virus which made them attack and eat the healthy human beings, like Robert, alive. The flashbacks show how he lost his wife and daughter, and his state of loneliness is stressed by his attempt to communicate with the mannequins in the shops.
The survival instinct still intrigues and fascinates me. Once I read a novel in which a man kills someone and runs away only to live alone in a miserable state. He suffers to get food and shelter, and when he barely settles down he asked God for a cigarette and a woman to fuck. Well, obviously he himself acknowledged how outrageous what he asked for is in the state he is in. Life is so tempting and what we are willing to do to stay alive always fascinates me, as the hero did at the beginning of the film. I really wish to discuss the ending, but this is not possible, as many people didn't have the chance to watch the movie yet. Still, please try to connect the concept that the ending stands for to what is happening in the world, and not just to the message it conveys (hope this makes any sense). In addition to the overwhelming desire to stay alive and the fear of death we all have, most people around the world seem to be panicking in relation to how and when the world might end. Even in our attack on the excessive packaging, we are trying to be a part of saving the universe. This is, also, one of the themes which were presented in the movie. It is definitely not the only one which shows the world at its end, almost, but it is very scary with the violent human beings who attack the few normal ones to eat them alive.
This dreadful image of the world is presented to convey a sweet message: "lighten up the darkness". The problem for me was that this post-apocalyptic image that the movie presents is too much for the sweet message. I haven't read the novel by Richard Matheson on which this movie was based, nor watched the other two older films, The Last Man on Earth and The Omega Man which were also based on the novel, so please be aware that my review is about the 2007 film only.
I trust Will Smith, but can you watch a movie that is mainly acted by one actor and a dog? It seems to me that Will Smith thought that he could make a whole movie for him and his son only (The Pursuit of Happyness (2006)), so why not make one for him and his dog? Well, I love animals, so don't get me wrong... probably the first movie worked because his son can actually talk. Till dogs are trained enough to start talking, making a film with a man and a dog as the only actors almost isn't a good idea.
I don't think I can recommend the film, for I think it will be boring for many people, but there are several good things about it. I think the production, the special effects, and definitely Will Smith's performance are very good in this movie. The concept of the apocalyptic or post-apocalyptic images of the world and the means of survival are intriguing for me, but the movie is very far from being entertaining. Thanks for reading!
<<< Price and DVD Info >>>
Price: £12.98 from Amazon
Actors: Alice Braga, Charlie Tahan, Dash Mihok, Will Smith, Salli Richardson
Directors: Francis Lawrence
Format: PAL
Number of discs: 1
Classification: To be announced
Studio: Warner Home Video
DVD Release Date: 21 April 2008
ASIN: B0012YG7LE
Summary: Will Smith is a great actor, but this movie is boring to death.
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