A one man show..? (I Am Legend (DVD))

Member Name: blissman70

Product:	I Am Legend (DVD)
Date:	01/04/08 (54 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Good remake of a good film

Disadvantages: not enough action and a swift ending.

Producers: Erwin Stoff, David Heyman and Akiva Goldsman
Director: Francis Lawrence.
Writers: Mark Protosevich and Akiva Goldsman
Based on the 1954 novel by Richard Matheson.
Starring: Will Smith (with a short appearance by Alice Braga towards the end of the movie).

Released in 2007 this was always going to be one of Will Smiths most challenging rolls, acting solo through most of the movie.
Sadly, compared to Wills other movies, such as 'I robot', 'Men in Black 1 and 2' 'Independence day' and many many more, this movie lacked something to which Will Smith, regardless of his talent, could do anything to salvage.
The film is based in 2012 and opens with flash backs from 2009, showing the human race being wiped out by what was grown as the cure for cancer.
The rest of the film is a solo performance from Lieutenant Colonel Robert Neville (played by Will Smith), apart from his canine companion Sam, the only surviving member of his family.
The movie follows Robert through his everyday life as he lives alone in the deserted city of New York. Broadcasting a daily over the airwaves in the hope someone else is still alive and human.
The way they shoot the empty city is spectacular, watching Robert race around the overgrown city in his car, playing golf off the end of an aircraft carrier and other scenes. Watch out for the scene when Roberts is hunting the dear....impressive indeed.
But it is the special effects that make this film worth watching, they use the computer-generated imagery to it full extent and do a fantastic job air-brushing the population of New York out of existence. The human infected 'zombie' like creatures looking quite impresive.
With Roberts believing himself to be the last sane human left scouts the city during the day looking for food and signs of other healthy humans, also trying to find a cure for the deadly virus.
But at sundown the scene changes as he rushes to barricade himself into his home as the infected begin to roam the streets in search of food, like zombies, emotionless and hungry.
Once the sun rises again then Robert and his dog can safely go back onto the streets as
The infected's aversion to U.V. rays keeping them off the streets during the day.
The film plods on, consisting of flash backs, showing how the virus took hold and how Roberts family were wiped out, together with most of the population.
There are some scenes showing how Roberts insanity is tested as he has no human companions to actually speak to.

With one scene telling how the infected are not as insane as he thinks, as they copy Roberts in a way he captures one of the infected.
With a slight twist in the story Roberts is rescued from a suicidal mission by Anna Montez, (played by Alice Braga), a friendly face who has been listening to his daily broadcast.

The end of the film is a real let down as it happens too quickly, it is almost as though the writers ran out of ideas and simply chose to finish it quickly.
It in turn is a bit of a let down as many other endings could have been thought of to make the film worth sitting through.

(I did read somewhere that there was an alternative ending showing the infected having emotions)
In my opinion this is defiantly not one of the best movies that Will Smith has starred in, although he does play the role like a professional and manages to bring the second rate story line to some form of likeable movie.

Summary: a bit of a let down for Will Smith fans