Will Smith in Zombie Fest, I AM LEGEND: Movie Review

2008-08-28 05:54:13

"I Am Legend" Movie Review. 6.5/10.
By Todd Murphy. ALL ABOUT MOVIES.NET.

BOTTOM LINE:
The film tries really hard to be different to the standard zombie flick, but it just meanders along, lacking tension thanks to unconvincing CGI. Not even Will Smith's most impressive performance to date can raise this film above its poorer qualities.

THE GOOD:
"I Am Legend" has a premise which will be familiar to any zombie fan; a human-created virus wipes out most of the population on the planet. Those that don't die are turned in to zombie-like monsters, with only a select few immune. Enter Will Smith, the sole survivor in New York City. He wanders the empty streets with his dog, trying to find a cure. The story is hardly new (despite being based on an old novel) but the filmmakers really try to instil a sense of freshness in to the story. In some ways, seeing a New York City devoid of any life with moss and grass growing over known landmarks is quite eerie, and this is expertly demonstrated in the opening sequences of Will Smith driving through the city alone. Will Smith, much the same as Tom Hanks in "Cast Away", has to carry the film by and large on his own and does a remarkable job of holding your attention. He ain't the Fresh Prince here, and his performance is the stand-out quality in the film. Through him we get a character study of what might happen to any of us who are left alone for an extended period of time. A touching scene where he has to kill his dog when he becomes infected with the virus is quite effective and moving. This film makes a decent attempt to make the zombie flick epic and vast while telling a human story.

THE BAD:
The tension of this film comes from the zombies - unfortunately, and for some very strange reason, the filmmakers decided to make every zombie (and all animals that appear apart from Will Smith's dog) computer generated. It totally kills any believability the film would have otherwise had. And it starts right from the beginning. Smith is hunting for deer, but the deer (which is CG) is attacked by a CG leopard and then a CG lion joins the party. The idea is right but it just doesn't look right. Will Smith believes it but the audience didn't. It gets worse when the zombies show up. At first, we see them in the shadows in a scary scene where Smith tries not to be caught out in a dark warehouse when searching for his dog. But when they appear for us to see, they are completely unbelievable and draw too much attention to the fact that they're CG. What happened to good old fashioned practical techniques which this film really should have used given the lack of screen time allocated to the zombies? When this element fails, the film starts to come undone, and you start to see how there isn't really much plot, leaving the film meandering through to the end. Smith is looking for a cure for the virus, but there isn't anything else really happening. He eventually meets another survivor but the story at this point starts to introduce some preachy elements which seem out of place. Story threads such as apparent intelligent behaviour by the zombies is introduced but never expanded. In the end it's a shame, there a lot of good things in the film but it ultimately can't rise above it's faults.

For the original review, click HERE.

Todd Murphy is a film analyst and staff writer/reviewer for the film and DVD review web site, ALL ABOUT MOVIES.NET.

Todd is also an administrator for the dating advice site APPROACHING SEXYWOMEN.COM and the financial web site, WEALTH-ADVICE.NET.