238 out of 244 people found the following review helpful:
They're not Vampires or Zombies...
Vivacia from ,
2nd January, 2008
First off let's get some points straight. 'I Am Legend' is NOT based on Omega Man, 28 Days Later or any other 'zombie movie'. Instead it is an adaptation of an excellent little book from the 1950s called 'I Am Legend', written by Richard Matheson, which was in fact the inspiration for the above movies. Sadly the excellence of the book doesn't quite translate but this is still the best attempt so far to capture Matheson's story on screen. Our 'hero' is Robert Neville, the last surviving man of an epidemic that swept across the United States and then the world, destroying the whole populace. But it didn't kill everyone as many were turned into mutant like creatures that stalk the night, eating any living thing they come across. During the day Robert must see to his own needs and try to cope with being alone for so long, with only a dog to keep him company. And this is where Will Smith excels, capturing the madness that is slowly taking over Robert's mind. From his conversations with mannequins in the DVD rental store to his accurate quotations from Shrek 2, Will Smith brilliantly plays a man on the verge of a breakdown. And mention must be made of the dog, possibly the best animal performance in film since Pirates Of the Caribbean's undead monkey. Unfortunately despite the brilliant atmosphere of 'I Am Legend' (if you thought London looked creepy in '28 Days Later' wait until you see New York), combined with impressive performances from the lead, this isn't enough to entirely save a film from it's two major flaws: the ending and the 'mutants'. The zombies in 'Shaun Of The Dead' were more impressive than the creatures in this film. The director Francis Lawrence seems to have liked the CGI used on the city so much he decided to use it again for the mutants. Entirely. This makes them seem more cartoon than anything else and definitely decreases the fear factor substantially. Secondly is the ending which, without spoiling it, is nothing like the book and feels rushed rather than satisfying, though it does get the job done. 'I Am Legend' is really a 3 star film, but is lifted to 4 stars due to Will Smith, the dog, and the valiant attempt to deal with a complex psychological issue set in a terrifying situation. If you're after a scary horror film look elsewhere, but if you'd like to see an alternative treatment of the vampire/zombie genre (as the creatures are not referred to as either it's up to you which term to use), this is definitely worth a look.
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