Sunday, January 13, 2008

I Am Legend - 2007

What would it be like to be the last person on Earth? That's the high concept behind this Will Smith movie and they pull it off very well. The first third of the movie features shots of him driving cars through an otherwise empty city. He and his German shepard hunt deer in Times Square and Central Park.
He's not completely alone though. A virus has wiped out most of humanity. A portion of the remnant has been turned into vampire like beasts. During the day he is safe from them, but he has to be very careful at night. Smith has fallen into a daily routine that includes watching all of the movies in a video store alphabetically. He also broadcasts a radio message in case there are other survivors.
Smith is very good in this movie. In some ways he reminded me of Tom Hanks in 'Castaway'. The flashbacks show real tenderness as he says goodbye to his family. His interaction with his dog is also superb.
I read alot of reviews that criticized the CGI used for the Others. It didn't really bother me (and that type of thing usually does). The ending took me by surprise (and could have been stronger) but that's a small criticism, too. Really the whole thing was very good.

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