Directed by:
Francis LawrenceCinematography:
Andrew LesnieComposer:
James Newton HowardCast:
Will Smith, Alice Braga, Charlie Tahan, Salli Richardson-Whitfield, Willow Smith, Darrell Foster, April Grace, Dash Mihok, Steve Cirbus, Emma Thompson (more)VOD (3)
Plots(1)
Robert Neville is a brilliant scientist, but even he could not contain the terrible virus that was unstoppable, incurable, and man-made. Somehow immune, Neville is now the last human survivor in what is left of New York City and maybe the world. For three years, Neville has faithfully sent out daily radio messages, desperate to find any other survivors who might be out there. But he is not alone. Mutant victims of the plague - The Infected - lurk in the shadows... watching Neville's every move... waiting for him to make a fatal mistake. Perhaps mankind's last, best hope, Neville is driven by only one remaining mission: to find a way to reverse the effects of the virus using his own immune blood. But he knows he is outnumbered... and quickly running out of time. (Warner Bros. US)
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Reviews (13)
A wasted opportunity that Francis Lawrence, Will Smith, the almost omnipresent atmosphere and primarily the opening thirty minutes mange to save by the skin of their teeth. It’s just that after that it has nothing more to offer. The befuddled result isn’t due to the absence of action or the somewhat laughable monsters. The blame falls on the screenwriters’ heads. I will ignore that the only thing that remained of the book is the initial idea, but nobody try to tell me that the screenplay for the hundred minutes of running time was more than three pages long. Shame on them if they wanted to get paid for it too. When nothing at all happens, not even the undeniable charisma of Will Smith can do much to save things. What makes it even worse is the utterly ridiculous ending (the “alternative", faithful to the spirit of the book makes the movie much better). A blockbuster that isn’t a popcorn and where you can hear the thoughts of (not only) Bob Marley. That’s a big plus. But the fact that in the end this is just an average watch, is no big plus at all.
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The cartoonish abilities of the infected are a shame. They are so strong that they could perhaps shred an armoured car and so fast that they could leave Asafa Powell behind in a short sprint. That clashes a bit with the rest of the film, which is actually a kind of intimate story about the lonely life of a single survivor, his feelings and sadness. An "intimate piece" with phenomenal visual effects, it must be added, because you have never seen New York depopulated by digital magic like this before and you may not see it again for a long time in the future. This is a one-man show about a guy who hardly leaves the screen for the whole movie, and Will Smith proves that if you have the acting chops, you can sell it, even the poignant dialogue with the artificial mannequins in the shop window. Who would have guessed years ago that this Fresh Prince, who rapped to the world his wisdom about the 'gangstas' of the neighbourhood, would become such an acclaimed film star. Despite the pathetic ending, it was two interesting hours, although the lady sitting in the cinema behind me had words for it: "....more American crap." She clearly didn't mean it.
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I would have expected Akiva Goldsman to choose deeper material for his screenplay. On the other hand, he’s also the executive producer, who knows very well that to get a successful blockbuster, it is enough to develop a good premise into a superficial story, provide it with cool set designs and put Will Smith’s face on the posters. I Am Legend is the perfect commercial product. But if you want to see its premise reach its full potential, watch instead the tense and chilling 30 Days of Night, followed by the intelligent and technically advanced Children of Men.
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Francis Lawrence confirms his reputation as a versatile director, but unlike with Constantine, his higher budget also meant a noticeably lower quality screenplay. Mainly because of it, the excellent action and grand yet suffocating atmosphere are somewhat wasted. Some compromise is missing here at least. The line between drama and sci-fi spectacle is very winding here, confusing the viewer with transitions from bombastic yet "only" personal scenes to occasionally intimately portrayed fights. The biggest betrayal of the story is ultimately the whole theme. It mixes 28 Days Later, The Day of the Triffids, Planet of the Apes, and other battles of individuals against a mass of enemies, but the trailer promised much more than that. A satisfying conclusion and some ideological depth were sought in vain here.
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In an amazing opening that reminds us that Lawrence is simply talented, you don't even think that a monumental betrayal is about to happen. The director is innocent in this because having to make something out of Akiva Goldsman's scripted nothingness is unenviable. It does give a few scenes a proper edge, and Will Smith's charisma works quite well, even if he’s not exactly comfortable in the dramatic scenes. However, the rest of it is a drawn-out boring 100 minutes. This was supposed to be a two-and-a-half-hour drama with proper action and fancy special effects, not a big-budget theatrical play with no balls. Someone forgot how to work with dramaturgy and let the creators of post-apocalyptic sci-fi and family soap opera onto the same set. This year, no film deserves the label of disappointment more than this one.
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Gallery (62)
Photo © Warner Bros. Pictures
![I Am Legend - Photos](http://image.pmgstatic.com/cache/resized/w663/files/images/film/photos/159/890/159890600_2ae401.png)
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