Thursday, December 27, 2007

I Am Legend - Movie Review

I Am Legend (PG-13) 100 minutes D-
Forgettable Legend
Starring Will Smith, Alice Braga, Salli Richardson-Whitfield, Willow Smith, and Charlie Tahan

I Am Legend is based on Richard Matheson's 1954 novel of the same name. It was first adapted to film in 1964 as The Last Man on Earth, and adapted a second time in 1971 as The Omega Man. The most recent installment stars Will Smith and a very cute dog. Will Smith is an immensely talented actor, but his four-legged co-star gives the best performance in this film.

Robert Neville (Smith) is a military scientist and the last man on earth. Immune from the deadly and incurable virus that has either killed or transformed humans into "darkseekers" (scary monsters that only come out at night), Neville is left to his own devices. With nothing but time on his hands he works to find a cure, hunts deer, exercises, drives his fancy red mustang, memorizes lines from the movie Shrek, talks to mannequins, etc... All of this is very interesting and intriguing- NOT!

Will Smith's role in this film seemed awkward and unnatural. From the opening scene (I won't give it away) that is meant to wow us with typical big budget Hollywood machismo, to Smith's perfectly sculpted physique, to the "surprise" ending, I thought this film was total crapola. If not for the breakout performance from the dog (credited as Abby- canine actor, German Shepard) I would have surely given this film an F.

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