andyMatthews.net
Review: I Am Legend (2007)
Yes, yes, yes. I know the movie has been out for a while now (over a year in fact) but what can I say? I spend lots of time on the computer, I've got two children, and my wife doesn't like sci-fi/horror movies. All this means that I don't get to watch movies at home, much less in the theater.
Anyway, the bad thing about being online all the time, but not seeing the movies is that in many cases word gets out and you already know the plot line beforehand. That wasn't the case for I Am Legend. I knew some basics ahead of time, but other than that I was going into the movie not really knowing what to expect.
The movie starts off slow, setting the scene for a completely empty New York. I've been to the city before and I can tell you that it's never looked like this. Grass growing in the streets, abandoned cars everywhere, and in one scene a herd of deer running through the streets. Will Smith plays an Army Lt. Col. named Robert Neville, some sort of virologist or biologist, living in the city with his canine companion Sam, a German Shepherd. most of his time is spent traveling around the city gathering supplies, and looking for "something", just what we don't know until a little later in the movie.
IMDB's quote reads "Years after a plague kills most of humanity and transforms the rest into monsters, the sole survivor in New York City struggles valiantly to find a cure." I don't think that does enough to sum up the sheer solitude that Robert faces. At one point, about 2/3s of the way through the movie the camera zooms way out to show just how alone and isolated he is. The movie plays well, with plenty of suspense, knuckle-biting action, and pathos to make you wonder how you'd act were you in his shoes. I definitely recommend this movie if you get a chance to see it.