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Movie - I am Legend


Charles Lindsey
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  • 4 weeks later...

I must say I liked this 3rd (or so) adaptation of Richard Matheson novel "I AM LEGEND" quite a bit more than any of the previous attempts to date ("The Last Man on Earth" (1964) with Vincent Price being the first, and of course "The Omega Man" (1981) with Charlton Heston being the second).

Some may also count movies like "28 Days Later" and "Children of Men" as being in the same category and I guess there are certain similarities if you disregard the events taking place on the British isles. I liked "I AM LEGEND" even better than those two.

While the movie follows the spirit of the book, it doesn't really follow the story at all, too many liberties were taken to mention.

The ending of course is nothing like the book, but then we knew that going in, I mean, this is Hollywood we are talking about. :D

The wide angle shots were quite satisfying, but things got a little dicey once the sun set. The infected humans turned vampires as described in the book had little in common with those we saw in the movie who were portrayed as roaring mutant clones who just happened to be vulnerable to sunlight. On the other hand we got spared the abundant use of garlic that was so prevalent in the novel and the 1964 adaptation.

The only thing that bothered me when comparing all three adaptations is that the Robert Neville character became more and more unlikely over time. Vincent Price played the part like a true white-collar geneticist, with Charlton Heston we got somewhat of a Gordon Freeman who played him as a doctor who spent his weekends hunting deer, but with Will Smith we kind of crossed the line of believability. Will Smith is not quite convincing as a gun-toting nerd. :D

One last thing, the dog seemed like it was added just to create another link to the source material, but for those who read the novel, the interesting part, how Robert Neville came by it, is completely missing in this movie.

Overall, it's a movie that can be recommended.

The Good: Will Smith, some nice explosions, the suspense and desolation, the assault rifles for those who like guns. :D

The Bad: The creature SFX were indeed iffy in places. I've seen them put to better use in "The Nutty Professor." Surprising fact, the female co-star was subdued and not very memorable, unlike the babe in "Transformers." Not close enough to the source material for some.

Score: 8/10

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