Quite a few movies have tried to tackle the doomsday scenario, speculating
how the world might end, and not all have managed to pull it off.
The Will Smith starrer "I Am Legend" takes another stab at
this premise and does a pretty good job. The premise is clearly established
in the opening shots and though itself doesn't quite plunge, the story
and action slowly builds up.
The ending is disappointing and seems hastily cobbled together; and
that is the weakest point of the movie.
The year is 2012 and New York is desolated. A cure for cancer was found
but it had some unfortunate side effects. It transformed a few people
into mutant vampires that come out only at night. The scientist Dr.
Robert Neville (Will Smith) believes he is the only survivor and has
set up a lab in his basement working on a cure. In the day, he and his
trusty companion, his dog Sam, roam the streets of New York hunting
deer and sending radio messages trying to contact other survivors.
One day, he and his dog accidentally encounter these human zombie creatures
and this leads to a series of unfortunate events, which leads him to
a woman and her son. In the end he finds a cure and saves mankind.
The narrative is straightforward and though at times it seems a drag
to watch just a man and his dog, director Francis Lawrence sprinkles
in some flashbacks of Neville's family and on how things got this bad.
There is not enough exposition of the situation and the focus of the
movie is on Neville.
The production is first rate and the protagonist's isolation and alienation
is believable. Even the action scenes are timely and this serves to
maintain the tempo of the movie.
There are a few surprisingly gripping scenes and they work only because
of Smith's commendable performance.
Smith clearly carries this movie and he does an excellent job bringing
some emotional heft to what could have been a silly horror flick.
Smith, after having earned an Oscar nomination last year for "The
Pursuit of Happyness", is clearly peaking and is slowly emerging
as one of the very few dependable Hollywood stars. Very few movies of
his have bombed and he is a true superstar. He has been smart in his
choice of movies. They are big budget blockbusters but allow him to
bring out some emotion and even socially conscious messages. "I
am Legend' is a perfect example of that blueprint.
The movie doesn't quite qualify as a blockbuster action movie. At times
it feels like it is straddling a few genres - the doomsday flicks and
the horror movies. But for those looking for something smart and scary,
the film is a good bet.
