I Am Legend

[Madame Adequate]

How did Anna arrive in the night - the messages said he'd be there at noon, and how did she cross the bridges anyhow? Did the infected do the mannekin trap? And, if so, why wasn't their humanisation explored?

A) She said she waited from noon but nobody showed up. Why she hadn't left by the time Neville was there I don't know, but maybe she'd sought somewhere safe and the hubris attracted her attention.

B) I thought it was pretty clear that they did. I would have also liked their society to be explored, but at the same time, I thought it was really interesting how Neville misinterpreted the leader's actions in exposing himself to sunlight, and our failure to get more into it seems to be a parallel to his errors here. There were still strong hints of the book's original premise (ie (SPOILER)that Neville has become a legendary monster to those infected who retain intelligence and social structure, a factor which in the movie seemed a little more combined into a single being.) dotted throughout, which I personally found very well done. I don't mind that the movie doesn't follow the book perfectly, but I thought it paid appropriate respect.

[James Leopold]

I just came back from seeing this film and I've got to say that this is one of the best that I've seen released in 2007.

The acting was superb, the atmosphere perfect and the story great.

Will Smith IS a legend and one of my favourite actors. He created a believable character and there were moments in the film that moved me.

Absolutely brilliant, I recommend it for everyone.

[Heath]

Having seen the film myself, I suppose I can actually comment now! Stylistically I thought it was above average. I thought it was predictable during certain sequences (for instance, that there was going (SPOILER)to be one of the infected upstairs that would attack Neville as he looked for Anna or how (SPOILER)the infected woman Neville was experimenting on in his lab was going to revive and try and attack him or something), but the film managed to suspend the action to a significant enough extent that I began to doubt whether or not I wasn't giving the film enough credit by thinking it predictable, only to be proven right and surprised by it. Really well done. I'm not sure if anybody else experienced that like I did but it was something that happened at least twice during the film.

The film was downright depressing (as it should be) during some scenes as we're shown not only the background to Neville being the last man in New York but also how he copes with this. The (SPOILER)death of Sam, the mannequins in the video shop and how he'd watch old news broadcasts amongst other things were quite poignant to me as it really allowed us to see what happens to a man in such dreadful isolation, driven by two single instincts (survival and looking for (SPOILER)a cure).

I think perhaps I expected less than I got and that's why I enjoyed the film. It's never going to become my favourite film or even one of my ten favourite films, but it was definitely an enjoyable film to watch.

[Big D]

I haven't read the book, or seen the original movie, but I'm going to see it tonight with a friend. All I've seen so far are the trailers, which give me a sense that it might be a little different to the generic zombie apocalypse flick.

[Rostum]

I liked it, but the ending was mediocre.

[Rengori]

I ending sucked, but other than that it was a great movie.

[Venom]

My friends all tell me its the greatest movie ever so I'm going to go see it next week, I already know a little bit of what its about because I read a little bit of the book.

[Big D]

Wow.

I just got back from it, and it is a fantastic film.
Serious, emotional, intelligent - everything you would not expect from a 'zombie apocalypse movie'.

If you want non-stop action, exploding corpses and screaming innocents having their brains torn from their skulls and devoured, then don't see this film. It's not like that at all. I Am Legend manages to be sensitive, perceptive, beautiful and terrifying throughout.

I went in with mixed expectations, having seen the trailers and read the responses in this thread. The result was beyond anything I would have hoped for.

Most of the criticisms of this film seem to be due to the misplaced expectations, or simple ignorance, of the audience.
Children spoiled by CGI who can't appreciate the remarkable imagery of New York City reduced to an inhuman wilderness.
Mainstream horror junkies who think 'frightening' means only images of violence and gore, and fountains of blood.
Fans of typical Hollywood junk action who expect that a 'hero' can only be a fearless superhuman who ultimately triumphs in a hail of slow-motion machine-gun fire.

The story's fantastically told, avoiding lame cliches like having a convenient voiceover commentary or single introductory flashback that explains everything that's happened. Virtually all that the film shows is what Neville sees, which makes some of the horror moments all the more tense, since there's no convenient objective perspective to show what's going on. Neville's survival, trials, and battle to both continue his work and hold insanity at bay is what the film's about, and Will Smith does a fine job of it.

Don't like the ending? Too bad.
If you want a climactic showdown where the hero demolishes his enemies in an epic slow-motion machine-gun BATTOL!!!, then there's already a slew of movies that'll satisfy you. If you want a feelgood ending where the day is saved and everything has magically returned to normal, and all is right in the world, then Disney would be a good place to look. What I Am Legend offers instead is a more realistic, believable ending - years of suffering aren't undone in a flash; one brave act doesn't instantly make everything all right. But hope continues, with the promise that things might eventually begin to recover.

For gratuitous exploding zombies and implausible action, style over substance and cheap escapism, then the Resident Evil movies should suffice. For gory horror that doesn't take itself too seriously and revels in the clichés of the genre, try The Night of the Creeps or Black Sheep.

I Am Legend is just too different from the typical mainstream film. It's not an action movie, yet at times it's heart-pounding; it's not strictly horror, though it has moments of tension and terror. It tells a story, and tells it well, and in a way that you would not likely expect.


...Well, I got a little carried away there perhaps; but that's my honest assessment of the movie, and how a lot of people have been reacting to it.

[Calliope]

Blahblahblah, Dave I'm skipping your post as this is the third time I have seen it somewhere, and I still have to reply to your entry anyway

Hannah: I didn't think that the darkseekers set it up, I thought it was just another case of the good doctor temporarily losing his mind, which just makes the consequences of the incident far more traumatic.

Bad acting + good CGI = good movie (Titanic)
Bad acting + bad CGI = bad movie (I, Robot)
Fantastic acting + bad CGI = Fantastic movie (I Am Legend)

I hadn't read the book before, but I will probably check it out. I read The Pursuit Of Happyness, but that's largely irrelevant because it was mostly ghosted anyway, and a completely different genre of bookishness.

I thought the movie was very tense, surreal and that Will drew on aspects of Robinson Crusoe et, al. to create a very compelling and believable portrayal of how people have flaws, and that there is more to surviving than simply having adequate food and shelter. All of the routines and ways of trying to keep his mind active outside of research were brilliant, and yet I still wanted him to GET IN THE DAMN CHIMNEY.

[Big D]

Hannah: I didn't think that the darkseekers set it up, I thought it was just another case of the good doctor temporarily losing his mind, which just makes the consequences of the incident far more traumatic.

I reckon the plague victims did arrange it. Their head honcho did, at least - the biggest, most commanding of the hive. He watched Neville use it against one of his friends, then did the same in response... I suppose we'll never actually know, but I feel that Neville's behaviour was too irrational for it to be just another of his lapses. He certainly seemed aware that the dummy wasn't where it should be: he was wary of the distinctive hole leading into the building directly behind it, and his decision to spray the dummy - and the surrounding buildings - with gunfire shows that he was suspicious of the situation, beyond simply play-acting like he usually did with the dummies.

That one 'leader' of the plague victims always seemed more calculating, even while he was more ferocious than the others. Dehumanised in behaviour and society, but not completely bereft of mental capacity.

Blarg, rambling again. Sorry you had to read my review/rant so many times, but it was easier than writing something new in each location

I didn't feel the movie's CGI was that bad, personally. Nothing that stood out as glaringly unrealistic, at any rate.

[James Leopold]

With the whole Head-honcho dark seeker. Me and my friends believe that he was probably the father of the one that Neville captured. His paternal instict is probably the reason why he was always the main one chasing Neville throughout the remainder of the film.

[Cleansation]

The only thing that really made this movie above average was the acting - the cgi was horrible - the story was dull and the ending was cliched, predictable and moronic.

[Calliope]

How was the story dull? O_o;;;

[scrumpleberry]

Ending was a bit rubbish, but it's really the only way to end a movie like that. Aside from that I loved it. I also thought the female he captured would be cured earlier on and become a character.

[Rocket Edge]

Great movie, with fantastic acting from Will Smith. I didn't expect the movie to be what it was at all, probably something that worked in favour for my viewing in the end. I think thats even how the advertising mean't to go about anyway.

It's also a movie that makes me think about it alot even after seeing it. Freaky as hell too.