I Am Legend (Review)

I Am... A Missed Opportunity.

I can’t explain just why the finale of I Am Legend sucks without major spoilers, so I’ll do that at the end of this review.

When the initial teasers for this hit the cinema I looked into it, I knew nothing about the book but was still really, really looking forward to it. I wanted it to be “All-Time” good.

So it was disappointing when I finally caught it and saw how they managed to still mess it up.

Will.I.Am-Legend Smith, plays Robert Neville, the only apparent survivor of the latest cinematic pandemic. This time a botched cure for cancer backfires, killing a large proportion of the planet and turning most of the rest into enraged zombies by night, and hibernating spooky guys by day.

It is three years since the virus hit, and NYC, the source of the initial outbreak is long since quarantined. Neville walks the deserted streets by day, now overrun by wildlife (Lions?) and vegetation, and hides in his home by night along with the family dog and only buddy Sam. The family and their destiny are introduced and explained piece by piece in Neville’s dream sequences.

As Neville was part of the cause of the initial outbreak, (just how responsible is never exactly explained), he feels it is his duty to find a cure, and he runs around the clock experiments in his basement on rats. To date none are successful, though Neville carefully documents all tests and file notes results, and his diary events on camera.

In between experiments and hiding, Neville and Sam roam the streets, hunting, shopping and foraging for supplies and things of use. Scenes were Neville visits the video shop show both how long he has been alone and just how Castaway bored and frazzled he has become.

So where have they gone wrong? Well so far, so good, in fact even though nothing really happens in the first 30 odd minutes we feel like it is building, and we get an idea of Neville’s circumstances and feelings of isolation.

In fact around 25-30 minutes in the best scene in the film occurs, in chasing a deer Sam runs into a dark building, despite Neville’s cries of stop. Given the choice between running and losing his best friend Neville opts to save his lone amigo and heads in. We don’t really know by this time what the bad guys are and what they do, so as Neville creeps carefully through the rooms whispering for Sam we feel genuine tension, even when he finally comes across the huddled, shivering baddies.

In the ensuing escape Neville catches an infected (it is apparent that he has set traps at various places), and takes her back to run further tests.

Things come to a head when Neville falls into one of his own traps, and the subsequent escape doesn’t go well.

In my opinion it all goes wrong from here.

Neville decides “enough” and takes his death wish to the streets at night, even though he kills many infected he inevitably loses through sheer weight of numbers…. Except.

Without giving the game away, Neville himself says that it has been over 1,000 days since he saw other survivors, and the events that follow are simply too ludicrous to be coincidence, even when they feebly try to explain them away as such.

The bottom line: Stoopid Hollywood.

The ending is over the top and deeply flawed, totally ignoring the source material on which the film is based in favour of BOOM BANG CRASH crapulence.

I’ve watched this twice now, and each time I enjoyed the build up and let down in a major way by the compromises and short-cuts taken in the second half, even when I know it’s coming now.

Final Rating – 6 / 10. A golden opportunity to make a big budget zombie movie (with credibility) wasted by a short cut ending.

SPOILERS HERE! SPOILERS HERE! SPOILERS HERE! SPOILERS HERE!

SPOILERS HERE! SPOILERS HERE! SPOILERS HERE! SPOILERS HERE!

SPOILERS HERE! SPOILERS HERE! SPOILERS HERE! SPOILERS HERE!

(Whispers) Have they gone?

They are, good.

What are you wearing?

Oops.

I mean.

OK.

Forget the bullshit part that on the one night Neville gets a death wish and goes out to attack hundreds of infected that he is saved by a 55kg woman and her 6 year old son! (I just threw up in my mouth typing that stupidity.)

The original book revolved around one fact: The reason Will Smith was the “Legend” in the title is that he was the ONLY immune survivor, hence he is a Legend to the infected in the same way that vampires or werewolves are the stuff of legend to us.

Introducing Anna the woman and Ethan her kid ignores that (so just who is Legend?) in favour of the martyr blow shit up with a grenade ending. There is a deleted/alternate ending scene on Youtube that would have been so much cooler, but wouldn’t have had the BOOM popcorn ending that Hollywood ended up going for.

So much for staying true to the source, the shame is that even though it may have sold less tickets (but Will Smith movies always sell heaps of tix anyway), the deleted ending would have been far more satisfying, and in time more celebrated.

Rant over. I just hate how Hollywood interference can change a potentially great movie into an average flick.

SPOILERS OVER!

About OGR

While I try to throw a joke or two into proceedings when I can all of the opinions presented in my reviews are genuine. I don't expect that all will agree with my thoughts at all times nor would it be any fun if you did, so don't be shy in telling me where you think I went wrong... and hopefully if you think I got it right for once. Don't be shy, half the fun is in the conversation after the movie.
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