I Am Legend

“I Am Legend” explores what life is like for the last man on earth, the psychological torment he encounters as loneliness threatens to drive him insane. Robert Neville (Will Smith), a military scientist, and his dog Sam roam through 2012 New York City by day and hide in his apartment by night. Through flashbacks we learn that an acclaimed cure for cancer mutated into a lethal virus, killing most of the world’s population and turning nearly all of the survivors into blood-thirsty vampires. Only a handful of people, Neville being one of them, have immunity, but Neville fears that these few have been killed by the vampires. To fend off loneliness, Neville talks to Sam as if she is a person, speaks to department store mannequins as if they’re real, and rents DVDs of television news shows to hear human voices. Neville also spends a great portion of his time capturing vampires and searching for a cure. This intriguing psychological study comes to an abrupt end about an hour into the movie when circumstances change and the plot becomes more action driven rather than character driven. The abandoned streets of New York City, with weeds pushing through the asphalt, vacant buildings standing silent watch, and the utter silence, is an effective backdrop. And Will Smith, much like Tom Hanks in “Cast Away,” is a commanding presence. However, the shift away from character to plot left me feeling cheated and unsatisfied. (12/16/07)