DVD : I Am Legend [2007]

Rating: - Top Dog!!
Although I was slightly sceptical about watching this film, having heard that it wasn't as good as it's hype, I tried to watch it with an open mind. As a result, I managed to shake off thoughts of familiarity about the script and settle down to enjoy what is in actual fact an excellent piece of entertainment.
The story isn't great, and the 'monsters' are....well, not good, but the filmwork on the city scenes is top notch, and very realistic.
Will Smith does an average job at being slightly crazy/paranoid - he is totally out acted by Sam (the dog!) who does command more empathy from the audience than his human co-star.
I liked this, against my better judgement, it is worth watching as long as you aren't expecting anything oscar quality. I would rent or borrow, rather than buy, cause I don't think it has the quality of story for repeat viewings.

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Rating: - How to make a terrible movie of a good book.
This film is an act of cowardice. It takes everything that was good and original in Richard Mathieson's novel I Am Legend and removes it, along with the author's intended and necessary subtext, resulting in something so generic and ridiculously bland that it plays like a DisneyWorld version of 28 Days Later.

Let's be clear; the first half is reasonably gripping, but then it descends into a welter of cop-outs - most galling is the whole 'God sent me to help you' subplot. Even more galling is the end voice-over in which the film's makers pretty much demonstrate their complete and utter contempt first for Mathieson, and then for their audience. What happened, Mr Smith et al, couldn't handle the original, bleak but telling ending? Are you so scared of your own audience you just had to tag on that happily-ever-after, or chase away any sense of moral ambiguity on the part of the hero? Seriously, how can you or any of the rest of the people responsible for this turgid nonsense truly sleep at night, and was it worth it for the dollars you made off the back of it?

And by the way - although the scenes of a CGI abandoned New York are impressive, that doesn't extend to the CGI vampires who look, unsurprisingly, like stiff-limbed and unconvincing cartoons. And for creatures who have apparently been reduced to snarling, mindless beasts for the better part of three years, they do all seem to still wear neatly belted trousers. I also entirely fail to understand how an airborne virus can also give the infected the ability to climb walls like oversized geckos.

This is Romero for the after-schoolers; soft, bland, edges safely rounded off, with monsters whose decency is preserved and plenty of mentions of God 'having a plan for us all' that nearly had me kicking in the TV screen.

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Rating: - Iconic
I really enjoyed this film. i think the direction is amazing, Will Smith is brilliant - one of, if not his best ever performance. it's a brilliant take on Vampires, really original and the back story and reason for their existance is quality. if you haven't seen it, make sur you do!!!

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Rating: - I dont think so!
This film is one of the most blatantly unoriginal films I have seen in a long time!
Here you have a most excting premise of a "lone survivor" in a world horribly twisted by a hemophagic disease which was twisted into a "lets show the world how great Will Smith is in this film" film.
Where was the tension? Where was the phychological degredation so prevalent in the Book? Why all the silly CGI????????
I could believe the blood lust induced by the disease but not the pointy ears!
And a very important element - the missing friend, the one who has turned into a "vamp". Oh, but we couldn't have another actor upstaging the great Will Smith!Who seemed to be reliving his role in "Independence Day".
Of course as a formulaic action film its exactly what you'd expect. I will not call this horror as the only horror incurred was at how bad it was.
This film was miscast,misscripted, misdirected, give it a miss!

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Rating: - Another average hollywood rockbuster!
When I heard about this movie I thought to myself, another modern day virus-wipes-out-the-majority-of-the-population-and-turns-them-into-zombies disaster move. Do we need 'em?

I didn't know much about it so looked forward to seeing the story unfold, which I was a bit disappointed with overall. Even though the Elephant Man is my favourite film, I thought I could get on with his movie. One gripe was the main character. I didn't feel he was that believable and at times, too convenient for an easy story. It may as well have been my Auntie Nora.

As I got halfway through the film, past many of the cliches, I felt like a slug who was wanting to throw himself into the salt pot. There were a few cheesy bits and the special effects for the zombies were ok, were they in charge of their brains or were their brains controlling them?

The ending was ok for a big hollywood flck, and although the story could have been as rounded as Karl Pilkington's head, it wasn't so. Will Smith put in a decent performance as the lead, even though he didn't have much to work with.

I still wasn't sucked into this film as I sat and watched. I was more intrigued by the story about a hairy chinese kid that I read in that days paper.

If you like virus/zombie flicks, it's an ok watch. Not as good as Outbreak, there's no monkey for a start! Monkey news update for you there. I left the cinema wondering if it was worth going to see this film, and I saw an old man eating a Twix on the way out. My opinion, rent it on DVD.