DVD : I Am Legend [2007]

Rating: - Not bad - could have delivered more
I did enjoy this film; it is a good example of post-apocalyptic drama and Will Smith plays it well. There is the initial fascination with what happened and some good touches as Smith's character hunts for his dinner in a sports car! The portrayl of the lonely, tortured man in a difficult and dangerous search for a cure for a hideous biological accident is absorbing, BUT it all ended rather suddenly. When Smith encounters some more survivors, his shock and dislocation are not explored as deeply as I thought they could and the audience is drawn too rapidly to the climax of the film. Worth a watch, but keep an open mind about the ending.

---

Rating: - Not quite legendary, but still fun
An enjoyable multiplex and popcorn film, that keeps you involved enough with its story that you can suspend disbelief to the end, and fret about the flaws later. Apart, of course, from the fact that the one man left alive in NYC is also the one man capable of beating this thing. But then, that's how things work in the movies...

Smith is good as the lead, and for long periods, only, actor. Plus there are chase scenes, explosions and zombies. The CGI are terrific, and the scenes of a deserted overgrown New York will have you asking 'how did they do that?' Ironic really that after the increasingly banal use of computer graphics in films, it's a static and earthbound CGI enhanced set that impresses.

The end, when it comes, is a little anti-climactic, and bittersweet, but a bittersweet ending has got to be better than sickly sweet surely?

---

Rating: - I am legend
I was really looking forward to watching this film ,only to find that it was almost a copy of the charlton Hestons omega man .The dog was new and a pleasent change but the monsters and story line were the same .I think the older version was much better if people want a look .wish i had rented it instead of buying.

---

Rating: - I hated this film
As another reviewer said, this film is like 28 Days Later if Disney had made it. Instead of scary realistic looking zombies, what you get is computer generated, cartoon-like bad guys. It's like "28 Days Later/Ghostbusters".

---

Rating: - Absorbing Sci Fi Study Of The Human Condition...
This surprised me! Id seen an awful lot of negative press for this film so i didnt have the highest hopes. I was expecting an american take on 28 days and this film is nothing of the sort. Yes there are action setpieces and theres lots of atmospheric location but this film centre's on a stunning performance from Will Smith. I never thought that he could have carried (almost singlehandedly)this film as well as this - acting of real depth & emotion - and not one line of 'Bad Boys' style dialogue!!! Couldnt be more different than previous scifi offerings, Men In Black & Independence Day. This is not a popcorn movie by any means! This films central topics are isolation, loneliness & the inherited need for human contact
Much has been said about the Mutated Plague Victims & the CGI effects used to render them - well ive seen a LOT worse. There are a few shots (in particular when they are seen running in packs) where the movements are a little 'off' but generally they work well especially in close up ie skin tone etc. Id best describe them as physiologically similiar to the Reapers as seen in Blade 2. Pale, hairless & emaciated with the same wide open mouth type scream (a bit like the monster in Aphex Twin's Come To Daddy video). They move fast, VERY fast, mostly in packs ala 28 Days but they are different from those films.
One thing that isnt here is gore - theres no flesh eating or eye gouging here. There is action but not at the brutal level of Danny Boyle's films, Theres more blood & guts in the Romero films but this doesnt impact the film as its more about mood and short,sharply executed bursts of action than gleaming entrails. There are also a pack of mutant feral dogs that are a highlight although only seen briefly in the movies most tense setpiece
Some scenes depicting crowds panicking, civil disturbance & National Guard deployments kind of reminded me of War Of The Worlds (2005) & Cloverfield. The New York locations, both before The Plague & 3 years after in which the film is set are both vivid & disturbing. One area where the CGI has been highly succesful is enhancing the decay of Manhattan's post-apocalyptic Avenues & Skylines. Director Francis Lawrence effectiveley recalls the opening scenes of the 70's Omega Man adaptation starring the late, great Charlton Heston (Classic film)
Very good cinematography & editing too. The film looks fantastic.
WARNING:(SPOILER) IF YOU ARE A DOG LOVER, THERE IS ONE SCENE THATS A BIT OF A LUMP IN THE THROAT (you can see it coming a mile off but its still very sad and Smith really tugs at the heartstrings - if youve seen the Fly 2 you will know how it goes)
I would best recommend the 2 Disc Special Edition (which is the one ive purchased) for its excellent documentary on the science of Viralogy & its link to the film and mainly for the Alternative Cut of the film with a VERY different (more optimistic)ending
Excellent transfer too (and on the Special Edition)