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Description
Robert Neville is a brilliant scientist, but even he could not contain the terrible virus that was unstoppable, incurable, and man-made. Somehow immune, Neville is now the last human survivor in what is left of New York City and maybe the world. For three years, Neville has faithfully sent out daily radio messages, desperate to find any other survivors who might be out there. But he is not alone. Mutant victims of the plague -- The Infected -- lurk in the shadows... watching Neville's every move... waiting for him to make a fatal mistake. Perhaps mankind's last, best hope, Neville is driven by only one remaining mission: to find a way to reverse the effects of the virus using his own immune blood. But he knows he is outnumbered... and quickly running out of time.Amazon.com
Will Smith stars in the third adaptation of Richard Matheson’s classic science-fiction novel about a lone human survivor in a post-apocalyptic world dominated by vampires. This new version somewhat alters Matheson’s central hook, i.e., the startling idea that an ordinary man, Robert Neville, spends his days roaming a desolated city and his nights in a house sealed off from longtime neighbors who have become bloodsucking fiends. In the new film, Smith’s Neville is a military scientist charged with finding a cure for a virus that turns people into crazed, hairless, flesh-eating zombies. Failing to complete his work in time--and after enduring a personal tragedy--Neville finds himself alone in Manhattan, his natural immunity to the virus keeping him alive. With an expressive German shepherd his only companion, Neville is a hunter-gatherer in sunlight, hiding from the mutants at night in his Washington Square town house and methodically conducting experiments in his ceaseless quest to conquer the disease.The film’s first half almost suggests that I Am Legend could be one of the finest movies of 2007. Director Francis Lawrence’s extraordinary, computer-generated images of a decaying New York City reveal weeds growing through the cracks of familiar streets that are also overrun by deer and prowled by lions. It’s impossible not to be fascinated by such a realistically altered cityscape, reverting to a natural environment, through which Smith moves with a weirdly enviable freedom, offset by his wariness over whatever is lurking in the dark of bank vaults and parking garages. Lawrence and screenwriters Mark Protosevich and Akiva Goldsman wisely build suspense by withholding images of the monsters until a peak scene of horror well into the story. It must be said, however, that the computer-enhanced creatures don’t look half as interesting as they might have had the filmmakers adhered more to Matheson’s vampire-nightmare vision. I Am Legend is ultimately noteworthy for Smith’s remarkable performance as a man so lonely he talks to mannequins in the shops he frequents. The film’s latter half goes too far in portraying Smith’s Neville as a pitiable man with a messianic mission, but this lapse into bathos does nothing to take away from the visual and dramatic accomplishments of its first hour. --Tom Keogh
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Customer reviews
Richard Matheson meets Albert Camus; or, the film in search of an audience 
by .. Free Thinker (USA)
I can see why this movie is getting wildly disparate reviews. It is not what it was marketed as: a horror/SF/zombie popcorn flick. It's not even an action movie or a thriller, although it does contain elements of those genres.
So, what is it? It's a darkly inspiring, bleak, existential drama that looks at the price that heroes quite often pay for living out their ideals.
The main (virtually the only) character is a research scientist living in a post-apocalyptic NYC, who is struggling to find a cure for a monstrous virus that has claimed 90% of the world's population. Most of the survivors have been turned into vicious, inhuman ghoul-like creatures that rule the night.
Smith is one of the few humans that is naturally immune to the virus, and his decision to stay is motivated by his belief that he can find an effective treatment for the illness. Unfortunately, many of the pitiful victims he wants to help are now inhuman monsters that try very hard to kill him.
Smith lives in NYC alone, his only companion a female German shepherd.
He spends the sunlit hours playing golf, watching movies and researching the virus that caused the global holocaust.
But, when the sun starts to set, he retreats to a fortified house in the city, where he endures the sounds of the "dark seekers", the creatures that have been created by the disease, stalking the streets outside while he tries to sleep.
Most of the film revolves around Smith dealing with the consequences of staying in the city, instead of leaving it before it was sealed off.
Those consequences include maddening loneliness that drives him to talk to mannequins, memorize film lines and treat his canine friend more like a human child than a dog.
Be aware: this is not a happy movie, and the ending is both depressing and hopeful. Smith pays a horrific penalty indeed for his decision to stay in the city and fight the disease.
The most gripping scene in the film to me was Smith locked in a room sealed by a glass door, with the creatures breaking in. He pleads with them to stop trying to kill him, not out of fear, but out of his desire to cure the illness that has turned them into monsters. But their cries of hatred and blood lust drown him out.
I think that the scene says something very profound about the sad depravity of human nature, and our tendency to destroy the very things that offer us an escape from the unrelenting meaninglessness of our lives.
So, in summary: don't go to this film looking for a special effects extravaganza, although the special effects are actually quite good. Don't go looking for a shoot 'em up thrill ride, although there is plenty of shooting and creatures getting blown away. If you go, expect a profoundly moving human drama that, if you open your heart to its message, will cause you to think deeply about the reality of evil, and the price we may have to pay to defeat it.
Recommended to the highest degree.
Excellent, if you are a Dawn of the Dead or Will Smith fan. by .. Tony (Virginia)
I love the Dawn of the Dead movies and I am a huge Will Smith fan (since the Fresh Prince), so I loved this show. I thought the advertising was pure genius; no one had a clue that it was a zombie flick. The only issue I had was the ending. I won't spoil it for you, but I prefer happy endings and it wasn't necessary for it to end that way.
Great Performance - Digital Copy ONLY Windows PC or PlaysForSure Compatible by .. D. Marrujo (Los Angeles, CA USA)
Being a huge sci-fi fan, I naturally loved this movie! And seeing it at a theater in Times Square gave it that extra special effect. Is Hollywood ever dead on with the books they take to the big screen? Hardly. But if you approach the movie as if you've never read the Matheson novels, then you won't be disappointed with the director's vision and Will Smith's performance. It takes work to convey emotion to an audience when you have no other actor to play off, especially in front of a green screen.
The only disappointment for me was to discover the DVD 2-disc special edition's Digital Copy is only Windows Media compatible. http://digitalcopy.warnerbros.com/support/index.aspx
Sorry iPod, iPhone, and Mac owners but this means, according to Warner Bros digital copy website, that it can only be legally transferred from the purchased DVD to a PC or PlaysForSure device. Apparently, it's a technical and file size limitation. I hope knowing that more than 20 million video iPods are out there, will influence them in adding that format to upcoming titles soon.
Great Film Based On A Classic Book by .. Pat Shand (Freeport, NY USA)
When I read I Am Legend (the novel, that is), I rated it a 10/10 classic. From what I remember, that was a pretty accurate rating. The book was hugely influential and the writing was inspirational for an aspiring author such as myself. However, when a book is adapted to film, many things have to be changed so that the story could work as a movie. My main concern going into this movie wasn't "oh no, things will be changed!" I just wondered if these changes would for the better or for the worse.
They were for the better.
"I am Legend" is one of the most epically awesome sci-fi movies that I have ever seen. Will Smith, who gives new life to the character Robert Neville, gives a flawless performance as a man desperate for atonement who has unknowingly adapted to this post-apocalyptic world. His character is everything that any action hero is, but he is also sympathetic, in that his performance of certain scenes will most certainly move you to tears. The writing is tight and the direction is amazing. Any film that could make the setting of New York City look like it did in this film is worth seeing for just that, because the amount of work that was put into that aspect---and every other aspect---needs to be recognized. Amazing work on all counts. "I am Legend" is a must-see film, and easily one of the best of 2007.
10/10 Classic.
Absolutely AWESOME RIDE! by .. Melissa (Alabama)
We just got through watching this movie in surround sound, and man, I can't say enough about it. This movie was GREAT! The special FX, computer FX, plot, story, everything, just great. And man, does it keep you on the edge of your seat! Whew! I have a headache from being so tensed up! My absolute favorite parts were: when he detonated the "emergency perimeter manager". COOOOL! Man, that house went boom! The way everything was lifted up off the ground, what awesome effects! I had to replay that a few times...just plain cool! Another great moment was at the end when he 'met the creature in the middle' with a nice surprise. I, of course, hated the dog getting killed, cause I am a huge dog lover....but I saw it coming. The great dogs almost always die in films like this. I was kinda hoping that he would get the creature's girlfriend and push her to the window and say "see...she's better!" haha! But, nah, that's not what he decided to do! This one is a keeper!