DVD edition for I AM LEGEND(2008).
© Warner Bros. Home Video

Mania Grade: B-
Movie: I Am Legend
Rating: PG-13
Starring: Will Smith, Alice Braga
Written By: Mark Protosevich & Akiva Goldsman (Screenplay) Richard Matheson (story)
Directed By: Francis Lawrence
Distributor: Warner Bros. Home Entertainment
Original Year of Release: 2007
Extras: Alternate Version with "controversial ending", animated comics

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I AM LEGEND

This is the third adaptation of Richard Matheson’s classic 1954 horror/Sci-Fi novel following 1964’s Last Man on Earth and 1971’s The Omega Man. I tried to not let the original novel influence my review too much as I detest those “the book was better” snobs but this is Hollywood’s third attempt at the story and while it’s not a strikeout, it’s far from a homerun.

In this latest adaptation, Will Smith is Dr. Robert Neville, the only survivor of a virus that has wiped out most of the world’s population. The driven military scientist was on the frontlines trying to find a cure for the outbreak which had its roots in a cure for cancer. Neville now lives in a deserted New York City, with only his dog Sam, and a few department store manikins, for company. Hunting the deer who’ve returned to the city and avoiding the virus-spawned mutants who come out at night, Neville begins to border on madness due to his situation, still looking for a cure for the virus and repeatedly testing new serums to no avail.

Smith’s performance is superior to Charlton Heston’s in Omega Man because he did a better job of portraying the character’s desperation and loneliness. Heston played the role a bit more like an action hero although that was a bi-product of the screenplay. While the original novel was set in Los Angeles, this version takes place New York. I don’t have an issue with that change as the backdrop of the empty metropolis only underscores Neville’s isolation. Smith tones down his usual bravado and turns in a complex and thoughtful performance.

As with The Omega Man the vampiric elements of Matheson’s original story have been almost completely eliminated. Only the weakness to sunlight has been retained in the Dark Seekers who end up being rampaging, rabid-like beasts, devoid of humanity and similar to the infected humans in 28 Days Later. Having the Dark Seekers created by CGI rather than using real actors made them less scary. Everything about them was exaggerated to such a degree that they were not believable. They were incredibly strong, scaled the sides of building like Spider-Man, and were almost invulnerable. 

The movie degenerates in the last 25 minutes or so into a standard action flick with guns blazing and explosions, almost sinking the atmosphere it carefully built. Smith’s performance and the look of the deserted New York are enough to give the film a solid, if somewhat disappointing grade. As most people know the film features two distinct endings, neither of them being true to the source material. Matheson’s pessimistic conclusion had Neville realizing the futility of his situation. A new world was beginning and he was no longer part of it. But that’s not the feel good ending that Hollywood wants. Either ending here is essentially in contrast to the original story but I understand the reasoning. The alternate ending “controversial” ending (and if you read Robert Trate’s DVD Shopping Bag you know what happens) came off as silly and overly sympathetic. 

A decent effort but the wait for a definitive adaptation still goes on.

Extras

Now you can bet that there will be another version of this coming out soon, an ultimate version or some such. The only extras are the alternate version of the film and some animated comics. No commentary, no deleted scenes, no featurettes…