"I Am Legend" finally made it to the big screen. I am sure most of you are aware, even at a surface capacity, that this was a project that first emerged in the mid-90s as another remake of "The Last Man on Earth" and "The Omega Man" but had trouble getting underway. Indeed, it's been a long journey to arrive at where we're at now and I suppose the question at hand is whether or not it's been a worthwhile crusade. The first answer to that is yes, the film grossed over 75 million in its opening weekend. But to fans of science fiction who appreciated the source material, they might have another answer for you.
The film is marked in two parts, for me, anyway. In the first half of the movie, we're treated to some exceptional acting by Will Smith, who gives off a convincing performance as the last man on earth as he battles isolation and ghouls in the year 2012. His character, Robert Neville, is a scientist who continues his research to reverse the effect of the plague that wiped out mankind (which he himself was immune to). The only humans that remained after the devastation turned into Dark Seekers, monsters who are morphed from their human selves into the stuff of nightmares.
The film's first half is sincerely engaging, playing more like an independent film than that of big budget fare. Smith's acting is the driving force behind this sell, too, and it's by his acting that we are all kept interested in the daily routines of life in this bleak scenario. His character does all he can to employ any sense of normalcy to this world, including viewings of old newscasts on DVD and carrying on routine conversations with strategically placed mannequins throughout the cit. One really felt a twinge of empathy for what Robert was going through and it really gave me thought for what I would do if I were in such a situation.
Eventually, we are introduced to the "villains" of the story; The Dark Seekers. These Dark Seekers are rather creepy and frightening when we meet them during the first act of the picture, adding tension and chills to the proceedings (particularly in the shot when they are first seen). Their aversion to sunlight plays a key component in how Robert can trek through the city unharmed and it's interesting to see the steps he has to take to avoid these beings. I particularly liked how the cat and mouse game developed between the Seekers and Robert, showing that these former humans still had some capacity to strategize.
Where the film goes wrong, in my opinion, is in the second half of the picture where a mother and son are introduced into the film. Their presence simply 'felt' wrong. In a single handed turn of events, the movie went from being one of the year's best to one that took a fatal misstep and ends up being a suspect pick. What complicated matters further is that the acting by the female lead was awful (I don't think the child uttered one word!). I simply cannot believe how terrible I felt as I helplessly watched this movie stride down the path of predictability. All that it had worked for was nearly wasted.
Nearly.
In the end, this is a movie I'm glad I got to see for the acting and some of the visual effects (an abandoned New York City is an eerie sight, to say the least!). If only there was some foresight with the second act of the script, than this would have been the film that would have left us all feeling satisfied after all these years of waiting. Instead, it's a mixed bag and an uneven movie; a picture that is only redeemed by some stellar acting and a remarkable first 45 minutes of cinema. As it turns out, I suppose that's just enough to get the job done.
