I Am Legend

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What Does it Take to Become a Legend?, December 1, 2008

I Am Legend, the novel, spawned the vampires-as-physical-phenomena genre. Vulnerabilities to religious icons were merely psychological holdovers from victims of a disease who believed they were vampires. But the thirst for blood was very real. It established the post-apocalyptic fear of contamination.

Since I Am Legend is a Will Smith vehicle, I figured it'd have some wisecracks, a lot of action, and Smith saving the day. So I was surprised to get exactly that - but not delivered in the way I expected.

I Am Legend is very much like a A Boy & His Dog in that our two protagonists are Robert Neville (Will Smith), a virologist responsible for finding a cure in New York City, and his dog Samantha, wandering a world gone mad. What's interesting about I Am Legend is the question posed by the title. Why is Neville a legend?

The most obvious answer is that Neville is immune to the disease that has converted 90 percent of humanity. As such, he believes he holds the cure within himself. In that regard, if Neville can succeed in stopping the plague, he will be a legend to all of humankind. But there's more to I Am Legend than that.

It's fitting that his companion is a dog. With only Sam as his companion, Neville is truly a legend; the only other living being idolizes Neville, just as dogs idolize their masters. Neville also creates a fictional community of people out of mannequins in a DVD rental store, where everybody knows his name. Neville is indeed a legend in his own mind.

There's also the possibility, posited in the original story, that Neville isn't famous as a savior, but infamous amongst the new breed of humanity as a mass murderer. In that regard Neville is legendary not because of whom he saves but whom he kills. Neville sacrifices countless of the infected in a quest for a cure, and in the process loses a little bit of his own humanity.

I Am Legend could easily have been an egotistical macho romp in a world gone mad in the vein of Mad Max. Instead, it is a thoughtful meditation on how communities define ourselves, even if your only friend is a dog. Although the director flinches at the uncompromising ending that could have been (and is on the two-disc special edition), I Am Legend is a serious entry in both science fiction movies and Will Smith's string of blockbusters.

Will Smith versus Act Up., November 21, 2008

Don't waste time with this movie. Lucky I didn't pay for it. The Omega Man was much better. This one was outright stupid. Will Smith can't act, and the bald sissys terrorizing him reminds you of an Act Up revolt. Richard Matheson's plot was drowned by the special effects.

okay, but predictable, November 20, 2008

This wasn't a bad movie.. but it's only 'okay.' I wish I had rented it instead of buying the blue-ray. This movie is very predictable and depends largely upon the depth of Will Smith's character. I think they made a good attempt at developing a deep character, but ultimately I think the movie fell short.

I would recommend renting it instead of purchasing it.

i am legend, November 16, 2008

the visual quality of this movie is excellent.the blu -ray format
is superior in everyway over the standard dvd format.i feel the movie's
story line could've been better developed and a better (ending was so
abrupt)ending.But it is an entertaining movie,nevertheless.i would
recommend it.the premise was good but just needed more development
to round out the story,to make it more believeable.enjoy!

I really AM Legend!, November 13, 2008

I missed this in the theatres, although I really wanted to see it. Lack of funds will do that. All in all, I liked it well enough to watch it more than once, but it's one that I doubt will make it into my personal collection. Will Smith does very well, and the directing is impressive too. I can suspend disbelief pretty well, but there are one or two areas where I had to shake my head and look again. I won't go into it because perhaps you'll be able to overlook what I could not. It's worth seeing at least once, after that, it's up to you.


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							December 2, 2008


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