I Am Legend (And So Can You!)

I Am Legend is:

a) a zombie film;

b) a vampire film;

c) an apocalypse film;

d) a character study;

e) a cautionary semi-moral tale;

f) a touching story about a man and his dog, or

g) all of the above!

The answer is, of course, "g", and if that sounds like too much for one film, well, suprisingly, you're hearing wrong.

I Am Legend is based on a book that's been already remade twice, with classic horrormeister Vincent Price and classic, um, heston Charleton Heston taking turns as military researcher Robert Neville on his quest to turn back the tide of a deadly mutant virus. In Will Smith's version, the virus is the result of a cancer cure gone amok that's shown a 90% global kill rate. When New York turns out to be Ground Zero, the government quickly evacuates as many as possible - including Neville's wife and young daughter - before bombing the bridges...which, unfortunately, does absolutely nothing to stop the airborne virus. But it was a good try.

It goes without saying that Neville is among the 10% of the naturally immune population, otherwise there would be no story. Alone in a New York City desolate save for infected people, wild animals, and his dog, Sam, Neville spends his days hunting for food, working in his lab to find a cure, and waiting at a pier for other survivors to respond to his looping radio message - all before the sun comes down. The infected mutants are light-sensitive, and only come out to play after dark.

We've known for at least a decade now that Will Smith is so very much more than another pretty face. I could go on about his acting, but let's just say that it is, as always, brilliant, subtle, and natural. And kudos to the director for not letting the dog upstage him. The shots of Times Square, Broadway, Central Park, and Union Station decaying and completely abandoned are breathtaking and bring to mind the montage from 28 Days Later of London's busiest locations, dead and empty - the aerial shot spanning several city blocks especially so. My only quibble with the film lies here, in that they seem to go on too long - he's alone, we get it, he's doing a fine job of conveying that; yes, seeing these places abandoned is extremely impressive, but overkill is so easy to do here.

The story catalyzes in the third act with a deus ex machina that's been almost universally booed by critics, with the ones who didn't boo it accusing the film of a "Hollywood ending". I understand why so many people felt this: because in this film, the deus ex is actually Deus - and if you refuse to accept that, the ending will feel quite lazy indeed. It's pretty funny, really, that so many people can't wrap their heads around an actual deus ex. This is a prime example of why stories work best when you accept the world they are working in, as opposed to interacting with it only in the sphere of your worldview.

I Am Legend obviously doesn't bring anything new to the table - the story is, after all, some 50 years old - but it is well done, and for a zombie/vampire horror film, the physical horror is pretty tame. I'm looking forward to seeing the director's cut with its alternate ending.

Bottom line, it's not the best apocalyptic/zombie/etc. film out there. But it is good, and an enjoyable (as enjoyable as this genre can be) watch.