DVD Reviews

I Am Legend

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Doctor Robert Neville (Smith) may be the last man on Earth. A virus designed to help the human race has mutated and killed the population of New York, and possibly the world, leaving only Robert and his dog Sam alive - oh, and a bunch of bloodthirsty nocturnal vampire types, hell-bent on eating him and his trusty canine. Loosely based on Richard Matheson's novel of the same name, I Am Legend is really two films. The first is the almost sombre story of a man trying to keep hold of his last grain of sanity in an empty shell of a once highly-condensed city; the other, a blockbuster action flick-cum-horror film that packs a mighty bang for its $150 million budget. While both entertain and stimulate applicably, it's the first half of I Am Legend that stands out as vastly superior filmmaking. We spend an average couple of days with Robert as he goes about his daily business of hunting deer, 'renting' a DVD, cleaning the dog and trying to find a cure for the virus that has wiped out mankind. This is all extremely well-handled by Lawrence, who shows a restraint and subtlety one would think of as unobtainable, given the canvas this film is painted on - the desolate New York landscape looks amazing, and almost becomes a second character. But this is Smith's movie, and the former Fresh Prince revels in the responsibility of being the only speaking character on screen for the majority of the running time, giving his best performance since Ali. When the action gets going however, there is a loss of tension and some of the 'monster' effects are very obviously CGI (as opposed to the vamps in 30 Days of Night, for example) - momentarily taking us out of an anxiety-ridden and engaging first half. That said, there is an abundance of astonishing CGI-free sequences, including the evacuation of Manhattan as well as the first time Robert ventures into the dark, with nail-biting consequences. This a brave film for all concerned, as it is tonally different from anything that Smith has done before, and thus may perplex fans that are attracted to his films for the excessiveness of Bad Boys and the likes. But this stands proudly as a thinking man's action movie, and deserves a bigger audience than anything its leading man has done in years.
Details: USA / 100mins (15A)

Review by Mike Sheridan