I Am Legend has intrigued me ever since Davey sent me a link to the teaser trailer, because this was the movie that was being filmed in New York City when we were visiting downtown Manhattan the weekend we went to the Twins/Yankees games at Yankee Stadium. I have pretty much avoided all commercials and other ads to this movie because I knew I wanted to see it but I wanted to go into it without any knowledge of what it was about. I had heard some people talk about it with some mix reviews. One person had said it was scary. So I went into the theater expecting to be kind of scared, maybe a little jumpy, especially with the loud, sudden sounds. Will Smith (Robert Neville) alone, literally alone, makes this movie go. He is scientist and the lone survivor living in New York trying to find a cure for a virus that was once known as the cure for cancer, a virus he is immune to. So who and what is he trying to cure if everyone is gone? I will leave that up to the you to find out for yourself. It is really interesting watching his daily routine in a city with no one around, while hoping he runs into someone, another human. I did jump a few times, but overall I wouldn’t classify it as scary, but a little creepy. I did like it very much and Will Smith did a great job of keeping the action going even though it’s just him and his dog for most of the movie. Another cool bit of info for me was when Smith was watching an old video of a news broadcast from 2006, it talks about the biggest snow fall in New York history of 26.5 inches of snow, I was also in New York when that happened.
Filed under: I Am Legend, Manhattan, Movies, New York, Will Smith
3.5 is very, very generous.
I was looking forward to this knowing that it would have some interesting landscape shots of an empty NYC. This part certainly didn’t disappoint. The scenes where Robert Neville is sitting on the pier with the collapsed bridges in the background is pretty sweet.
BUT THEN COMES THE SCI-FI. This is when movies usually fall apart. Hollywood has a difficult time trying to add up all the details of time and space. Even the simplist ones. If they would have put a little more effort into the script to tie up some of the loose ends it would have been a stronger story. I realize the “FI” represents Fiction, but they did a great job of detailing the whole cancer cure situation so why not think through some of the details.
CAUTION: Might be some spoilers below. So read with caution if you have not seen the movie.
For example, their are wild animals all around the NYC. This certainly provides for some interesting scenes but wouldn’t the humans infected with the virus hunt down all the animals. Robert stated in the movie a couple times about how the infect people needed more food.
2nd example is that they never found Robert’s house for 3 years? Really?? These creatures are running loose in the city each night and they never came across him? Really? I can come up with a handful of more believable ideas of how Robert would need to protect himself each night. His only defense was dumping water on the steps and some wimpy window shutters.
Lastly, when Robert accidentally stabbed his leg and can’t get up. The infected human sends his dogs after him after the sun goes down. If they were such savages why didn’t the human come out to get him?
I think it is worth a rent just to see the NYC scenery. When it gets to SCI-FIish turn it off.
I am Legend alternate Ending
WB has been taking down this video so I apologize if this link is broken.
Thanks WB! Try this one:
2nd Try
I was just talking to someone the other day about alternate endings, because I usually don’t watch them, but I did watch this one. I think people don’t want the heroes of the movies to die and they play it safe by making both version, one where he lives and one where he dies. I actually liked the version where he dies. Good post Buddha.
WB plans ‘I Am Legend’ prequel
Will Smith, Francis Lawrence to return for film Warner Bros. has set in motion a prequel to the Will Smith starrer “I Am Legend.”
The plan is for Smith to reprise his role as scientist Robert Neville, with Francis Lawrence returning to direct. Akiva Goldsman and his Weed Road banner will produce with James Lassiter, Smith’s partner in Overbrook Entertainment.
The studio has set D.B. Weiss to write a script that is based on a detailed outline that was hatched over the past few months by Smith, Goldsman, Lassiter and Lawrence.
The prequel will chronicle the final days of humanity in New York before a man-made virus caused a plague that left Smith’s character the lone survivor among a mutated mob in the city.
Making a prequel was the only way to extend a franchise that grossed $584 million worldwide for Warner Bros. and keep Smith in the lead role. His character was killed in the first film, after extracting a potential cure for the virus for the scattered survivors.
Weiss at present is scripting the adaptation of Neil Strauss’ book “The Game” for Spyglass Entertainment. He’s also working on a project for Relativity, “Kashmir.”