I AM LEGEND

"I promised a friend that I'd say hello"

In 2009, a genetically engineered version of the measles virus is heralded as a cure for cancer. Three years later, soldier and scientist Robert Neville (Smith) is the only survivor on Manhattan Island after the virus mutated and infected every human living on the island at the centre of New York City. Left on his own, he spends his days travelling around the city, hunting with his faithful dog Sam and trying to discover a cure for the infection. As darkness falls however, Robert Neville has to go into hiding because the infected survivors come out to feed and he is the only source of human blood in the city.

Apocalyptic plagues have become the stalwart plotline for many a survival horror movie but can 'I Am Legend' stand out from the rest and infect the box office?

Genetically engineered viruses that are accidentally released in the atmosphere with devastating effects have become a stable part of the horror genre over the years but it is in modern times that, with the advances in visual effects, they have really flourished. The success of the 'Resident Evil' and '28 Days/Weeks Later', as well as the remake of 'Dawn of the Dead' and even 'Shaun of the Dead' in the new millennium, the virus movie is well and truly back. Following on from this success we have the third adaptation of Richard Matheson's 1958 novel but having already seen the story in 'The Last Man on Earth' with Vincent Price in 1964 and most famously 'The Omega Man' with Charlton Heston in 1971, can a modern adaptation of the movie bring anything new to the story?

This big budget version of the novel successfully brings an apocalyptic feel to a devastated and deserted New York City. While '28 Days Later' and '28 Weeks Later' did this successfully on a much smaller budget in London, 'I Am Legend' takes this premise even further. While the '28…' movies dealt with survivors of a virus that has just hit, this is a movie is about the long term affects of a virus and a lone man's struggle to cope with the realisation that he might just be the last person uninfected on Earth. It is the solitude and Robert Neville's drive to find a cure even when all is lost that make this more a story of the human spirit and drive than one of all out survival.

The sense of loneliness and solitude is portrayed with great skill and gusto by Will Smith. As Robert Neville, Smith has to create a character that has to be completely self-contained. With only his faithful dog Sam to talk to and having witnessed every he knows and love die or become infected, Neville is forever the optimist as he waits at the docks every day at midday for anyone who might have heard his broadcasted message and painstakingly looks for a cure. This is a role for a talented actor and there is no argument that Will Smith is definitely in that category because it takes real skill to be the complete focus of a movie and the only character that the audience can connect with. While he is no stranger to playing heroic parts in his blockbuster movies, this is the part that shows that there is much more to Will Smith than his trademark humour and cheeky laugh.

The look of 'I Am Legend' really helps create that sense of solitude and foreboding. While we have seen deserted cities before, the sight of famous New York landmarks such as Times Square completely overgrown and without any sign of human life producing a very eerie feel. The setting sun also plays a major role, as the vampire-like infected wait for darkness and the freedom to hunt and feed and there is nothing scarier than a city covered in a blanket of night. Of course computer generated visual effects play a huge role in creating the empty city and they do a remarkable job but it is in the creation of the infected and animals were the film is let down slightly. The creatures have that computer generated shine that plagued CGI creations during the early part of the 00s, making them not as believable as a creature created using traditional makeup effects. Audiences now expect more from modern, big budget movies and this unfortunately is not up to the high standards set my other films in the genre.

'I Am Legend' is survival horror with a story to match the grandiose premise. With an exceptional performance from Will Smith and a sense of solitude and loneliness created by an eerie New York City, this is a classic of the genre and a movie that will have you on the edge your seat from the off and genuinely caring about what happens next.

28 Days Later

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2007