"I am Legend" pleases
Erik Hyrkas
Issue date: 1/31/08 Section: Arts & Entertainment
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Imagine yourself alone in New York City with wild animals and monsters lurking about, and you may be able to picture this jump out of your seat flick.
Smith plays Dr. Robert Neville, a scientist once in the military, who has found himself without his family or the rest of the human population. Living in NYC, his only counterpart is his best friend, a German shepherd named Sam.
During the day the two hunt, exercise, (even Sam has a treadmill) and hope to find survivors of the epidemic that caused their isolation. Meanwhile at night, they are forced to hide from the blood hungry nocturnal creatures.
Nevertheless, Neville has many intense run-ins with the animals. He is almost always armed with an assault/sniper rifle, and with good reason. The monsters are as strong as ten men, jump as high kangaroos, and lunge more quickly and violently than rabid dogs. In Neville's scientific effort, capturing the nocturnals is one of the dangerous missions he must attempt in order to fulfill his goal of restoring humanity to the world. Booby trapping, firefights, and painful injures ensue, as well as plot twists and turns.
The film is very exciting. Though the monsters are mostly digitally created, they look decent, and it doesn't stop the film from scaring the sh** out of you. While a lot of it is intense action, there is a great dramatic aspect to the characters as well.
Smith portrays the trials of loneliness in Neville's life very well whilst talking to manequins he dressed up and choreographed in a video store, and telling Sam to eat all of her vegetables. This film also has the best characterization of dog I have ever seen. The audience loves Sam, and sees her the same way Dr. Neville does, as everyone's favorite companion.
"I am Legend" is scary, exciting, funny, sad, and overall a great cinematic experience. Catch it in theaters before it hits video store shelves.
Review results: 5 out of 5 fish.
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