I AM LEGEND
(directed by Francis Lawrence, 2007)
***+ (out of 5)
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> This is at least the third go-round for this dramatization of Richard Matheson’s story of a lonely post-pandemic hellscape populated by zombies who rampage by night.
. First came the THE LAST MAN ON EARTH, in 1964, which was not bad for its time. Then came THE OMEGA MAN in 1971, a truly awful film that substituted Vincent Price for Charlton Heston and relocated the story from New York City to Los Angeles. Then finally, this version returned the action to NYC and put Will Smith in the central role. This incarnation was unquestionably the most successful of the three.
. Smith is Robert Neville, a celebrated scientist, and as far as he knows- the last uninfected human on earth. By day, Neville broadcasts his position to the world, hoping against hope to get a reply, and roams the deserted city systematically hunting for nests of zombies. By night, he cowers with his dog in the bathtub of a well-fortified apartment listening to the bloodcurdling wails of the murderous hordes outside. Neville hopes to use his own immune blood to reverse the unpleasant zombification he feels partly responsible for. Interestingly, unlike the other versions, there is no designated Bad Guy Mutant Leader here to rival Anthony Zerbe’s hammy turn in THE OMEGA MAN. Eventually, at the last possible moment before he completely loses his sanity, someone answers his distress signal. It is a mother and her young son, on their way to a rumored “safe zone” in northern Vermont. But is this a real place, or an alluring mirage? How can he just pack up and leave, when he has a city full of bloodthirsty mutants to cure? The theme here is more man versus nature, than man verses zombie.
. Will Smith is a compelling actor to watch- as his leading lady Sonia Braga. They ground a fantastical film in real human emotion- something missing from the previous two tries. The production values in I AM LEGEND are top-notch and the action scenes terrifically exciting. It’s a thrilling thriller!
– Twilight Zone staff writer Matheson was still alive when all three films were made. Bet he liked this one! I sure did.
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