I Am Legend

Directed by: Francis Lawrence
Starring: Will Smith, Alice Braga, Charlie Tahan, Salli Richardson, Willow Smith
Running Time: 1h 41min

Genuinely scary, with equal parts humour and horror. I Am Legend does an excellent job setting up its scenario, with an eerily quiet beginning of Will Smith travelling around an urban New York jungle, interspersed with flashbacks of Smith and his family before the catastrophic event that left him the sole survivor of his surroundings. An atmospheric mood permeates throughout the beginning, giving the audience great payoffs on account of the tone set forth.

Smith has said he wants to star in genre defying films, which show his acting strengths as a comedian, a romantic lead, and a dramatic Oscar contender. He valiantly tries for all three of these, and does succeed in striking a balance. Unfortunately, genre bending has its difficulties, and the creepy psychological horror that unsettles the viewer so well in the first half, gives way to more conventional action horror zombie type flick. Pairing the two makes a lot of sense, as each has a piece of the other. The question that remains is which genre to end it in? Choosing one style of finale over another is sure to polarize audiences. The path chosen this time around will certainly divide viewers, but should prove satisfying.

It is quite a feat for an actor to carry a film all on their own, and surprisingly, Smith is up to the task. Like Hanks in Castaway, Smith manages to wrap us in, as he speaks his thoughts aloud, sometimes to himself, and sometimes to his faithful canine companion. These exchanges make the zombies seem even less human, as they shriek and shuffle their way towards our hero. It's always a conceit in zombie films as to how super or subhuman to make the zombie. Do they have super strength, but no brains? Are they evolving at a rate that shows rapidly increasing intelligence, with equally quick foot speed? The zombies in I Am Legend are some of the better incarnations of the genre, even if they do seem plucked from a video game.

Overall, I Am Legend is a solid, cinematic experience. Smith has attached himself to another project that is sure to satisfy and entertain his growing fan following. He is establishing a certain kind of quality to his films, even if he is a bit delusional about this film's dramatic punch. As a genre piece, it is of the highest calibre. As a pivotal piece of film making, worthy of Oscar status, it is certainly not the stuff of Legend.

Grade: B+