I Am Legend (2008, DVD)

It takes a great actor to hold down a movie by himself. In "I Am Legend" Will Smith embraces his character to the point where at times you actually forget its a movie!

Regardless if you are a fan of Sci-Fi type movies or not, the emotion that Will Smith puts into his role is amazing. Let's face it, in a movie like this it's easy for various scenes to get dry and boring. This movie doesn't contain elements of either with great cinematography, script and acting.

If you arent a fan of Will Smith, you will be after this one!

This third incarnation of Richard Matheson's masterpiece is superior to its predecessors in every way, but in spite of that achievement the film is still lacking and comes across as a disappointment in too many ways.

I can't bear to rehash the plot as nearly everyone knows this story by now, and if you are one of the few unfamiliar with this story, then please read Amazon's well-written synopsis or Trashcanman's excellent review in the Spotlight review section. I just plan to hit what I enjoyed about this film and what was so disappointing.

The Hits:

(1) Another top-notch, winning performance by the ever reliable and likable Will Smith.
(2) Outstanding set designs combined with CGI effects of a desolate and abandoned New York City make this film seem more important than it is.
(3) Best adaptation of Matheson's highly influential novel (even if it isn't the most faithful to the story in a literal sense --it captures the spirit of his work extremely well).

The Misses:

(1) The most glaring problem with this film, in my view, is the CGI effects for the vampire-like survivors of the plague. They are too cartoonish for me and appear far too much like video game villains. A good example of this for me is the early scene where Smith's character enters a building to get his dog and finds some zombies hiding in a corner. They are real people, not CGI, and they are frightening; however, later, when he's attacked by CGI zombies, it is unintentionally humorous as they appear like Gollum from LOTR on acid. The CGI effects are either not believable or just too over-the-top, thus, the scenes with them lose their punch.

(2) Uneven pacing of the story is a problem here. The opening segments give the impression that we are going to see a masterpiece here, but the second half of the film never matches the first half and it feels very rushed. It has that "hey, guys, we just ran out of money, so we have to wrap up this film up this week" feel to it. In a film with a deliberate and nearly dignified opening to fall into a shoddy rushed finale severely hurts this film and leaves a bad taste in one's mouth.

The film is still solid entertainment in spite of its obvious and significant flaws. It is probably one I will even buy when it becomes available on DVD later, but it is rather disappointing for a film that seemed to have so much going for it. Its box office receipts may reinforce that perception as it set opening weekend records with a take of about $77 million, but by its third weekend it only grossed about $15 million and that is a severe drop off. For a film that reportedly cost $150 to make it has grossed a disappointing $228 after a month at the box-office. That doesn't even qualify it has a hit with a mere $78 million dollar profit at this point. I do think it will be a hit after it's been released world-wide.

BTW: Some may ask, "What is a hit by today's standards?" That's a good question with really no one set answer, however, Hollywood traditionally likes to see a film generate double what it cost to make in order to classify a film as a hit. This film with a cost of $150 million to make is expected to earn $300 million to be considered a hit, but certain stars, like Will Smith, are expected to bring in better than double the cost of the film (hence, why this may end up being considered a "disappointment" at the box-office even if it hits the magic $300M mark).

I was really looking forward to seeing "I Am Legend", from the moment I found out earlier this year. In preparation to seeing the movie, I watched Vincent Price in "The Last Man on Earth" and Charlton Heston in "The Omega Man". Even though the main ideas of the two prior versions were the same (last man, virus, night creatures, etc.), the delivery varied for their particular time. So I was intrigued to see how the storyline would be adapted to our time.

The first thing that struck me was the set. Growing up in New York City, it really hit me hard to see the devastation and isolation of the city that "Never Sleeps". The streets, the abandoned cars, the bridges, the U.N.,etc. It really hit home. Then we see a much slender, leaner Will Smith trying to cope with the fact that he was alone. His portrayal of Robert Neville is great. Very moving. I find the origin of the virus quite interesting as it comes as a side effect for a cure for cancer. The prior two movies used a plague (The Last Man on Earth) and germ warfare (The Omega Man) to explain the virus. The use of a cure that transforms into a virus gives it an ironic twist.

The film opens well, and continues that way until the introduction of the other two human characters, but that's about an hour or more of Smith, alone in Manhattan after a genetically-altered version of the measles has either killed or mutated the rest of humanity into super-violent creatures who prey on those unaffected, but only at night. They're killed almost instantly when exposed to sunlight. Smith, playing Robert Neville, was an Army Lieutenant before the virus was unleashed three years prior, and he spends his lonely days walking and stalking on the grown-in streets of Manhattan with his dog, Sam. At night, he locks himself in his apartment and attempts to find a cure. It's interesting seeing Smith carry the movie with only himself, Sam, some various wild animal species, and some mannequins. He does an excellent job, and I'm sure that's not an easy task for an actor. This is easily the most likable character he's ever played, and he brings a lot of great stuff to it, including humor and a scene that had me on the verge of tears.

Will Smith and the strength of the story outweigh the two mot glaringly bad things about this film. However, the creature effects are WAY too over-reliant on CGI, but then again, so are most horror films these days, so you might be used to it. Animatronics and foam rubber latex effects pioneered well over thirty years ago look a lot more believable than this cartoonish junk. And the other thing is the ending. It's not terrible, and it won't make you dislike the rest of the film, but the original story's ending is very sad and ironic, and this, like the other two adaptations, just can't seem to cope with the magnitude of the situation, so they always leave you with something WAY to hopeful for what we've seen throughout the rest of the film, and also, it seems that they're afraid to teach you the incredible lesson the original Matheson story had to offer. This is a good adaptation of Richard Matheson's 'I Am Legend.' So far, none of the three have nailed it, due to the inability to just use the story's ending, but this one comes close and is certainly one of the best of the three (the other two are good flicks so I recommend them all).

Of the movie in general, I have actually seen The Omega Man - the movie that this is 'somewhat' a remake of. I love Will Smith and believe that the adapters could have done a lot better job of this remake. It's not a bad movie - it's just not great.....

Great Special effects, movie really keeps you on the edge of your seat.
Clasic Will Smith action movie,
Highly recommended if you like a movie that will shock you.

I bought it as a gift for Father's Day for my dad. He really liked it. It was in excellent condition. Shipping was excellent.

I love Will Smith's acting and thoroughly enjoyed viewing this movie. It had action, plot and was not predictable like so many other movies that are out these days. I will watch it several times when I want to watch a good movie and relax.

Great movie!!! excting! interesting! non stop!! Funny! Dramatic!!
Something for every genre lover

Will Smith plays the full spectrum i this movie, the scientist who wants to save the world, the action hero, the man who is all too human

I'm not giving away a single thing, you just have to see this movie!! I heard it was soo good I bought it, just to see it!! I could have waited for cable to show it, but I knew it was gona be good, and it was better then I thought!!

5 stars!!!!

THIS IS A VARY GOOD MOVIE A MOVIE YOU WATCH 2 TO 3 TIMES TO SEE THE STUFF YOU MISSED I THINK WILL SMITH IS AN AMAZING ACTOR

The transaction went well, and the timing was great. The price was a steal, and the movie was great. I enjoyed the movie so much and I'm still watching it. Will make another purchase in the future. Thank you.

great movie, will smith is one of today's great actors,great performance!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

GREAT PRICE!!! AND EVEN BETTER SHIPPING! NEW DVD AS WELL!!! GOPOD COMMUNICATIONS, DVD WAS IN TIP TOP SHAPE!!! DEF BUY FROM AGAIN!!! PUT SOME MORE NEW DVDS ON EBAY!!!

I've never seen the older version, but this one was good. It was definitely better than I expected. I bought it as a birthday gift for my dad who also enjoyed the movie.

I admire the acting skills of Will Smith, and I enjoy all forms of Science Fiction, so I purchased the DVD. The film version differs from the book in several places. The mutants in the book have become two types vs. the mutants of one type in the film, although the differences are hinted at in the scene where a mutant faces light reguardless of possible injury to itself. Again, mutant intelligence is seen when the character of Will Smith is delibrately trapped.
The scenes of a quiet and neglected New York are riveting and unsettling. As we all know now, this sci-fi concept would never be a reality because of our neuclear plants having meltdowns without human mantanance. Still the idea is a good story line, and it was good to see that the human spirit can be strong in adversity and trust in God is a universal truth.

I loved the movie... lots of suspence, acction and funny escens... i would recommend it to any person who like action/suspence/scifi movies.

I really like Will Smith in a lot of his roles. He did a decent job of making the best of the situation.

The story line was atrocious. It was a computerized 'B' movie. *Spoiler Alert* - don't read on if you actually want to see this movie.

First off, they quarantine NYC. Nevermind the several months prior that others in the country would have been infected. The director just wanted some explosions. Then all these infected people only come out at night because UV affects them? They can figure out how to rig up a sophisticated trap, but can't figure out to wear long sleeves and pants? When was the last time that you got sun burnt from normal electric lights? Then why do all the 'zombies' run when light is shined on them?

It just gets worse from there. A woman and her kid just happen to show up at night with these zombies all around, and she happens to be carrying a big light and saves Will Smith from a swarm of zombies. Don't forget that infected humans can now scale walls at full running speed. Oh, and they can repeatedly smash into a wall and not break bones, bleed or get knocked unconscious.

I really enjoy a movie that has a good story line, good execution, and good acting even if it does stretch reality quite a bit. This was way too far to the extreme. It was ridiculous. The director apparently liked working with the computer animators, because that's what 70% of this movie was. An exercise in making computer zombies look real.

After my wife and I watched this, we just looked at each other and said that was by far the worst movie we have seen in years. And we do watch our fair share of movies.

My honest opinion? Don't waste 2 hours of your life on this.

The suspense and action make this a must see movie. Albeit, certain parts of the storyline don't go the way I'd prefer, this is still a movie to add to your collection.

This movie is something that could actually happen in real life and I think the writer of the script did an excellent job in portraying what life could really be like in the future...plus the characters in the movie all were a good fit for their parts...great flick!

I AM LEGEND is an awesome movie, very well written, A LOT of action, Will Smith plays the perfect part, and the movie will hold your attention from beginning to end!

Very Interesting and A MUST SEE!! You'll want to watch it again and again!

Buy It or Rent It? We recommend ...... BUY IT!!!

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this movie entails what we should all be afraid of. some silly doctor claiming they have found a cure for cancer. and most of all of us die, except a few.
i highly recommend this movie! drama and the future??

VERY GOOD DVD...A FRIEND TELL ME AT THE DVD, I AM LEGEND WERE SOO GOOD.
MY SON WANT THIS DVD. WE FIND THE DVD ON EBAY,MUST HAVE MUST HAVE.
A VERY VERY GOOD STORY. ALL PEOPLE IN THE FAMILY HAVE LOOK THE DVD NOW...

Zombie Flick...plain and simple. I did not like. Not impressed.
But i love Will Smith and his acting. It was scary to me. Will was the only reason I bought it. I will pass it on to a friend or relative.

I found the movie to have many dead spaces. Will did a good job with the material, but the movie was still not desolent enough. I found that the original with Charleston Heston, to be better.

It makes a long time since i was thrilled this way by a movie...No time for boring, philosophy, action and charisma make this film worth seeing...

For anyone not familiar with the backstory: the film is based on a book of the same name by Richard Matheson, first published in 1954. It was filmed first in 1964 in black and white, starring Vincent Price, under the title "Last Man on Earth". In 1971 the story was filmed again as "Omega Man" starring Charlton Heston and the third film is this one - "I Am Legend" starring Will Smith (2007).

I avoided seeing the film during its theatrical release. I'm part of the generation that saw "Omega Man" and didn't think that the story would be enhanced by an "update", with lots of special effects, etc.

I saw "I Am Legend" for the first time on DVD. While prepared to hate it, I actually ended up liking it. My biggest complaint concerns the humans that undergo transformation into semi-vampiric monsters. Without showing us how normal humans were affected by the run-away virus or explaining how the virus went from being a good thing to a nightmare, there's no empathy generated for the demise of the human race. It's just man vs. monster. Oh well. But I did think that Will Smith did a nice job of portraying Robert Neville. I have the feeling that a lot of what was missing in the film ended up on the cutting-room floor. Too bad. A longer film with more background would have kept my interest up.

The film is entertaining and I always enjoy Will Smith. If you want to get more of the story read the book (and while you're at it read everything else Matheson wrote - it's all outstanding).