Clever and Awesome: I Am Legend

I Am Legend
Directed by Francis Lawrence
Released December 14, 2007

I am rarely one for horror films, but I had to make an exception in this case. A good portion of this movie was filmed a few hundred feet away from my dorm last year, and Will Smith's character, Robert Neville, actually resides right in my neighborhood in the film. Sure, all the other humans are dead, but it is pretty much the same. I am obviously not too familiar with zombie films, but this one exceeded my expectations. People have been complaining that the ghouls (humans infected by a virus) looked too fake. I, however, found them perfectly fine and just a bit freaky. The film as a whole is remarkably crafted, and the cinematography and effects are dazzling. The idea of New York City as a wasteland completely abandoned, covered by vegetation, and frequented by animals of the wild is brilliant in itself, and this technological update of the novel (which I have not read) is terrific. Will Smith is surprisingly the perfect person to carry this film, serving as comic relief and dramatic anchor at the same time. It hardly becomes tiresome that there are no other humans alive. I would have loved to see more flashbacks to what caused the outbreak of the virus, and the film's 1 hr 40 min runtime makes for an extremely rushed ending. The main reason to see this film, besides its imagery, is a number of thrilling action-packed scenes, which will be especially exciting if you have not seen the trailer too many times, like I had.

B+

Oscar chances: This one better get in for Best Visual Effects, but my hopes are not too high. Otherwise, Sound and Sound Editing, maybe, but that is pretty much it.