I Am Legend

[mr.jameswoods]

SPOILERS!!!

It's just a zombie film. I wanted to like this film and I enjoy horror and science fiction films in general but this was horrible. The only thing that gives this film some credibility is Will Smith's fine performance. This is the best acting I've ever seen from him.

The "vampires" or infected are cheap CGI constructs that resemble the robots in "I Robot". They express no intelligence nor can they speak. They just behave like mindless zombies. The film could have been interesting had they explored the science of it. They could have showed the initial effects of a human being turning into one of these virally infected zombies. They could have made the vampires into characters and showed their side of the issue as they too have a story; they are trying to survive having been transformed.

Nope, instead, this is just another mindless zombie film. What's especially irritating is the film pumps up the sound so it's so excessively loud when it doesn't need to be. My ears were ringing after the movie because it was needlessly loud at times. For example, the zombies are banging against this glass wall and with each bump, it's painfully and excruciatingly loud to the point that it sounded like bombs were going off, but the only action that was occuring was a zombie ramming the glass. There is a lot of downtime in this film with Will Smith just talking to himself and manequins. It gets extremely tedious at times.

The ending also differs from the novel's; it's actually worse

 

[Tusan_Homichi]

I saw it tonight and overall, I thought it was pretty good. The movie starts out well. I really enjoy the main character going about his day to day life in that environment. The relationship between him and his dog is good (strange as that sounds) and I was amused by his interactions with some manequins he set up in a video store which he drops by occasionally to grab a movie to watch.

However, it takes a turn for the stupid and ends that way...

SPOILER ALERT














When the friggin kid and the woman show up, it's like the writers realized that they painted themselves into a corner and needed a quick wrap-up. It went downhill in a hurry at that point. The ending? Good lord. How Hollywood of an ending can you get?

 

[gazmc_06]

I thought it was excellent, a really, really good movie. definitely one of my favorite movie's this year, Will Smith is my favorite actor so I may be a little biased but it was still a great movie.

Will Smith was excellent in it, I think he was better in The Persuit Of Happyness but this was up there with his best performances.

 

[smarta5150]

They express no intelligence nor can they speak

The main "zombie" guy set up a trap and actually caught Will Smith, too bad for him the sun was still out. This did show a sign of intelligence by mimicking Will Smith in the same way WS caught a "zombie."

Also, they tracked WS, the woman and child.

Another sign of intelligence was when they attacked the house: they took out the spotlights and a few minutes later one "zombie" ripped a whole through the roof in order to make an entrance point.

Same scene... The main zombie seemed to be barking out commands and ordering the others to attack (both the spotlights and house). Maybe they couldn't talk but they definitely were communicating.

Overall it did have the feel of a zombie movie but the creatures weren't as clueless as you made them out to be.

When the friggin kid and the woman show up, it's like the writers realized that they painted themselves into a corner and needed a quick wrap-up. It went downhill in a hurry at that point. The ending? Good lord. How Hollywood of an ending can you get?

I would agree with this. I enjoyed the movie but the ending did feel rushed. They could have made this a 2 hour film and built it up slightly more. I never saw Omega Man, was the ending similar?

 

[Tusan_Homichi]

BOOK SPOILER ALERT:






I'm not sure about Omega Man, but in the book, he offs himself when he realizes that he's the last of his kind and much like he was trying to rid the world of them, they were trying to rid the world of him.

Of course, in the book they're vampires and can talk:

"Robert Neville looked out over the new people of the earth.  He knew he did not belong to them; he knew that, like the vampires, he was anathema and black terror to be destroyed. And, abruptly, the concept came, amusing him even in his pain.

A coughing chuckle filled his throat. He turned and leaned against the wall while he swallowed the pills. Full circle, he thought while the final lethargy crept into his limbs. Full circle. A new terror born in death, a new superstition entering the unassailable fortress of forever.

I am legend."

That's how the book ends and how much more powerful of an ending would THAT have been?

 

[StevenOtero]

I'll probably just download it when a R5 or good TeleSync comes out.

 

[mr.jameswoods]

The main "zombie" guy set up a trap and actually caught Will Smith, too bad for him the sun was still out. This did show a sign of intelligence by mimicking Will Smith in the same way WS caught a "zombie."Also, they tracked WS, the woman and child. Another sign of intelligence was when they attacked the house: they took out the spotlights and a few minutes later one "zombie" ripped a whole through the roof in order to make an entrance point. Same scene... The main zombie seemed to be barking out commands and ordering the others to attack (both the spotlights and house). Maybe they couldn't talk but they definitely were communicating. Overall it did have the feel of a zombie movie but the creatures weren't as clueless as you made them out to be.

I was speaking figuratively. Of course they have some intelligence but relatively speaking, they were pretty mindless characters. They acted more like animals with a pack mentality than what we typically think of as vampires. That's partly confirmed in the scene in which they are sleeping standing up with their heads touching each other oblivious to Will Smith and his flashlight entering the room. Now does that represent human-like characters or bats to you?

You mention the trap they set up but the film never shows them setting up the trap. The vampires were not even played by actors but were CGI characters. And these CGI "vampires" all looked alike. The only one that stands out somewhat is the leader and that's only because he was screaming more than the others and the camera focused on him. And I deliberately use the term zombie because those things didn't remotely resemble vampires. In fact, they looked like a taller version of Golum from The Lord of the Rings. And if they were so intelligent, explain why they don't help their dogs attack Will Smith after Will cuts himself out of the trap? The sun is no longer out. The vampires just unleash their dogs and then goes back inside. What were they doing, grabbing a beer and hoping their dogs would take care of the job? That vampire could have recruited some others and easily grabbed Will Smith at that point. And don't tell me they were trying to be careful because they were never careful approaching Will Smith at any other point in the film especially when they are throwing themselves into his car. To me, it's rather silly to belabor this point. I doubt most people who saw this film would go out of their way to contradict the idea the film depicted them as mindless zombies.

 

[DallasCowpoke]

They express no intelligence. They just behave like mindless zombies.

Of course they have some intelligence but relatively speaking, they were pretty mindless characters. They acted more like animals with a pack mentality that creatures capable of independent thought. That's partly confirmed in the scene in which they are sleeping standing up with their heads touching each other. Now does that represent intelligent beings or bats to you?

So they're based on eagles fans you're saying?

 

[jterrell]

All in all I enjoyed this movie.

WS did do a very solid job.
His mindset did present itself as delusional.

All in all a fairly close novel adaptation but like others I would have preferred had they simply ended the movie with WS and not with the drive et cetera....

 

[mr.jameswoods]

That's how the book ends and how much more powerful of an ending would THAT have been?

The problem is you can't apply that type of ending to this film because the vampires were not depicted as characters. You don't empathize with them or see their side of it. In the novel, the vampires have their own society and are afraid of Will Smith. In this film, the vampires are portrayed as zombies that just mindlessly attack when they see Will Smith.

I would have preferred the novel's ending but then again, I would have preferred if they made the vampires more intelligent instead of these flesh eating zombies. This film was designed to entertain a mass audience with cheap thrills and special effects. Anyway, I guess I'm kind of a movie snob. I don't get as easily entertained

Seriously though, the worst part was the vampires failure to aid their dogs in the scene when the vampire dogs attack Will Smith and his dog Sam. The writers did a really bad job there. The vampire sticks his head out and then goes back inside. Everyone I know was questioning that scene in the film

 

[locked&loaded]

this.

movie.

sucked.

come on, let me wrap it up for you.

Man is immune to virus

Man loses dog

Man finds survivors

Man sacrifice's himself... for no apparent reason.

Everything inbetween was worthless fluff. and it wasnt even entertaining

These guys in hollywood need to step IT UP. at 9 bucks a pop they h ave to make movies worth while.

 

[dlv6177]

i liked the movie until the bull**** ending

 

[Kangaroo]

this.

movie.

sucked.

come on, let me wrap it up for you.

Man is immune to virus

Man loses dog

Man finds survivors

Man sacrifice's himself... for no apparent reason.

Everything inbetween was worthless fluff. and it wasnt even entertaining

These guys in hollywood need to step IT UP. at 9 bucks a pop they h ave to make movies worth while.

People wonder why no one cares about the writers on strike because the majority of their stuff sucks big time. The other half are nothing but remakes of stuff from the 80's or 70's

Good to know I will just skip it then. Then again the original omega man movie was pathetic too

 

[locked&loaded]

People wonder why no one cares about the writers on strike because the majority of their stuff sucks big time. The other half are nothing but remakes of stuff from the 80's or 70's

Good to know I will just skip it then. Then again the original omega man movie was pathetic too

I hear you, can i see something original that doesnt suck? please?

 

[Tusan_Homichi]

The problem is you can't apply that type of ending to this film because the vampires were not depicted as characters. You don't empathize with them or see their side of it. In the novel, the vampires have their own society and are afraid of Will Smith. In this film, the vampires are portrayed as zombies that just mindlessly attack when they see Will Smith.

This is very true. However, he could have at least sacrificed himself, by himself. They didn't need the woman and the kid to bring hope into the story. The story doesn't need hope. It would have been all the more powerful and heartbreaking if he's got the cure, realizes it, but it's too late. He then yanks out the grenade, pulls the pin, and blamo! He takes out as many as he can in one explosion.

If anyone saw "The Mist", you know the kind of ending I'm talking about. Such a heartbreaker, but so anti-Hollywood in its greatness.

 

[mr.jameswoods]

This is very true. However, he could have at least sacrificed himself, by himself. They didn't need the woman and the kid to bring hope into the story. The story doesn't need hope. It would have been all the more powerful and heartbreaking if he's got the cure, realizes it, but it's too late. He then yanks out the grenade, pulls the pin, and blamo! He takes out as many as he can in one explosion.

If anyone saw "The Mist", you know the kind of ending I'm talking about. Such a heartbreaker, but so anti-Hollywood in its greatness.

I was really hoping the woman and child were traitors who were setting him up or were trying to learn about his motives for the vampires.

 

[Concord]

this.

movie.

sucked.

come on, let me wrap it up for you.

Man is immune to virus

Man loses dog

Man finds survivors

Man sacrifice's himself... for no apparent reason.

Everything inbetween was worthless fluff. and it wasnt even entertaining

Nice wrap up. That's about it. Plus the zombies weren't even scary...to me anyway.

This movie did suck.

And I loved Omega Man.

 

[peplaw06]

I thought the movie was good. Not great, but good enough. It's not like I feel like I particularly wasted my money, not any more than anything else I can do for $7. It was very intense IMO. The lack of music for the entire movie -- reminded me of Cast Away -- but for the first part of the movie, it was so intense that even in the day I couldn't "relax."

Even after you find out that the "dark seekers" can't be in the sunlight, I still had problems feeling completely relaxed in the day scenes.

The problem is you can't apply that type of ending to this film because the vampires were not depicted as characters. You don't empathize with them or see their side of it. In the novel, the vampires have their own society and are afraid of Will Smith. In this film, the vampires are portrayed as zombies that just mindlessly attack when they see Will Smith.

I disagree. It's pretty obvious to me that the leader was emotionally attached to the female that Will Smith captured. He had experimented on who knows how many of the dark seekers, but only when he started experimenting on her did they set up the trap for him, track him as fervently, etc. You can empathize with them, given this, and when they flashed back to the evacuation, and the woman was denied passage, it helped you empathize with them generally. They were once normal humans.

I would have preferred the novel's ending but then again, I would have preferred if they made the vampires more intelligent instead of these flesh eating zombies.

I thought they were pretty smart, considering the circumstances. Will Smith was talking about their human instincts being almost completely eroded away when the leader showed himself to him in the daylight. Despite that loss of instinct, they still set the traps, tracked them that night where the girl and her son showed up, etc.

This film was designed to entertain a mass audience with cheap thrills and special effects. Anyway, I guess I'm kind of a movie snob. I don't get as easily entertained

I agree with the cheap thrills part. The movie was intense enough without the attacks out of nowhere.

Seriously though, the worst part was the vampires failure to aid their dogs in the scene when the vampire dogs attack Will Smith and his dog Sam. The writers did a really bad job there. The vampire sticks his head out and then goes back inside. Everyone I know was questioning that scene in the film

That scene was my biggest problem with the movie. But all things considered I thought it was a pretty good flick. I mean it was a Will Smith action flick, you don't exactly expect flawless storytelling.

 

[mr.jameswoods]

Pep

I disagree as well. I didn't see or feel any particular connection between the leader and the female. Now that you mentioned it, I can see your point but I didn't notice that the first time I saw the film, it wasnt' readily apparent to me.

The woman who was denied passage was played by an actor that had makeup not a CGI character so I felt no connection between her and the other cheap CGI zombies because they looked nothing alike. If the vampires looked somewhat real instead of like cheap video game characters from a Playstation 2 game, I might have empathized with them more as characters. And I dont' consider barks and shrieks as intelligent forms of communication especially considering these were humans or previously humans. I undestood your take but I felt you were stretching to understand them as characters. If you are having to stretch to really understand them, that means the filmmakers did a poor job depicting them as characters.

I was expecting more because it was based on a true science fiction novel instead of a cheap horror film or alien invasion movie. Also, this movie was released during the hollidays. That means a lot because films released in December are the ones pining for critical acclaim since it's prior to the advent of the award ceremonies. Films that are released in the summer are designed to make a lot of money and provide thrills. In intereviews, Will Smith claimed this was a critical role for him and not just an action piece. I don't think this film was trying earn Oscars but I think it was trying to achieve some critical acclaim as opposed to films like Independence Day. I just think the producers spent more time investigating the alienation and delirium associated with being apart from humanity. They did a great job exploring that facet of the film but then got lazy and ended the film prematurely and did a poor job depicting the vampires because they exhausted so much effort with the alienation theme. It was two different stories being told in one movie except they forgot to tell the other story (the vampire one)

 

[HogsRLegends]

this.

movie.

sucked.

come on, let me wrap it up for you.

Man is immune to virus

Man loses dog

Man finds survivors

Man sacrifice's himself... for no apparent reason.

Everything inbetween was worthless fluff. and it wasnt even entertaining

These guys in hollywood need to step IT UP. at 9 bucks a pop they h ave to make movies worth while.

It seems like these days most of the best films are either independent or foreign. I didn't get the ending either. Why not just throw the grenade then go into the shelter where the woman and boy were.