I Am Legend

I would have expected Akiva Goldsman to choose deeper material for his screenplay. On the other hand, he’s also the executive producer, who knows very well that to get a successful blockbuster, it is enough to develop a good premise into a superficial story, provide it with cool set designs and put Will Smith’s face on the posters. I Am Legend is the perfect commercial product. But if you want to see its premise reach its full potential, watch instead the tense and chilling 30 Days of Night, followed by the intelligent and technically advanced Children of Men. (15/01/2008)

A wasted opportunity that Francis Lawrence, Will Smith, the almost omnipresent atmosphere and primarily the opening thirty minutes mange to save by the skin of their teeth. It’s just that after that it has nothing more to offer. The befuddled result isn’t due to the absence of action or the somewhat laughable monsters. The blame falls on the screenwriters’ heads. I will ignore that the only thing that remained of the book is the initial idea, but nobody try to tell me that the screenplay for the hundred minutes of running time was more than three pages long. Shame on them if they wanted to get paid for it too. When nothing at all happens, not even the undeniable charisma of Will Smith can do much to save things. What makes it even worse is the utterly ridiculous ending (the “alternative", faithful to the spirit of the book makes the movie much better). A blockbuster that isn’t a popcorn and where you can hear the thoughts of (not only) Bob Marley. That’s a big plus. But the fact that in the end this is just an average watch, is no big plus at all. (06/01/2008)

The cartoonish abilities of the infected are a shame. They are so strong that they could perhaps shred an armoured car and so fast that they could leave Asafa Powell behind in a short sprint. That clashes a bit with the rest of the film, which is actually a kind of intimate story about the lonely life of a single survivor, his feelings and sadness. An "intimate piece" with phenomenal visual effects, it must be added, because you have never seen New York depopulated by digital magic like this before and you may not see it again for a long time in the future. This is a one-man show about a guy who hardly leaves the screen for the whole movie, and Will Smith proves that if you have the acting chops, you can sell it, even the poignant dialogue with the artificial mannequins in the shop window. Who would have guessed years ago that this Fresh Prince, who rapped to the world his wisdom about the 'gangstas' of the neighbourhood, would become such an acclaimed film star. Despite the pathetic ending, it was two interesting hours, although the lady sitting in the cinema behind me had words for it: "....more American crap." She clearly didn't mean it. (19/02/2008)

I'm going to be brutally honest. I Am Legend is a stupidly written and routinely filmed B-movie that has nothing to offer besides decent post-apocalyptic visuals. I don't know anything more cliché than the motif of a destructive virus that turns humanity into an army of bloodthirsty mutated zombies - and here, diplomatically speaking, it is handled unoriginally. Nothing is clever in this film. Will Smith doesn't even manage the minimum of psychological acting that is required of him, and it is better not to contemplate the existence of the depicted world and the behavior of the hero of the story. The idyllic community of survivors with a pristine white church in the middle felt more like a raised middle finger to me. The film is an easily forgettable endeavor only worthy of being broadcast on late-night TV. Overall impression: 25%. (24/10/2017)

The first half is excellent, with a very good portrayal of a depopulated New York, Will Smith is brilliant and we don’t get to see much of the infected. But in the second half, when they start showing up more often and in their full glory, the quality declines because their CGI look is really not good. Also, the screenwriter deserves to be punched in the face for that ending. The rating is between 3 and 4 stars. (02/01/2008)