I am Legend, the novel, is the greatest vampire story ever written. Dracula might be more iconic and Interview with a Vampire more famous, but to my mind, nothing beats Richard Matheson's 1954 apocalyptic tale. There had been two previous attempts to turn it into a film (The Last Man on Earth (1964) and The Omega Man (1971)), both with different and ultimately disappointing results. This latest version alters the original story quite a bit, most notably by removing the vampires and replacing them with infected humans who resemble the infected from 28 Days Later and by moving the story to New York City. The changes left me frustrated knowing that there is now very little chance that I'll ever see a faithful adaption in my lifetime, but even more so, it left me highly entertained, since out of the original story the filmmakers have created a different, but exciting and tense story filled with action, suspense and a lead character you can truly care about.
Smith stars as Robert Neville, the only non-infected man in New York City. A man-made plague (originally intended to be a cure for cancer) has spread around the world, killing 90% of the population, leaving 1% alone, and turning the other 9% into animalistic humans with a desire to feed and a fatal aversion to the sun. Neville's only companion is his German Shepard Sam. Together they prowl the city, collecting supplies, exploring the buildings and occasionally capturing an infected so that Neville can test his latest vaccine on it. A military scientist in his previous life, Neville's goal is to somehow find a way to reverse the effects of the virus.
The movie opens with Neville driving through a decaying New York, overrun with weeds and teeming with wild animals. A herd of deer runs through Madison Square Park. There are lions (escaped from one of the cities zoos) prowling through Times Square. It is extremely well-done and downright eerie to see the normally bustling city streets so deserted and decrepit. Just these shots of the city are alone are worth the price of admission.
It's not all just nifty imagery however. Neville has several run-ins with the infected that will leave you on the edge of your seat. When Sam runs into a dark and unexplored building, Neville must follow to retrieve him and is forced to deal with the nest of infected that live within. He uses a method of capturing one of the infected that the infected, who aren't perhaps quite as stupid as Neville thinks, later use against him. The tensest moment of all though comes when Neville is trapped outside of his fortress/home on Washington Square as the sun is going down and he knows that if he can't get home in time he will have an entire city's worth of infected, swarming to get him.
None of this action and tension would mean nearly so much without the performance of Will Smith. His Neville is very human, but his sanity hangs in the balance. His relationship with Sam is perhaps his last best connection with humanity. His portrayal makes the movie work as more than just another end of the world story.
My only minor complaint with anything is the infected themselves. They are created purely by CGI and it's very obvious that they are CGI. Don't get me wrong, CGI has its place in things, but here they just don't seem real enough and you certainly can't see any humanity in them. The decision to not use actors, especially for the ones shown in close-up is the only wrong decision the movie makers made, but even that decision doesn't stop this movie from succeeding on all levels.
I've always been a sucker for a good end-of-the-world story. Hell, I even enjoyed the campy Omega Man. I'm not sure why, maybe it's that I always wonder how I would handle being in that situation. But whatever the reason, I just love movies like these and this is one of the best of the genre. I am Legend defiintely makes my top 5 most enjoyable movies of the year list.
