What do Will Smith, Vincent Price (The Last Man on Earth), and Charlton Heston (Omega Man) all have in common? Richard Matheson's 1954 horror classic I Am Legend.
The plot is simple enough. A medical scientist that moonlights as an Emma Thompson look alike develops the cure for cancer by engineering the measles virus to attack cancerous cells. Unfortunately the virus mutates and kills 90% of Earth's population while mutating 9% into zombies that feed upon the flesh of the 1% who are immune. As military scientist Robert Neville, Will Smith is the lone survivor in New York City. Immune to the virus in both its airborne and contact forms, Neville searches for a cure as he wanders Manhattan, Times Square, and the Flatiron District with his dog, Sam.
While I Am Legend is based on a horror story (flesh-eating zombies, and all), the horror element is simply the vehicle to carry the story. In this regard, it suffers from the same flaw as Signs, namely, an audience unable to see beyond the trappings. Robert Neville's efforts to save humanity in its physical form parallels his own struggles to maintain his own humanity(witness Shrek, Bob Marley, and the video store). This becomes particularly poignant after he is forced to strangle Sam, his lone companion for three years, after she (Sam is short for Samantha) becomes infected with the virus. The movie is often surprising in its focus on loneliness and loss as it shows Neville haunted by memories of his family leaving quarantined Manhattan two years prior. While not exactly Gregory Peck as Atticus Finch, Smith delivers a solid and convincing performance in a movie that basically amounts to a 90-minute soliloquy.
Rating:
- Buy it now
- Worth $10 at Costco
- Happy we rented it, but also happy we only rented it
- No good at any price
- That numb feeling at the top of your head? That's your cerebral cortex closing up shop
2 comments:
I like your reviews - you ought to moonlight writing reviews for the newspaper. I'm taking your word and requesting this movie as soon as I finish here.
So Rich and I just rented "August Rush" a couple of weeks ago. I'd be curious your take on it. We both really liked it, in a strange way.
I'll be waiting your review.
Your movie reviews ARE great! I enjoyed this movie except when the dog dies, and the fact that every time I go into my cold storage I now imagine the zombies huddled and shaking in the back corner and completely freak myself out. If you're gonna watch 'August Rush' you can borrow it from us. We liked it too.
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