It's a shame that Smith's heartfelt work and preparation doesn't pay off with better background and CGI work.
I Am Legend (2007)
Tomatometer
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Reviews Counted:204
Fresh:140
Rotten:64
Average Rating:6.3/10
Consensus: I Am Legend overcomes questionable special effects and succeeds largely on the strength of Will Smith's mesmerizing performance.
Rated: 15 [See Full Rating] for intense sequences of sci-fi action and violence.
Runtime: 1 hr 41 mins
Genre: Action/Adventure
Theatrical Release:26-12-2007
Synopsis: Will Smith is Robert Neville, the lone survivor in a New York City where streets are overgrown and deer gambol among deserted automobiles. Following an epidemic, the Earth's population has been... Will Smith is Robert Neville, the lone survivor in a New York City where streets are overgrown and deer gambol among deserted automobiles. Following an epidemic, the Earth's population has been turned into an army of nocturnal zombies. Immune to the virus, military scientist Neville searches for a cure in his Washington Square townhouse. Haunted by visions of his family leaving quarantined Manhattan two years prior, he drives through the city with his German Shepherd, Sam, by day and barricades his home from the monsters nightly. But when Anna (Alice Braga)--another immune stranger-finds him, they will have to fight the onslaught twice as hard. Akiva Goldsman and Mark Protosevich's emotionally-charged script showcases the charisma of Smith, who commands the screen alone for most of the picture (aside Abbey, a talented German Shepherd). Director Francis Lawrence (CONSTANTINE) uses music minimally, wisely allowing the eerie cityscapes to remain mostly silent. The set pieces, including an overgrown, deserted Times Square and a lion hunting a deer in the Flatrion District, are goosebump-inducing moments of stark beauty. Though some may question the rendering of the monsters in CGI instead of using actors, it does allow them to be frighteningly acrobatic. A chilling and effective adaptation of a horror classic, I AM LEGEND is also a thought-provoking piece of Hollywood filmmaking. [More]
Starring: Will Smith, Alice Braga, Dash Mihok, Salli Richardson-Whitfield
Starring: Will Smith, Alice Braga, Dash Mihok, Salli Richardson-Whitfield, Willow Smith, Charlie Tahan
Director: Francis Lawrence
Director: Francis Lawrence
Screenwriter: Mark Protosevich, Akiva Goldsman
Producer: Akiva Goldsman, James Lassiter, David Heyman, Neal Moritz
Composer: James Newton Howard
Studio: Warner Bros.
Reviews for I Am Legend
Liking Smith is one thing and praising his hollow performance here, as almost all of them have, is another.
PG-13 thrills to placate more easily placated genre fans, while serving up Will Smith in a variant on Cast Away with a dog to talk to rather than a volley ball.
The end result is an eerie, creepy, doomsday-laden film with plenty of thrills %u2013 and for anyone so inclined, a smattering of metaphors that pass comment on the human condition.
A tidy post-apocalyptic thriller starring the increasingly impressive Will Smith.
Will Smith plays Robert Neville robbed of most of his anguish and his advancing madness. Some of the visual images are nice.
'I Am Legend' may boil down to a zombie flick with a religious motif, yet it entertains the way a popcorn movie should.
Almost unrelievedly grim and increasingly tedious as it goes along, with a third act that stumbles badly and a coda that's speciously uplifting.
Will Smith's astounding one man show is never less than physically and emotionally shattering, from moment to gripping moment. Think An Inconvenient Truth: The Last Sequel. Ever. And give the man a couple of awards a stiff drink.
Lawrence's film is probably the most fun audiences will likely have during this holiday season. But it's also the emptiest and most calculated of efforts...
I Am Legend is Will Smith's one-man sci-fi thrill show, entertaining in all the ways we've come to expect from the talented actor.
It's a tense and strangely quiet movie. ... But this is no horror film.
pretty much a one-man show, and Smith proves to have the acting chops to keep us interested in the story
It's got a great performance by Will Smith and just enough edge-of-your-seat entertainment to remain recommended, even if the cinematic house of cards collapses during the third act.
New York City co-stars with Will Smith in this intense film and both give Oscar-caliber performances
Some movies, from Superman: The Motion Picture to Office Space, are great until they get around to telling a story. Add I Am Legend to that list.
There's greatness inside I Am Legend, however it's too much work to act enthused about a film that runs out of gas halfway through.
Will Smith raises his game and insists that those around him do the same. The result is a movie that's massively entertaining, and another jewel in its star's cinematic crown.
Latest News for I Am Legend
December 08, 2008:
Will Smith Outlines "Fantastic Prequel Idea" for I Am Legend ![]()
Never mind all that stuff about the next "I Am Legend" movie being a sequel -- Will Smith gave the straight scoop to Collider recently, and outlined his ideas for the "Legend"... More...
November 25, 2008:
A Sequel for I Am Legend? ![]()
It's utterly unverified, but AICN has started a rumor that the upcoming "I Am Legend" prequel may not be a prequel at all, but will instead pick up the story of Will Smith's... More...
September 25, 2008:
Will Smith Is Still Legend ![]()
Warner Bros. is moving ahead with its rumored "I Am Legend" prequel, and has hired D.B. Weiss to write a script based on an outline by Will Smith, Francis Lawrence, Akiva... More...
July 28, 2008:
Weekly Ketchup: TRON, I Am Legend, Hercules, Red Sonja, And More
In this special edition Weekly Ketchup, the sequels, prequels and comic book heroes keep coming, as we have the latest from Comic Con. More...
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