I Am Legend Review

Not your average disaster movie
If you can imagine a world without cancer, then you can also imagine the world that is portrayed in the 1997 box office film “I Am Legend”. “I Am Legend” is a disaster movie of sorts, brought to you by Francis Lawrence, director of movies like Keanu Reeves’ “Constantine” and would you believe it, a slew of music videos starring notable pop stars like Britney Spears and Jennifer Lopez!

What’s the disaster factor in this movie, you ask? Not giant tsunami waves, not invading aliens, not meteors or asteroids threatening to obliterate the plant and certainly not slow-ambling zombies. The answer: Hemocytes. These bloodthirsty creatures have an aversion to light and were born as a result of a cancer cure gone wrong. Dr. Kripper (an uncredited Emma Thompson) announced that she may have found a cure for cancer. She did exactly that, but not without repercussions. Along the way the cure backfired because the virus used to attack cancerous cells turned against humanity and wiped them out, all in the span of three years. Those who did survive are transformed into violent and ferocious hemocytes, also referred to as Dark Seekers, not unlike rabid zombies, only faster and more intelligent.

Enter Dr. Robert Neville (Will Smith), who is seemingly the last man alive in New York. By day he trawls the streets looking for survivors, hunt for food (only in this movie will you be able to plant corn in downtown Manhattan and to see deers and lions roaming the streets), and rent videos, in alphabetical order at that. By night he stays home to avoid a run-in with the infected hemocytes. He is accompanied by Sam, his trusty Alsatian dog who’s also his last remaining friend alive, at all times. It seems that Dr. Neville is still alive because he is immune to the virus and continues to work on a cure in his underground lab.

Along the way, Dr. Neville managed to snare a female infected, much to the fury of her partner, a highly intelligent alpha male hemocyte. He also finds two survivor: a woman named Anna and a young boy called Ethan. Viewers will later realize that Dr. Neville made a mistake assuming that the hemocytes are devolving, which is not true, really. The ending somewhat corrects his misconception, and the aftermath is both poignant and gripping, something you don’t often see in movies of the same category.

My take on the movie
Now, I’m not a hardcore Will Smith fan but I think he is just the right man to play the lead character. Sam, the ever-loyal dog, also stole the show with its presence. Her real name is actually Abbey, and her irresistible character and expressive nature led Will Smith to fall in love with her.

Other than that, the plot is simple enough to understand. Nothing too complicated like the Resident evil films that video gamers seem to loathe, nor is “I Am Legend” boring ala the recent disaster movie “2012” starring John Cussack.

This is possibly one of Will Smith’s finest work in his recent years.

I Am Legend: The Blu-ray (Spoilers ahead)
The blu-ray comes with a theatrical version and an alternate version. I watched the latter and was glad I did, simply because the ending was so much more satisfactory compared to the theatrical version!
In the original version, Will Smith’s character died after detonating a grenade that also killed the alpha male hemocyte, along with his cronies. Anna and Ethan survived by hiding underneath a trap door, and emerged later to hand over the cure to the virus to the government.

But in the alternate version, Dr. Neville survived the final confrontation with the leader of the Dark Seeders by reviving and returning his mate to him. The audience is witness to the emotional reunion between the two infected, and Dr. Neville is eventually left unharmed after the Dark Seekers fled.

Besides the alternate version, viewers are also treated to a huge plethora of extras in the Blu-ray. Cautionary Tale: The Science of I Am Legend is an interesting behind-the-scenes feature. But my favorite has got to be the “I Am Legend Animated Comics”, a collection of short animated comics depicting beautifully illustrated tales.

This Blu-ray title is definitely a keeper. Make sure you watch the bonus features; they are well worth your time! Four stars out of five for this gem.

(4/5)