I Am Legend Review

John Campea 146 Comments

I-Am-Legend-Review(Sorry for no video version of the review, but I’m currently visiting in Los Angeles) “Aww Hell Naww” are probably the words that will be inscribed on Will Smith’s grave. It’s not only a popular line, but also one that a lot of people think identify and embody who he is an an actor. Look, as EVERYONE around here knows, I hate it when musicians just jump to acting and get handed lead roles… but as you hear about Smith’s life, during Fresh Prince of Bel-Air days and afterwards, he took his acting very seriously, took as much training wherever he could, and slowly started turning himself into a pretty fine actor.

So here comes I am Legend, an apparent hybrid between the book and Omega Man. A movie that has the appearance of a Summer Blockbuster more than a pre-christmas release, which may have been brilliant strategy on the studios part since a popcorn type film like this released when all the serious styled Oscar Contenders are coming out could be very lucrative. But happily there is also a little bit more to Legend than just popcorn… not much… but a little

THE GENERAL IDEA

In the very near future a doctor creates what appears to be a cancer vaccine. I genetically engineered virus that when injected into 10,000 cancer patients, cured every single one of them. The problem is, when you play God, you may find out you’re not as good at as you might think. The virus mutates into a plauge that pretty much wipes out the entire human race, killing the vast majority of the population almost instantly, while leaving some survivors…. but most of those survivors are turned into Vampire/Zombie/Rage Virus type beings who lose their humanity and kill every survivor left uneffected. Will Smith is the last human being in New York, and maybe the world, who is also a military geneticist (what great luck) who works tirelessly to not only survive in this new nightmare world, but also struggles to find a cure for the rest of those who are infected.

THE GOOD

Ok, didn’t think I’d end up saying this… but Will Smith is pretty damn good in this movie. When you think about it, it’s not easy to carry a movie when you’re the only character most of the time. You’re interacting with yourself and a dog…. and that’s it. In that way I am Legend had a sort of “Castaway” feel to it, and while Smith doesn’t quite pull off a Hanks lone performance, he does do it quite well. We see him trying his best to lead something that looks like a normal existence, slowly loosing his sanity a little (there’s a great little scene where he’s trying to think of a way to pick up a mannequin) and yet save the world all at the same time. Lesser actors couldn’t have pulled that off, and Smith did, so kudos to him.

Many people around the websphere are maligning the visual effects in the film… and I’d like to know what they’re comapring it to, because I’ll tell you right now, they did as good of a job as I’ve ever seen making human beings in full lead 3D animation interacting with a real environments. It’s easier to make giant robots, or alien creatures because our brains have no point of reference for such things to compare them too… but do a human… or an animal… and it’s a much difference story. The technology is still far from perfect, but the artists who did the VFX in this film did a fantastic job filling out a VERY TALL ORDER.

I love it when a movie can give you that “Oh crap… this guy is totally screwed” feeling, and I Am Legend did that on a couple of solid occasions. Not only screwed because of his general predicament (being the only human left alive with all those infected out there wanting to rip his delicious neck meat out) but also some pretty suspenseful action sequences that had you on the edge of your seat a little.

Oh, and this is a minor thing… but near the beginning of the movie as Will Smith is walking around the now empty downtown New York, there is a giant billboard in Time Square advertising a Batman VS. Superman movie. Made me smile friends… made me smile.

THE BAD

This one killed me. Will Smith is keeping careful detailed notes and memos as any good scientist would do. He even makes this video entry into this computer about how he noticed one of the infected guys stuck his head into the light for a second, which was unnatural behavior for them. However, in another scene, one of the infected (minor spoiler) sets an elaborate booby-trap for Smith to fall into. These are supposed to be mindless rage machines… and they this one shows complex reasoning and planning… and Smith never mentions it again in the movie… ever. I know that’s a minor point… but it really stuck out.

As good of a job that Smith did in keeping my attention even though it’s usually just him on the screen, the fact of the matter is I had a very hard time buying Will Smith as the world’s leading military geneticist who the US government (when it was still around) is relying on to save the world (he’s even on the cover of Time Magazine). And it’s not because I can’t by SMITH per se… but I couldn’t buy it when held up to all the other characteristics of the character he plays. Warrior, bodybuilder (crap… he’s in better shape in this movie than he was in Ali) and everything in between… made it a huge stretch to ALSO buy him a genius scientist.

Once the infected people are revealed, the film lost a bit of it’s soul. I was really enjoying the simple survival story of Smith, working to save the world, and yes, the THREAT of the infected… but once the infected come out full force, it felt like the movie dumbed down a little.

OVERALL

I didn’t have much hope for I Am Legend, but I’ve got to say I enjoyed it. Certainly not as good as it could have been, but a decent time at the movies nonetheless. Smith is solid, the premise is good than they move around in this eerily empty world very well. Not half bad action and suspence although it could have been a bit shorter since the film starts to slowly loose your attention after the first hour. Still… not a bad film. Overall I give I Am Legend a 6.5 out of 10

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146 thoughts on “I Am Legend Review”

  2. I am Legend seems very similar to Daybreakers (2010). Zombies or vampires that must survive on human blood are the theme of both movies. Why is it that hollywood has such an obsession with vampires controlling the world?

  4. i thought it was a great movie and there are sad part and there are funny parts but the only reason i didnt like the movie was because i dont like see animals especiallyt dogs that are killed in movies or ever in real life but all in all it was a great movie if i had to give it a rating id give it a 10.0

  5. You people forget that the zombies had the intelligence to track Will and that girl back to his house. This alone is enough to show that the alpha male had the intelligence to set the trap for Will, and he was waiting with dogs anyway so I cant see how people would think otherwise.

  6. Why can’t a scientist of has been alone for 3 years get in great physical shape. What else is there to do by yourself? He also was in the military which stress physical fitness. I don’t understand why this is so hard to believe for some.

  7. I think that this movie was grreat in so many ways, but held obvious flaws, but most of all the CGI. This did not ruin the movie, but hit it the hardest of all the flaws I know. The part in the movie that hit me the most, and I’m 99.9% sure that everyone can agree was the scene where dog (Sam) gets hurt, then dies soon after. This is the most emotional part of the movie. Hands down. (Ii have friends that refuse to see the movie, and re see it because of this one scene).

  9. I Am Legend Spoof called I AM LITTLE – MTV Movie Award nominated spoof has Will Smith as a 3-foot dwarf!! It’s MAD FUNNY!! Please go and vote for this – visit the website for the link to watch and vote for it at MTV!! Great for I Am Legend fans!!! THANKS I Am Legend fans!!!

  10. I picked up on one little issue at the beginning of the movie. Overall a great movie but it is always the “little things” that bother me. In the beginning of the movie Will Smith has the TV on…and the news ticker is scrolling along the bottom of the screen of his TV as you often see on CNN etc. One news story states that “market ends year on slow note” which means it is clearly Late December or very beginning of January in the movie. Another news story scrolling across the bottom notes “Giants lose to Patriots for 2nd time this season”. (I am paraphrasing both lines but that is the gist). Here is the problem…the Giants play in the NFC…the Patriots play in the AFC. The Giants and Patriots can only play each other twice in a year if the 2nd game is the superbowl and the superbowl is always played at end of January/beginning of Feb. As such…it i impossible for the market had just finished the year and for the Giants to have lost to the Patriots for the 2nd time that season. I’m just curious if anybody else has noticed this or picked up on it and if anybody has any thoughts on this.
    Thanks

  11. OK, good job Will Smith, king of the blockbusters. Now here are my comments about issues with the plot, inconsistencies. etc.

    The flashback where Smith’s wife and daughter are evacuated by helicopter: another helicopter was crashing out of control and seemed to be headed straight for the rescue helicopter, then Smith abruptly wakes up from the dream and we don’t see what happened after that. I think Smith actually witnessed the collision/crash and death of his wife and child which is why he never went searching for them later.

    I don’t know why there’s such a debate about who set the trap for Smith. In spite of Smith’s declaration that the darkseekers had devolved and lost all human characteristics by that point, it is more likely that there was an ongoing process of losing their humanity while evolving into something else. Perhaps less intelligent and more instinctual, with their behavior dictated more by base animal survival mechanisms. But the darkseekers have obviously not lost all of their intelligence, since they have been stalking Smith for some time, and were able to copy his own trapping method (some irony there) to capture him. They moved his mannequin/friend Fred to act as a decoy intended to lure and confuse him, which worked pretty well.

    Yes, I think the alpha male darkseeker was intent upon retrieving its female companion from Smith’s lab.

    I recall some mention of rabies in one of the background newscasts. That the virus caused rabid-like behavior. Rabies used to be called hydrophobia in the old days. Those stricken with rabies are sensitive to light, foam at the mouth, become delirous, etc. Yet, the doctor who created the mutated virus said it was a variation of measles. Measles? How do you get to zombies from measles? They should have stuck with the rabies theme, especially since dogs are among the infected (and rats) but, apparently not lions, deer or birds.

    Bad plot twist: the sudden appearance of Anna and the child, right after Smith loses his canine companion. Where has she been all this time? Nice haircut, looking none the worse for wear? How was a vulnerable female and child able to survive for 3 years when Smith had to barricade himself behind iron doors every night?

    Also, if there was an uninfected colony in Vermont, couldn’t they hear Smith’s radio broadcast and try to contact him?

    I didn’t like the cgi zombies and their superpowers didn’t make much sense. The zombies from Omega Man were closer to those in the book (they had a leader, a society, etc).

  12. Well, the movie was exciting to say the least. But, a few bigger points from an outside view. Did anyone ever to think that Will is in Scientology and the movie has a “Legend” who sacrifices himself for the better of humanity (the compound of people who were also immune but did not have the cure). Also He only went out in the “Light” while the evil infected people lived in the “Dark” with one “Dark Lord” who seemed to be in control and led the others to do his evil bidding.

    Also, She came to him and was “sent from GOD” how oddly strange. And only when he sees the light himself and listens to GOD, he sacrifices himself and save mankind with his “own BLOOD.”

    I like the movie that felt like it was pushed by people with hidden agendas.

  15. That is exactly why I like the alternate ending better. It jives with the little hints in the film that the “seekers” are more intelligent than they seem.

    When the Alpha Male comes into the light to scream at Neville, he thinks they have lost all rationality, but he was really angry that his “mate” had been captured. This coupled with the trap, which to me was clearly set by the alpha male, to me suggests a sub plot that with the theatrical ending is completely abandoned. The alternate ending addresses this and gives the title meaning.

  17. (Type your comment here. Make sure you’ve read the commenting rules before doing so)alternate ending has 2 jus set da film off watched it through then watched da alternate it meant muchn more 2 me made ya man as a hero more than da bollocks i saw in da originalm top film wit alternate ending

  19. (I haven’t read all the comments. Apologies if this has been discussed.) I’m pretty sure the trap that caught Neville was set by the Alpha Male for two reasons. First, Neville’s trap included a dark cloth that would protect the “darkseekers” from daylight and the second trap did not. Also, when Neville saw the mannequin by the second trap, he kept asking it why it was there. Made me think it had originally been at the video store and the “darkseekers” moved it to the trap. The bottom third of the mannequin’s shirt was blood soaked, which Neville used as bait. Neville used his own blood as bait and there was an awful lot of it on the mannequin’s shirt.

  20. “However, in another scene, one of the infected (minor spoiler) sets an elaborate booby-trap for Smith to fall into. These are supposed to be mindless rage machines… and they this one shows complex reasoning and planning… and Smith never mentions it again in the movie… ever. I know that’s a minor point… but it really stuck out.”

    im positive that the ‘night seekers’ set the trap. their leader obviously wasnt as stupid as he looked, i think that it wanted revenge for losing the girl monster thing. and set up a trap. why else would they be hiding in a building with a plastic person thing outside. an obvious trap. And keep in mind that after he had to kill his dog (the only think he had to talk to, and his only remaining friend, last reminder of his family etc). he would be Pretty upset, and probably not see the point in keeping notes anymore. which would also explain the whole.. suicide trip thing. if that makes sence

  24. excellent review; I had not read the book so had no preconceived notions. Found the movie to be very suspenseful and scientifically intersting. you bring out a good point about the creature trapping him and then no comment on that from him.
    I grew up in the 50’s with zombie films and i have to say those creature didn’t make me think of zombies at all–I was surprised when i started reading reviews that they called them zombies. Actually, they reminded me of the creature in “Descent” and I thought Hollywood had gotten old. whatever.
    Good jog. Wil Smith , like him or not, is making millions….

  25. That scene with the trap in it. i was under the impression that it was Neville who had set the trap and then due to his own ailing sanity simply forgotten about it…

  26. That scene with the trap in it. i was under the impression that it was will Neville who had set the trap and then due to his own ailing sanity simply forgotten about it…

  27. AMazinnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnggggggggggg… is the word.. Stop finding loops in the movie guys cuz its humans who made it.. i loved everysingle minute of it.. actually ven i came out of the cinema hall.. drove back to my place.. it was raining really hard.. no1 to be seen around.. for a minute i was scared dat was i the last person around.. lolzz.. for me WIll Smith and the movie is 11 out of 10.. 1 bonus for achieving perfect score.. lolz.. cheers

  28. Dean, you must not be from the New York area. First of all the golf scene was very realistic. That carrier he was on (the Intrepid) is a museum that has different aircraft for public view. Although the black plane looks like the SR-71, it is in fact the A-12 (flown by the CIA).

    Google the Intrepid and A-12

    Also, Anon 1:42, the building where Neville got snared was Grand Central Station … he did not capture the woman zombie in anywhere near Grand Central station

    Lyle

  29. Do you people seriously thing that electricity was the biggest plot hole? Have you ever heard of a generator? They even showed it for goodness sakes….

    Also, the trap was clearly his. The only evidence to the contrary is “how was the main zombie guy there!??!” and that is clearly explained by the fact that it was the same building where he trapped the zombie woman.

  30. The movie editing was better than most. When he enters the field to hunt the deer there is a McDs 50 meters or yards in front of him and then the next cut he is walking next to it. This is the consistencey I like in movies. But, amoung other falacies others have commented on, how would a SR-71 Blackfalcon land on a aircraft carrier or take off without a crane. It was a cool plane to hit golf balls from but impossible or not logical to have that plane on an aircraft.
    I agree with the dogs, I’m sure they would make the quick jump across the small amount of light and then why didn’t the rest of the clan backup the dogs quickly afterwards?

    It seems that the female he trapped was a leaders girlfriend and thats why he exposed himself as a sign of vengeance. Robert didn’t pick up this but he should have shot the guy when he popped his head out ( of course this would have changed the whole plot).

    The last question is what special UV lights or whatever she had did the girl have to camp out all day and then into the night and then save him from a dead end pier with so many coming down on them?

    I agree with the other about the cure. You can’t just hold it in your hand, it has to be at proper temps or refrigerated. It would be ruined by the time she gets to safety and again would anyone know what to do with it afterwards. Of course science fiction is just that so overall it was a more believable movie than most.

    Will Smith has come a long way and his acting is top shelf.

  31. That was by far the worst film I ve ever seen. It is disgusting terrible in everything. The plot, the director and all that scenes are rubbish and can be viewed with pleasure only by “human beings” with abnormal anomalous behavior , people that get aroused by blood. What would Bergman, Godard or Aggelopoulos say for a “film” like this? I cant even call it a film.

  34. Forgot to mention one other thing in the previous post.

    Why on earth would Neville hunt from a car the way he did when he can hunt the only CORN PLOT in all of New York. I suppose it would have been too simple to wait in a blind and take deer as they come to feed on all that delicious corn. Driving around at 100 MPH like an idiot just doesn’t seem to jive with his survivalist instinct. Again, it looks like someone important bent over for our friends at Ford.

  35. There’s quite a bit of debate here about the whole trap thing. I just gave the 1995 script a quick scan. In it, the Dock Seekers (remember the Anna was on a boat, the other survivors were killed on the boat DOCK) were much more intelligent than portrayed in the final cut. In fact, there was one bad guy (Cortman) who was the antagonist to Neville throughout the screenplay, and was leader of a whole society of the infected.

    Here’s my two cents. Yes, the number one bad guy did set the trap. He wasn’t as smart as in the original screenplay, but he was smart enough to keep dogs on a leash and set a snare trap. The director practically fed us this one on a platter when our favorite zombie looks around in the daylight to see how Neville’s trap worked. So he tried it out for himself and it worked. Good for him, score one for the bad guys!

    Much more problematic is the fact that Anna appeared out of nowhere, having crossed a bridge that no longer existed or passed through a tunnel that would have flooded long ago (or at least have been crawling with the un-dead), to rescue Neville from under a mountain of very pissed off bad guys. I just can’t imagine how she did it. I saw something that looked like the light of a road flare, but that just didn’t cut it for me.

    Overall, I thought this was a good movie. I didn’t have a problem with him being a LIEUTENANT COLONAL (learn to correctly read military rank, Rick) and a scientist. I didn’t agree with the beard. Simple Simon is right; it would never be permitted for anyone having to get a tight seal using a gas mask. One soldier muttered something about …new regs… but Smith more likely had a beard because some producer thought it looked sexier.

    For those of you who think it’s less plausible for a black man to be a scientist than a white man, you are only slightly more devolved than the zombies.

    Overall, I rate the film an eight or nine out of ten. I would have liked to have seen more made of the fact that Neville became legend among vampires by KILLING VAMPIRES. Francis Lawrence (the director) tried weakly to get the idea across using the polaroids of dead zombies, but the effect was lost in the wash.

    Finally. Whoever sold out to FORD MOTOR COMPANY should be shot. Shiny cars my ass, it’s Armageddon out there!

    My respects to all.

  36. Come on guys! If the trap was set by W. Smith, why did it not have a ‘bodybag’ to hold the captive in? Come collection time a darkseeker would be dead without it.

  37. Why did Neville drag himself to his car when he got free from the trap? He was in so much trouble surely he could have hopped! That way his dog wouldn’t have been infected and the movie wouldn’t have turned to cr@p.

    Can anyone suggest a plausible alternate ending? That way I can wipe the last 20 minutes from my memory and give the movie an ending that such a good start rightly deserved.

  38. Just the one point made in the “Bad” section about the creature setting up there trap for Wills character.

    Myself and some friends discussed this very point and come to the conclusion that it was actually Wills character that set this trap up but me forgot due to him slightly loosing his mind.

    Although, it also seemed like the creature was waiting for him with the infected dogs so i guess thats one to think about and come to your own conclusion for everyone.

  39. again with the trap….if the darkseekers put the manequinn, they most likely would have had to know his schedule….therefore they knew he went to the movie store…then why not hide there? follow the path until u reach his home?

  40. a revision to my #5 there was 5.4 BILLION dead
    588 MILLION “darkseekers”
    and 12 MILLION immunes

    someone asked how long it took for NYC to become “void of humans”………………588 Mill v.s. 12 Mill…….
    do you have to ask?
    -.-

  43. oh yeah
    why do you think the scanner said his wife was infected?

    and did anyone else think that the girl that wanted him to take the baby was going to be ethan and her? they showed her quite a few times for lengthy periods though yes she already had the eyes of the infected and everything

    anddddddd lol does anyone else think it was a foreign country that like bombed em?

  44. Ok, I don’t know if this has been said but a few things

    1) what do you mean whered his energy come from??? Did you not see the generators when he walked in his house in the beginning????????????

    2)WTF are you guys talking about he “happened” to be camped out near the trap….thats where he originally was????? like iit was his bas camp? DUH?

    3) What was up with that? when he chased sam in the dark place? we know a darkseeker killed the deer but how come that one didnt kill him? and what about when he shined the light on like 4 of them? they didnt atk why??

    4) Yes, that was gay, the girl leads the seekers to him, then gets to leave with the cure

    5) why are some ppl sayin it was only ethan, doc, and whatsherface? Did you NOT see the like city thing at the end???

    6) I think neville caught himself, and no whoever said the “he mistaked the manequin for the one at the store”……….yeah he mistaked one in the same pose….with the same clothes….. -.- right….

    7) It was really good, but yes…. I, Robot, 2 with the climbing up the wall thing…

    8) You have no idea how much i thought the alpha guy was slamming ppl away from the cabinet to either save his girl AND get the cure or just to stop them and talk to neville and get the cure, or just make him open the cage thing haha

    9) yes where were the girl and ethan hiding when the swarm came and neville roadkilled a ton

    10) sure he gets the gun RIGHT after sam gets infected…. -.-

    11) i have a ton ore but cant think right now so thats all i guess

  45. It’s highly improbable that Neville set the trap. Do you honestly believe he maneuvered the car and line all by himself? As someone else mentioned, there was no tarp to cover and protect the captured zombie from the effects of the sun.

    Secondly, the trap was in front of Grand Central Station which had a gaping hole in it for the zombies to lay in wait. Additionally, the previous encounter Neville had with the Alpha male was not Grand Central. Therefore, it’s not a leap of faith to comprehend the zombies were able to learn his MO from the shadows over a three year period.

    Thirdly, there is no evidence to support Neville having amnesia. If anything he had his routine down pat. In other words the mannequins served a purpose in his world (interact w/ at video store); which explains his emotional reaction to seeing the mannequin in front of Grand Central.

    Hopefully, I’ll be proved correct. On an unrelated comment, If I was Neville I would have left with that PYT and started to populate the earth anew. :)

  46. Is it me or is the rest of america blithe to the fact that hollywood is pushing racial segregation. Case and point this movie, irobot, blade3, stealth etc. Top notched black stars that play 2nd fiddle to no name actors that get the girl hhhhmmmm.

  47. ***spoilers ahead*** FAO “Larry”

    Look Larry, it wasn’t a COINCIDENCE that the hunter was there, the blood (thought about why the camera showed the guy bleeding and the previous trap showed how the zombies were attracted by blood) attracted the dark seekers. The more you think about it, the more rational it is that Neville fell into his own trap. It showed Neville’s sanity slipping, something which I would’ve liked to have seen more of.

    Some holes I personally thought were more of an issue in the “2nd trap scene” are why don’t the dogs just rush through the thin line of sun? Sure, they’re primal animals but they’re also very smart. I guess it would be something like putting your hand under boiling water, for a second it gives breif pain, for longer it can leave a mark. Also why does the dark seeker not attack with his dogs? They show human qualities in some scenes while none at all in others, something that I found incredibly annoying as it was left unexplained.

    The movie itself is very good pre-dog-dying-scene but it just seems to lose its way after that. The whole butterfly sub-plot is just seems such an average way of ending the movie. It’s not a completely hopeless finale but at the same time it’s not a worthwhile finish to the movie. The way Anna suddenly becomes completely oblivious to the fact the dark seekers may be following them is so stupid, after what must be years of avoiding them and managing to survive, it’s incredibly unlikely she’d make such a mistake.

  48. Doesn’t the world always end in NY? And then there’s no one else left anywhere. We see this so much in movies like this.

    I really liked the scene at the pier when he tried to kill the dark seekers. Another good scene was when his dog ran into the building and woke them up.

  49. I think will set the trap and was losing his mind. I also think that the darkseekers had some if just a little intelligence obviously if they were able to follow him home, not sure about increased intelligence.

    Neville was stuck there, it was his site and he really didnt want to leave bc he felt responsible. Nevvile was just set on finding the cure, it showed when he was tryin to show the ring leader that he had a cure with the girl, as he banged against the glass. The ring leader obviously didnt care so that kinda ruled out the increased intelligence to me.

    When he breaks down the numbers to the girl and states that it was people like them. I figured it was possible that others were able to evade the darkseekers, which explains the girl and boy being there. What about the military blowing the bridges, seems like they were quarintining the place right. So I had an idea that it couldve been other survivors.

    Super corny that Will died in this one and she finds the colony. Great point about the wall, the darkseekers couldve jumped that lol. The affects didnt bother me, that was kinda cool, but damn the ending was terrible. Keeping Neville alive somehow couldve set up a part 2 or something, since they messed up the 3rd act. I feel unsatisfied with this one.

    I wish they could rewind time see this message board take peoples ideas and theories and make a good movie out of this one lol. Just mad this was almost a great movie.

    Will Smith got skillz and people need to bow down and give him credit. His performace was top notch.

  51. “However, in another scene, one of the infected (minor spoiler) sets an elaborate booby-trap for Smith to fall into. These are supposed to be mindless rage machines… and they this one shows complex reasoning and planning… and Smith never mentions it again in the movie… ever. I know that’s a minor point… but it really stuck out.”

    i though Neville set the trap but either was delerious (being by himself for that long) or just forgot. umm I don’t know. My friend and I were discussing this.

  52. I was very disappointed by the end of the movie, but I chalked it up to it had to end someway. How did the woman and child get to the community for New York when the bridges were destroyed? No one was supposed to be able to leave. Then she drives up to the community in a brand new, very clean SUV and she was supposed to have driven from NY to Maryland where the commune was. Once she arrives at the commune they had this huge iron gate/door and barricades, which would not serve as any protection since the darkseekers climbed the side of Will Smith’s house and came in through the roof.

  53. I thought about the scene with the trap. One question I have is how could these darkseekers calm themselves down to carry it over to that location without destroying it? If you recall these beings are very hostile.

  54. Well, I’m probably like the 200th person to say this, but I would have to agree that the trap was Robert’s own. If I remember correctly, Frank was the guy at the video store at checkout (either that or the one standing just outside waiting to go in). The fact that it was Frank on the trap would mean that the zombie-esque creatures would have been watching him go to the rental store and interact with him, knowing that this alone would freak him out enough to fall into the trap. So, I think it was his own which he forgot about…Makes sense since he was going pretty crazy. The only issue with this alternative is that it also seems unlikely that Robert, who is somewhat superstitious (not the right word) and a bit obsessive compulsive would put Frank in the trap in the first place, since Frank was obviously one of his few manikin friends. It’s as unlikely as him putting the woman in the rental store in the trap. Therefore, either way you look at it, the film did a somewhat poor job in choosing the exact scenario for that scene.

  55. He didn’t trap himself. He uses a tarp to cover the woman he traps because he knows the sunlight would have killed her. There’s no point in him making a trap to kill one darkseeker in some random area of the city and there’s definitely no logic that he would try to catch one without being able to cover it up from the sunlight.
    Also, I’ve only seen the movie once so I’m not completely sure, but wasn’t that mannequin in front of the video store which is why he went crazy when he saw it in a different location? Obviously he has no, or didn’t believe the darkseekers had any form of intelligence at all which is why this scene works how it does.
    Anyways I would have liked more back story and build up, but it’s good overall.

  56. Not much to say – agree with most of it. Just felt like pointing out that the likely reason Neville didn’t mention the booby trap thing again in the movie (and, honestly, the guy had obviously cracked more than a little if he didn’t see that mannequin and immediately start thinking ‘trap’) was that everything suddenly kicked off right after that. Then again, a little ‘goodbye’ sort of message mentioning it before he went off on his crazy, grief-stricken kamikaze mission might have been nice. Or possibly some sort of, ‘they’re organised’ remark at some point.

    Kudos.

  57. A scene shows several generators which supports electricity at Neville’s Washington Square townshouse. I seen the movie twice. Certain things about the movie left me with questions. How long did it take for NYC to become void of humans? How did Neville protect himself early on? When did he install those metal shutters?

  58. Also,

    I keep reading reviews that speculate about his wife and daughter and what they are doing and why he didnt go find them. but its like they didnt even notice the helicopter scene at all! This movie leaves us with so many questions.

  59. I was excited to see this movie. I think Will Smith continues to do some great acting in his sci-fi roles. Im a bit squeamish, so there were certain times I closed my eyes! however, I personally am at a loss for the whole trap thing. One one hand, I can see it being his trap and he just lost it for a bit there. on the other hand, i can see it being that dark seeker leader’s trap. i think the point of this scene deliberately to make you wonder. The movie definately went down hill when Sam died. And what I dont understand is that if Sam was already infected, then why did he infect her? and if she wasnt already infected, why did he infect her? Or was it that he infected her to speed the process along? and if that was the case, then why didnt he just kill her before he had to infect her. I dont get it. This part I wish someone could explain to me.

    As a whole, I thought it was suspenseful, sad, and thought provoking. the zombies all looked alike and were too animated. I didnt go see 28 days later because it had the same kind of plot… but since it was will smith I had to risk some ongoing nightmares just to see him act.

  60. Listen folks i have read a lot of your post and i would like to comment on the intelligence issue. Look to construct the same trap that will smith made in a matter of a day or two is quite difficult wouldn’t you say? they did not see him set it up or else they would not have ran into it, correct? and if they did then they definitely are not that bright enough to make one themselves.

    if they didn’t see him set the trap then the BIGGEST ARGUMENT AGAINST the DARKSEEKERS INTELLIGENCE is that they would have to REVERSE ENGINEER the trap. and you must have a lot of intelligence to do that. will smith states that they are not thinking clearly because the one dark seekers burned his own self in the sun. the flaw lies in the script. they should not be able to make that trap!!!!

  61. I agree with Henry that the first darkseeker woman that was captured was the mans companion which is why he put his head out the door to show his disdain and anger. I too think that the trap was set by the scary darkseeker trying to defend his girlfriend. This movie was very scary to me, and after he killed his dog I could not stand to watch anymore of this film and actually left the theater while my children continued to watch. I too wondered where this man got this electricity to power all the gadgets he had. I don’t think I will ever see the ending because I can’t bare to watch those scary creatures again. Will Smith did a great job with his acting and his body was beautiful.

  62. Went to see the movie as Will Smith usually very good. However story fairly weak, the infected looked like cgi folk, Will in comparison looked too real. The real piss off with the film was the HEAVY reliance on blasting the audience with noise when something happened, we dont need Iraq here! After I had left the cinema I felt that I had been in a war zone. Hey maybe I had! Maybe a little subtlety was needed, like intelligent script. On a housekeeping note, what the hell did he use in the dog shower? Did the water system keep running in NY without human intervention for 3 years? Your having a laugh!

  63. Sorry folks! Thumbs mostly down on this one! Bad directing and editing. This was just another horror flick. Will Smith could have done much better. Special effects???? Much better special effects in many, many movies out there. This film could have been smart but the Director chose to make a formulaic horror film and not a good sci-fi/drama/thriller. This one is best left to DVD rentals. It certainly does not deserve four stars as most of the reviews are giving it. Prediction: popularity will drop off relatively fast. Movie will still make money since there are lots of unsophisticated folks out there who love formulaic horror flicks.

  64. Does anyone know why that kept showing that scare on his neck? Did I miss something? I was waiting for them to show some riveting scene from his past.

    I loved it, loved it, loved it! I was scared, excited, and sad while watching. My husband didn’t care for it, for a lot of the same reasons as some of the other reviews. I enjoy movies that are easy to follow and that are entertaining. Some movies are not made to be plausible. If you want that, watch the History Channel or PBS!!!

    This movie has great acting and great storyline. I give it a 9 out of 10.

  65. Overall I did enjoy this film but there were a few questions it had me asking myself in the end. Like yes, Will Smith gave that girl the infected hosts blood which he said “held the cure” but what the hell are they going to do with it from there! I doubt that of the surviving people left in this safehouse theres a scientist smart enough to know what to do with it without any sort of research. It was also sad that the poor dog had to die :(

    As for the effects….I thought they were pretty good. The only thing that was really pushing it was the familiarity between the I.N (infected hosts) of this movie and the creatures from other movies. If they had kept them more like The Decent creatures then going toward the mummy in “The Mummy” I think they could have pulled it off, but when the head poncho of the I.H’s screamed, his mouth became VERY mummy like, which didnt work in this movie or that movie!

    But like I said…I did enjoy it and it had me EXTREMELY drawn in!!! My heart was pounding and I was scared for him. I give it a 7.5 out of 10!

  66. Overall I did enjoy this film but there were a few questions it had me asking myself in the end. Like yes, Will Smith gave that girl the infected hosts blood which he said “held the cure” but what the hell are they going to do with it from there! I doubt that of the surviving people left in this safehouse theres a scientist smart enough to know what to do with it without any sort of research. It was also sad that the poor dog had to die :(

    As for the effects….I thought they were pretty good. The only thing that was really pushing it was the familiarity between the I.N (infected hosts) of this movie and the creatures from other movies. If they had kept them more like The Decent creatures then going toward the mummy in “The Mummy” I think they could have pulled it off, but when the head poncho of the I.H’s screamed, his mouth became VERY mummy like, which didnt work in this movie or that movie!

    But like I said…I did enjoy it and it had me EXTREMELY drawn in!!! My heart was pounding and I was scared for him.

  67. O.K., Here is what I saw in the film. Not everyone died at the beginning. Some buildings had large plastic coverings over them. The coverings had a biohazard warning on them. So if that is the case, then people have to place these coverings over them to keep uninfected people out. Some buildings also have large yellow quarantine signs over them. He went to a house to get “bleach” and he found some spam. On the refigerater, there is a sign warning pople to look out for infected dogs. So, the sign is given to warn people to look out for kinds of infection out there. There has to be uninfected people out therefor awhile after the virus hit to have posted these warnings. Also, in the opening sequence, there is a New York Post truck that is spray painted with “No News for now”, A Armour vehicle has a sign that states “God loves you and We Love God”, so someone has to post the signs on the vehicle. There is another shot when he was pumping gas on the East Broadway station and the greedy gas station owner charged $6.95 for a gallon of gas. So my point is the virus didn’t killed everyone immediately, there were holdouts and He certainly didn’t live alone for 3 years by himself.

  68. Kaneda979 comment nailed it right on the head.. Everything he/she said I agree with… The movie was great and Ill be getting on DVD when it comes out.. Good JOB Will Smith!! This is your best movie yet!!

  69. Oh yeah, that was one of Nevilles traps that got him. Think about how he used the manican to trick the infected at the docks. Now think about how the manican was positioned the same way right infront of the trap. Pretty similar.

  70. I want to know why the infected didnt kill the boy and his mom while they were waiting in their car for Will. I mean, they had been there since noon, out in the open then they just come out of nowhere.

  71. Traditional Jeff: Its “Omega Man” all over again

    Did you miss the memo where they were both based on the same book and I Am Legend was taken back to script rewrites to make it more like Omega Man?

    It was an intentional remake. Unless you were being sarcastic…

  73. No Joe, it wasn’t his own trap.

    Nothing in the movie suggested it was his own trap.

    The “smart” vampire was already showing signs of being a more advanced creature (if you read the book, you know where that was going).

    If Smith had set the trap himself, which he didn’t, then it was the greatest conincidence in the universe that the “smart” vampire just so happened to be camping out in that exact building with his dogs.

    Sorry to all those who think Smith set the trap himself. But he didn’t, and nothing in the movie suggested otherwise. Yes Smith was losing it a LITTLE bit by that point, but he wasn’t so far gone as to set a trap for himself.

  74. I need to say for the sake of the film, it was his OWN trap he fell into. It wasn’t a trap set by the infected, it was that he was slowly losing it and mistakenly walked into it. For some reason he confused the mannequin with the one by the video store and drove up to it. The monsters didn’t copy the trap, as it was HIS trap. You could easily tell by how pissed he was that he fell into his own trap.

    He only set the other trap and baited it with his blood so that he could easily catch on of the infected ASAP for a test of the new drug.

    So once again to clarify, it wasn’t the monster’s trap, he just mistakenly walked into one of his own.

    I can see how some could confuse this, but this was not the case.

  75. Guys,
    You’ve been discussing so much about the Trap, he being Geneticist etc as if you catch even the minutest of the (wrong) details. Couldnt any one think about where he can get his energy from? To run the Tv, for the water in the bathroom, for the lights, for transmission over the radio. May be there is someone in the electricity dept. live out there for him? Just batteries wouldn’t do so much for so long. So guys, stop thinkin about worthless things. Think about the essence of the story. The story had a meaning. Not like any other dumb sci-fi or a Zombie movie. I am Legend is one of the best movies in the past few years. A really good movie to watch and I’ve enjoyed it thoroughly.

  76. the more I think about it, I think the trap was set by the infected dude, because why else would he be waiting there with his pack of dogs? Was that just random luck in a city of that size? Did he just happen to be in that same building? I think we will find out how much Will Smith actually lost it when we see the deleted scenes of him cruising the city in a convertable with that one hot mannequin that was inside the video store, then we will know how far over the edge he really went.

  78. regarding the concern of the “thinking” zombie/vampire thing, i propose a different take on the booby trap scene. I thought that because will was going a bit crazy HE was the one who set that trap and he just forgot. Notice that as he is driving by “Fred” his head moves which is evidence of his sanity slipping away. Then when he is screaming “dammit Fred if your real tell me now!”…c’mon, you gotta say thats were the insanity begins. He forgot he was the one that moved Fred there and he fell into his own trap.
    no?

  79. I think even if the you can’t see the sun on overcast days you can still get burned by the suns rays, so the infected still have to avoid the sun at this point. But why cant they wear clothes and put spf 734 on and then run around after Will Smith?

  80. oh and also on the trap subject he also does another trap involving a mannequin the scene on the dock theres a mannequin sitting at his desk and the darkseekers go after it

  81. Heres something that i came across about the relationship between Dr. Neville and the main darkseeker….

    what i interpreted from the scene where he catches the female test subject is that, she was the companion of the main darkseeker; hence his determination to catch Neville.

    if you notice right when Neville catches the female dark seeker the male, against survival nature, sticks himself in the sunlight and bellows at Neville.

    in nature you see many examples of males risking their lives for a female(I.E getting into violent battles over a mate)

    and for the whole trap discussion i believe Neville set it up with the mannequin but simply lost his mind in that moment and fell into his own trap. this can be proved because right before he gets knocked out you see him start to bleed. the darkseeker are attracted to the scent of blood as soon in his previous trap. and as for the darkseeker having the dogs ready, its possible that he had seen Neville suspended in the daylight and simply was waiting for him with the dogs; knowing that the dogs could roam at dusk.

    what i didn’t understand was the butterflies. i saw many references to it, such as: the daughter making a butterfly with her hands, on the flyer that says “god still loves us, but do we still love god”, while Sam is sniffing around in the field a butterfly flutters in its face,the butterfly in the glass and the women’s tattoo but i dont understand how it plays into the movie except to add the element of god

  83. This was one of the best movies i have ever seen. Everything was good about this movie was the end. After Sam died, everything started going downhill. That lady comes in during the end and shows them where he lives and then gets to be the one that gives the cure. what the hell ?

  85. I think Not Vin Diesel had a good point… What happens during overcast days. I’ve lived in New York and there are plenty of times when you don’t see the sun :). I really liked this movie, even though it didn’t have a “neat” or uplifing ending. Not everything works out so cleanly all the time!

    Here is another review I found from a new Web site that took another look at I Am Legend: http://www.personalityzone.com/group/movies/view/blog/i-am-legend.html

  86. “then Neville is nothing more than a murderer of a new species, even though genetically engineered, of conscious (on the human level) beings”

    Actually, that is the point of the book as I understand it. He is legendary because he is a murderer, not because he’s on some important quest. Though (again, as I understand it) the original also had a distinction between some infected where some people weren’t as far gone as others…

  87. Sorry… i just realized that half of what i said has already been said… Here’s something new and more important… I understand that Smith’s character may have been wrong in deducing that these creatures have no more intelligence. That’s fine. But, if that was the case, I think it would take away from his cause altogether. If these people are intelligent enough to set traps and construct relationships, then Neville is nothing more than a murderer of a new species, even though genetically engineered, of conscious (on the human level) beings. The movie would just get murky here. I kind of like where that would lead, however. Neville just went crazy and in continuing his work out of shear instinct. I don’t know… It still does not seem consistent.

  88. I agree with your point about the booby trap. This is the most inconsistent part of the movie. Closer to the beginning Smith’s character talks about the complete loss of human function in these creatures. Now, to me, this seems to include vendetta’s, and if not vendetta’s, then the ability to create a semi-complex gadget to capture prey in. Also, the zombie controlling other zombies seemed a little out there. Giving orders, maybe, but a zombie receiving orders just doesn’t seem to make sense at all. I understand that giving these characteristics to, at least one of, the zombies gave the movie a more intimate understanding to the movie, but it just screams inconsistency. With that said, I thoroughly enjoyed this movie. Thanks.

  89. Tory,
    You really think it is obvious that it was his own trap? Was it coincidence that the “leader” of the creatures is there with trained dogs? People have repeated that they were not inteligent beings because that’s what Neville states. We are shown the story from his point of view, if we saw it from their point of view we would see that they are evolving and that they see him as the monster hunting them down and so to survive they must take him out. Watch the Vincent Price version and you would see more of this aspect.

  90. Will Smith Before I AM LEGEND,
    …WOW, GREAT, AWESOME.
    Will Smith after I AM LEGEND,
    ….Hmmm, I wonder, could it be good?…

    what I am saying is….What a garbage of a movie, the wrost movie Will Smith has done….

    This Movie SUCKS….!!!!!!

  91. “I wouldn’t believe him to be a famous scientist with his muscles and all that. It just doesn’t fit.”

    You know, I think if most of the world’s population was wiped out by a plague and I was constantly being hunted by super strong and super fast creatures, I would start a workout regime to get in better shape too. Then I would probably hit a library to figure out how to grow or scavage what I needed.

    He had YEARS to perfect himself, and human beings have a tendency to want to stay alive. Combine that with his mindset that he has to figure this out and fix it, and it’s completely believable that he would be rather buff and ready to take on whatever came his way. It was necessary for survival that he shape up.

  92. ***SPOILERS THROUGHOUT***

    Saw it and really liked it. The whole “darkseekers” deal is really just a vehicle to drive Neville. The movie is about bringing realism to the many different levels a man must survive on when he believes he is all that’s left of humanity. Given 3 years by himself it makes perfect sense for a military scientist to hone his body to be in top shape to be capable of evading the infected if need be. It makes sense that over that time he’d figure out how to grow some simple crops. Over 1,000 days is plenty of time to learn quite a bit when there is no one to interact with.

    He was a in charge of the New York zone, which happened to be ground zero of the outbreak – he repeats more than once that it was simply his zone. Yes, he was on the cover of the magazine in the one shot, but his statement leads me to believe that in other parts of the country there were others doing the same as he – he just happened to be the lead guy at ground zero.

    When it comes to the trap – there is no indication given as to whether the trap was set by him or the ringleader of the darkseekers. Not one. He could have easily in a fit of mindlessness moved the mannequin and later set the trap or the ringleader could have mimicked what he had seen Neville do before. Just because Neville claims that the infected are devolving because the ringleader poked his head into the sunlight, the real story may have been that the ringleader honed in on Neville as his target. It’s never revealed.

    Either way, it’s a tremendous story of a man struggling with his sanity, his personal beliefs, his developed daily regimen and what he believes is his duty. The arrival of the lady and the boy is a plot point – it brings conflict and test to a thought process that Neville has developed over 3 years. How interesting to see how someone reacts after 3 years of thinking he’s it! She is hope and belief in the time when he has it in the least and contrary to some of the statments here, I found her to simply be in shape (something probably necessary for “darkseeker” evasion) versus being hot – she was average at best.

    As a curiosity I would have liked to see the winter months to see how he handled days when it was overcast. Do the darkseekers spend more time running out and about in overcast winter days? Who knows? I guess it would have been cutesy for Neville to save the day on his own or something like that, but I like the way it ended. The final question is do you really think he could reassimilate himself into a group of survivors?

  94. Will Smith did a really great job in this movie I think, his acting has really come a long way. As far as the movie goes I thought it was ok. I guess you can never please everyone, but for me I really liked everything leading up to the point where the dog died. After that it just to be another special effects/action/zombie type movie. I think that the movie left it up to the viewer to make up their own descision on if it was a trap set up by the infected or one of Nevilles traps. I think we will find out the answer to this on the two disc limited edition release of this movie. My prediction: There is an uncut scene of that super smart infected virus dude working in his own lab on making a virus that will infect Neville and this will prove that he was smart enough to set the trap for Neville.

  95. I honestly don’t think the movie gave us enough information to determine if Neville was going insane or if the infected set the trap. If they did, then it was in the ten minutes I missed when the theater lost power and we waited to see if anybody was going to come and tell us what was going on.

    But honestly, I think it was left deliberately vague and there’s no right answer here. If so, we’ll see in the extended cut or find out from a director interview. I’m very confused by the fact that so many people argue about things like this these days. It reminds me of Pan’s Labyrinth where everyone fought if it was real or imagined. Does it matter? Do we need an absolute answer? Do you really absolutely have to prove you’re right to some strangers on the internet in order to defend your enjoyment/annoyance at the film?

    You saw it one way, they saw it another. There’s no definitive evidence on either side. I don’t care if the infected was there when the sun went down, they made a big deal of his blood dripping down, and that they hunted through the smell of fresh blood. He easily could have been drawn and waited till sundown even if Neville set his own trap. There’s no concrete thing to say either way.

    Like I said, this could be invalidated by those five-ten minutes I missed of him setting the first trap.

  96. My major problem w/ “I am Legend” is the fact there really are no suprises. I saw most of it in the theatrical trailers. Other then the ending (predictable) & boobytraps I paid for an extended version of the trailers. Smith’s acting however was top notch and he didn’t spoil it with any corney humor (thanks). The movie was released at perfect timing, no contenders, therefore I understand why it’s doing so well $ wise. I wanted to see “No Country for Old Men” … it wasn’t playing at the theater I went to. If I knew what I knew now I would have went to another theater. I’d give it a 5.5 out of 10.

  97. I was disapointed with the movie I am legend.
    There was no real good special affect which I was looking foward of seeing. I should have waited to see in on cable tv. I seen all Will Smith movies the movie was not all bad it could have been better.

  98. Aaron, nice job playing the race card.

    What the reviewer said makes total sense to me. Even if Bruce Willis played the same role, I wouldn’t believe him to be a famous scientist with his muscles and all that. It just doesn’t fit.

    And everyone has their own opinions, it was an OKAY movie…

  99. I find it hard to take your review seriously, when it has so many spelling and grammar errors. Proof Read. Maybe re-watch the movie as well, because it was very good.

    P.S. Could he not be a leading scientist because he’s black?

  102. @Seth

    I wasn’t choosing a side in this whole argument I was looking at both sides and weighing them out….and how exactly is that juvenille? Is it really mandatory to support a certain side, or are you just saying that.
    If you are confused about this argument then lets end it, it dosn’t matter anymore and by arguing with you I am accomplshing nothing.
    Besides instead of being bitter enemies, we can come together and watch the Dark Knight trailer on HD at Cominsoon.net!

  104. Well, I just got back from seeing the film and I quite enjoyed it. By far one of my favorite films of the year, up they’re with 300, Transformers, Super Bad, and Knocked Up. Amazing story, great feel, sad, very emotional, awesome acting by Smith and his K9 friend, it was actually scary, had a great sci-fi feel to it, even some cool comic bookness, without being over the top, and some really great action scenes, and lastly, it actually made you think.

    Sure the FX weren’t that amazing, but this film is about 9 years in the making. I think they did the CGI a few years back, or they’re just still a ways off from getting CGI humans right. Which kind of sucks and why they didn’t just use real actors, I don’t know, but then again this film wasn’t ment to have the FX be it’s driving power, it’s all about the amazing story.

    The only thing that really bothered me about the creatures though !SMALL SPOILER! was how they’re mouths would extend when they roared, like the mummy monsters in the Mummy films. It just looked too fake and wasn’t needed. !END SPOILER!

    As far as the whole “monster made trap” scene and them suddenly being smart enough to do such a thing. They never really tell you much about the mutations to where one would know if they were smart enough to do that kind of thing or not. Nor does Neval himself really know much about them to know if they really couldn’t be a little smart. I mean how could he know too much since they only come out at night and he’s been trying his best to stay away from them to survive, unless he was doing experiments on them to try and cure them. Right?

    Who knows what they’re really capable of when your first reaction to them is to run and hide? I think Neval maybe knew they were smart though, at least a little. I mean he shot the dummy thinking that it could of been a trap or something, right, cuz it was moved from where he last had it placed and then shot it down? But it still turned out to be a trap, just not the type he expected.

    John points out that Smith doesn’t make note in the movie of the infected setting up that kind of trap, but if you remember, !SPOILER! after he wakes up from being knocked out, everything for Neval just goes down hill from there. He pretty much just gave up and didn’t care about making notes or even living anymore !END SPOILER!. Theres allot in the film they don’t fully lay out for the audience, but thats a good thing, they want the audience to think and fill in the gaps themselves. Which for me is something that makes for a great film.

    About John’s comment on Smith being really buff for the film as a scientist. Well for one he was a MILITARY scientist and also he felt it was important to be in tip top shape to survive. The world had literally become, “survival of the fittest”. To me it make perfect scence.

    Anyway, sub par CGI and the lady’s bad accent aside, I thought I am Legend was an amazing film. And it’s good to see that big sci-fi films that actually make you use your brain are still being made. They took a big risk with making this film and it payed off. I really think it deserves atleast an 8 out of 10, if not more.

  105. Great review! Here is my take on the movie…
    Very good movie that could have been great! They made a few mistakes-

    Mistake 1) I loved Smith’s acting but they did a bad job of developing his character. He is a general, a scientist, a body builder, a family man, and a hunter? Who has the time? We never really got any background on any of these things-just thrown at us. I also had a hard time with the fact that he is the only one immune to the virus and he just happens to be the lead scientist on the project.
    2) The movie almost lost me at the visual effects. This movie did not need to have zombies that have all the powers of Venom along with some vampire weaknesses. I was waiting for them to sling some webs at Will Smith. Normal actors would have been perfect! (like 28 days) When the creatures yelled and detached their jaws, I rolled my eyes! BIGGEST MISTKE WAS TO USE COMPUTER AMIMATION! It made the movie lose its “this could happen tomorrow” feeling.
    3) Why did W.Smith use a wood frame house as his bunker if he knew how strong these creatures were?
    4) Why does the only other survivor have to be female, and hot?
    5) Smith says they lost all “human charactoristics” yet they set traps, use reason, get angry, train dogs, and use their detective skills to track him down.
    6) Most of the vehicles in the movie are clean and waxed? The mustang and the truck the woman drives to the compound.
    7) If Smith knew how dangerous the virus was, why not get his family out of NYC earlier?
    8) If there was a limited amount of food and the creatures were starving, how the hell could they be that fast and strong?

  107. Ethan

    My arguement was that they didnt need increased intelligence to mimic Neval’s trap.Because the fact of the matter is that there is no evidence anywhere in the film to suggest that they USED or NEEDED increased intelligence to make their(Nevals)trap.And then you come back to me with the ridiculous arguemnet that:they built the trap therefore they needed increased inteligence to build the trap:WHAT?….Im pretty sure thats currcular reasoning.They built the trap,we know this.All Im asking is for you to show a place in the film that supports the theory that they GAINED increased intelligence to build the trap.But you cant give me one.The film really dosnt show a way for them to increase their intelligence anyway.

    Setting the trap is NOT evidence for increaing intelligence.The issue of them setting the trap is in debate as to what is the reason that they were able to do it.I say it was merely mimicing;you say it was increased inteligence.So you see,you cant use”them building the trap” as evidence because it IS the VERY ISSUE THAT WE ARE DEBATING OVER.

    These creatures wouldnt need to work very hard to make the snare.Neval had already shown how it was made,so it was simply a matter of copying an already existing device.It never fell apart as you say,and you have no way of knowing whether they saw it being used or not.The trap really wasnt to complicated.After all Im not saying that they had NO intelligence(every creature has some)but I would suggest that the intelligence they did have wasnt increasing.
    IF the darkseekers REALLY were increasing in intelligence why wouldnt they have made a different snare for Neval.
    It really is quite juvenile to argue two sides of the same arguement.Cause no one really can tell where you stand.By the way,I know this isnt a war,but you cant blame me for supporting my point if view.Sorry for the length of this post,but I wanted to make sure it made sense.

  108. @Seth

    The proof of the darkseekers getting smarter is the fact that they did set the trap. If they did, then it was not just copying as you said. They did not see every part of Neville’s trap while in progess, and after it went off the peices were dissasemled. These creatures would have to be ganining some sort of intelligiance to gather all the parts, speculte the job each part served and then recreate it.

    I am merely trying to support each side with as much ample evidence as possible, weighing out and choosing. I see you were really spying out every detail of that movie.

    “Pick a side cause,it seems like you’ve chosen both sides of the arguement” this isn’t a war dude I think you are taking this a little too seriously, as I said I am not arguing one side, and up until now I wasn’t arguing just stating my thoughts of your statement. I understand your expanation of the test subjects though, well said.

  109. As to the rage-vampire-zombie thingies in CGI. What the hell was wrong with using actors? They stick out like a sore thumb and instantly date the film. Totally a bad decision to do that.

    I AM LEGEND may not be the worst film of the year, but I certainly got my blood boiling the most for fucking a good concept up.

    Shame on them.

  110. A solid movie for the first 45 minutes, then a raging pile of dogshit, especially the ending of the film which was one of the worst hollywoodizations of a novel ever. BULLSHIT!

    What an insult to the source material, and more importantly, at the audience.

    I hope screenwriters Akiva Goldsman and Mark Protosevich both opt for early retirement, because they fucked up what could have been a good adaptations with this drivel.

  112. I don’t care about this film maybe cause I had the book and also I can wait for it on DVD. But I do think that it is a great move by the studios ( WB I think ) to make it come out now with all this holiday films out. Because if you are like me you don’t care at lot about holiday films.

  113. Ethan

    Your arguement really dosnt make much sense,you say that the darkseekers would just get smarter as the film went on,but how?.Neval said that”Social de-evolution is complete”,and he leaves no clue that they were getting smarter.How could they gain intelligance,that just seems ridiculous.You have a theory,but there wasnt any evidence in the film to suggest that your theory is correct,mabe possible,but its just another idea.Also you said that when he met the chick she saw all the pictues of the darkseekers,but what happened was that Neval would capture one,experiment on it,and then if it died(which they all did)he would get a new one.All those pictures were of ones that he had killed individualy.These darkseekers were not like the rats that he experimented on,the darkseekers were hard to contain.He only had one operation table and one containment room,so he wouldnt have kept more than one at a time.You also said that he had set the trap for his next experiment,but the movie never shows proof of him doing this so you’re merely speculating,and anyway,why would he have tried to capture ANOTHER darkseeker with nowhere to keep it.

    “The trap that Neval fell into could have been his own or the darkseekers really”.Pick a side cause,it seems like you’ve chosen both sides of the arguement.I respect that you have created your own opinion,but its all based on what MIGHT have happened without really any proof to show for it.

  116. IMO the darkseekrs little “subplot” of intelligiance wasn’t needed to be explored. I think you were supposed to just assume that they got smarter as the film went along.

    @seth
    The trap that Neville fell into could have been his own or the darkseekers really. When he meets the chick she sees the pictures of all of his other dead test subjects, this shows he has in the past had multiple. At the point of him falling into the trap his findings of a human cure were inconclusive, so he might have set up another trap for his next test subject. Not until later on do you find out that Neville tried a new method of maaking the cure effective (the ice bags), so you might assume that since he didn’t get a new test subject he continued on his previous.

    I liked the movie, I think it deserves a 7 outa 10

  117. John

    I gotta say I dissagree with this review,I think 6.5 is way to low,this was a great film(despite its drop off ending).Will Smith played his character perfectly.There was great acting,great story,great special effects.Whats not to like.

    Some people mentioned the trap that Will fell to.Im petty
    sure that this trap was set by the darkseekers,because why would Will have set a trap with a mannequin?The darkseekers had never attacked mannequins before.Also I think its unlikely that he would have set a trap when he didnt need one,he already had an infected human to experement on.However,I have to say,I dont think that the infected humans setting the trap contradicts the story.Robert Neval never said that these beasts couldnt think or that they were mindless,all that he said was that they had no HUMAN characteristics left,but even animals can mimic behavior and set snares.The only trap that these darkseekers where able to set was the exact same one that Neval had set the day before.So all that they had really done was mimiced another creatues behavior,and it could be argued that these creatures were smart enough to repeat what they had already seen,because they really werent planning anything,simply copying.

  118. @27 No it was the lead ‘vampire’ that set the trap. Neville’s sanity was on thin ice but he was not that for gone. All the proof needed is that the head vampire was there and had brought dogs.

  119. ok well he didnt show up with the dogs until it was dark, so i still could argue that it was his own trap. because they showed up only when it was dark. either way, i think its very cool that this type of debate can take place, even though it seems that i am losing?

    whatever, i still enjoyed the movie A LOT until the end, but hiw do you end a movie like that?

    in conclusion, WILL SMITH IS AMAZING. that is all.

  120. Just one correction… In your “The Bad” section, you say that you don’t buy the fact that an Infected could set up the trap.

    I don’t think that’s the case.

    I think it was Neville’s own trap. This whole sequence was about him losing it, psychologically (as when he saw one of the mannequins move). We see another mannequin, and we see Neville shoot it. He’s obviously lost his mind in this brief moment, and forgets he even set a trap up there (which is probably why the mannequin was there in the first place – to lure the infected into a trap).

    My main complaint was that, while the effects were good/passable, I felt it “lightened” the tone (by having the infected computer animated). Imagine if the infected were actual humans? It would’ve made it a lot more serious, for me at least (almost like a 28 Days Later/any other zombie film feel to it). That, and the end seemed rushed (probably because they had to re-shoot it three times…) Overall though I liked it a lot, and Will Smith had some really great performances (the scene with Sam in the basement…)

  121. Hey WILL,

    John’s right. But I thought the same thing for a while when I first saw that. At the time I thought the movie was going down the road of Smith going crazy… but then it didn’t so…. yeah, after thinking about it, the “lead” vampire set it up.

  122. Perfect review John, almost excactly what I said right after seeing it. Wish they ended more like the Vincent Price version, when Smith’s character turned out to be the “monster”. By the way John, I could have sworn I saw you in Santa Monica riding in a yellow X-Terra. Was that you?

  123. I loved this movie, it wasn’t anything like the previews made it out to be and this was actually a present suprise. It had a simple easy to follow storyline. It also had my girlfriend jumping all over me and what guy doesn’t like that? Wait there is an answer to that but I will refrain.

  125. Your review is pretty much dead on with everything you said. Very good review. I enjoyed it as well but it was nothing mindblowing. The suspense at the beginning was great and even the part when he first runs into the infected after chasing his dog into the dark room. After that the movie kinda lost me a bit for some reason….mainly around where he meets the woman and her kid.
    Still…I can’t help but consider it to be like 28 Days Later but not as good.

  127. it was his onw trap that he fell into, because he was going crazy.

    it was the same as his other trap, and he was losing his mind because hes been alone, obviously, and so he walked right into his own trap.

  128. Damn!

    For two thirds of the movie the spirit of the book is captured and then it goes off in a much less interesting direction. Taken on its own terms the movie is enjoyable to watched powered by Smith’s performance. As it this version of I Am Legend retreats from being something daring and settles for a conventional Hollywood style ending. And ends up becoming an entertaining movie instead of a classic one.

    Too bad.

  129. hahaha. damn I missed that. shit. I guess I was so into it and thinking lil man eaters were gonna pop out at any corner that it didn’t even catch my eye. damn.

  131. This one is a pickle for me. The trailer looked great, and the film looked like it would be fantastic. However, the reviews are getting rather mixed for this one. I don’t know, I just had a strange idea that this one was going to be a huge sleeper hit. However, I guess thats just me getting over hyped for nothing. I still may go see it though. What do you know, I may absolutely love it.

  133. Well I saw it last night. Loved every minute of it. Though I admit seeing the infected was a disappointment they didn’t look very real. I would have rather they used stunt actors with prosthetics and makeup.
    I also didn’t like the happy ending i would have rather their not be a colony.

    But other than that i loved it. I’ll definitely be picking it up on dvd when its released.

  134. d’oh! I added those pointy HTML brackets around the words possible spoilers but we all see what happened…I’ll go hang my head in shame at my less than uber posting skills…

  136. I just wondered why a military scientist involved in bio-studies-control-weapons (whatever) had a beard…hard to get a good seal on that gas mask.

    The seeming coincidence of Neville being the survivor didn’t bother me for two reasons…one, he was the guy working on the project and was the most prepared (didn’t the studies before the outbreak center around his blood and wasn’t the virus therefore based on it?). Two, there was the supernatural aspect brought up at the end with the butterfly…God was using the colony/blood/Anna stuff in a Noahesque fashion?

    Overall I agree with your review, John. Fun movie absolutely worth the price of admission (more so with the Superman Vs. Batman poster).

  138. Thank you for bringing up the fact that they never mention the complex trap set by the infected! It seemed to me that there was an entire sub-plot that they could have explored regarding them thinking, using dogs, having a hierarchy within the culture, communicating, working together, etc that was alluded to but never addressed. I haven’t read the book nor seen the previous films, so I don’t know if this is something a fan would have been more familiar with, but as a viewer of this movie alone, I felt that there was a lot of story there that they started and then just ignored.

  139. I agree with you on this one. I really hated the fact that they used CG for the infected instead of actual actors. This movie was “I, Robot 2” for me, lol. Seriously, once I saw them climb the building in the SAME fashion, that is all I could think about. Also, I agree with you on the infected learning from Smith’s character clashing with the idea of them being “de-evolutionized”.

    I actually liked the first half. What I question is, “How the hell can you feel lonely with all the porn in the video store?” lol.

    What Batman preview did you watch by the way? The IMAX preview or the actual trailer?

  144. I agree with this review totally and basically wrote the same things in mine, although I came from the perspective of the book more than you did.

    The movie was dumbed down in the second half when it could have turned into a brilliant sci-fi movie, instead of a summer blockbuster.

  145. Yea you forgot to mention in “The Good” that The Dark Knight trailer was shown. I am NO LONGER WORRIED ABOUT HEATH LEDGER AS THE JOKER. HE LOOKS TIGHT AS SHIT AS THE JOKER.

  146. Well Im wondering if next we will see your review on The Dark Knight trailer hahaha. Or are you saving that for Mondays Uncut? Thats to say if you can stop playing WOW for a few hours (ohhhh low blow) Apologizies for that I just miss the podcast that come on Mon, and Fri.

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