I Am Legend

Starring:Will Smith, Alice Braga, Dash Mihok, Salli Richardson, Willow Smith
Directed by: Francis Lawrence
Review: Dave Burbidge
Release date: 14th Apr 2008

After the outbreak of a lethal virus in 2009, US Army virologist Lieutenant Colonel Robert Neville (Smith) is left as the last healthy human in New York City as the human race descends into a zombie like state. In between working on a cure using his own blood, Neville attempts to contact other 'sane' survivors whilst talking to shop dummies and his dog Sam.

In flashback we see the panic and confusion as New York becomes quarantined and Robert tries to get his family off, especially as his wife is nearly diagnosed as infected. It also explains a little how the virus came about (a doctor on TV talks about a cancer cure).

The bulk of the film has just Robert and his trusty canine companion going about their daily business in New York, chasing deer by car, snagging zombies and experimenting on them in a basement lab, and his own bizarre visits to a DVD store. This puts a large burden on the shoulders of Smith, but he is more than capable of carrying it, and his own nice guy persona is mixed with obsession as the loneliness kicks in. Director Francis Lawrence achieves a subtle balance here as we see lab rats and even dogs turned into hairless killing machines. There is also a plot line thrown in with a zombie tapping into its past human experiences and using intelligent tactics to try and turn the tables on Robert.

Based on Richard Matheson's 1954 novel, this is the third version of it to be filmed, but it avoids the sombre conclusion. The eerieness of New York turned into a tumbleweed city as deer expertly dodge through the lines of long abandoned cars sets a perfect contrast to Robert's state of the art lab, where he daily records continuing failures in his attempts to find a cure. We are also shown how just one slip can lead to disaster.