I Am Legend

I saw "I Am Legend" this weekend, and I was impressed.

But not when I compared it to Richard Matheson's short story, the story it is based on. (Richard Matheson also wrote the book that the film "What Dreams May Come" is based off of)

"I Am Legend" is a story about loneliness. Will Smith, who normally has roles that deflate negativity and other antagonist emotions, shows he can make others feel his character's loneliness and depression. I thought the introduction of the movie was brilliant. During the Columbia Productions screen and the typically silent production studio screens, an audio clip of a news radio show plays. Then when the film starts, the news show comes into the screen right when the reason of the worldwide plague is seeded. It's a great attention grabber.

When I read books before movies (I try to as much as possible), I am often disappointed. And I am with this movie as well as almost every other one. Matheson's portrayal of Robert Neville, Will Smith's character, has twice the loneliness appeal and twice the intrigue that Francis Lawrence's Robert Neville has. The scenes where Robert Neville has to do anything and everything possible to hold himself back from stepping outside at night into the band of bloodthirsty vampires to satisfy his loneliness and desire to be with a woman, even if it is with a vampire woman, are amazing. The relationship Matheson's Neville has with a former co-worker turned vampire, Ben Cortman, is a wonderful look into the necessary separation between humanity and those infected with "the virus." And lastly, the part of Matheson's story I missed the most, was the girl that tricked Neville. The film lacked, what I thought, was an important part of the story. The vampires began to evolve and adapt. They developed a way to stand in the light. With this new asset, they went after Neville. They had a beautiful girl step into his life and slowly gather information. For someone that was almost willing to kill themselves for the touch of a woman, like Neville was, this plan was genius. But unfortunately for the vampires, the girl fell for Neville (the non-Will Smith Neville too!) and the plan never worked.

The end of the movie was better than the Matheson version. Matheson's version just ends without any resolve. The movie ends with a result of Neville's hard work and meticulous routine. I liked that.

This movie is an amazing film whether you read the book or not (I recommend you do read it). Will Smith's performance is great like always and this movie will not disappoint.

"I Am Legend" Article By Stephanie Zacharek

"I Am Legend" on IMDB