I Am Legend (2007)

Posted By: Someonelse
Date: June 18, 2011

I Am Legend (2007) [Theatrical and Alternative versions]
1080p BluRay Rip | MKV | 1920 x 800 | x264 @ 9500 Kbps | 1:40:30 and 01:43:594 G4 | 8,94 Gb
Audio: English DTS 5.1 @ 1510 Kbps | Subtitles: English
Genre: Sci-Fi, Horror | 7 wins & 18 nominations | USA

Adapted from acclaimed author Richard Matheson's influential novelette of the same name, Constantine director Francis Lawrence's I Am Legend follows the last man on Earth as he struggles to survive while fending off the infected survivors of a devastating vampiric plague. A brilliant scientist who raced to discover a cure for the man-made virus as humanity came crumbling down all around him, Robert Neville (Will Smith) was inexplicably immune to the highly contagious superbug. Now the entire population of New York City – and perhaps the world – has been transformed into carnivorous bloodsuckers that fear the light and live solely to spread their contagion to any remaining living creature that crosses their path. It's been three years since civilization came to an end, and the loneliness has taken a devastating toll on Neville. By day he scours the city for food and supplies while sending out desperate radio messages in hopes that someone might respond, and by night he attempts to find a way to reverse the effects of the virus by experimenting with his own blood. But time is running out for Neville as the legions of infected watch his every move from the safety of the shadows, waiting for the perfect moment to strike. They, too, long to learn the secret that lurks in Neville's blood, though they will have to take caution while attempting to procure it because Neville will sooner die attempting to slay every last one of them than willingly giving up a single drop.

Previously adapted for the screen in the 1964 Vincent Price frightener The Last Man on Earth and the 1971 Charlton Heston action film The Omega Man, Matheson's novelette also served as the inspiration for George A. Romero's groundbreaking zombie classic Night of the Living Dead.

IMDB

I Am Legend, the third cinematic adaptation of Richard Matheson's novel, has been in development for a very long time. Originally slated to star Arnold Schwarzenegger and be directed by Ridley Scott, this movie has kicked around for so long that by the time it has finally reached the screen, Schwarzenegger is out of the business altogether and the director is someone whose career in music videos hadn't even started when Michael Bay was being touted as possible replacement for Scott. Nevertheless, all these years later, we finally have this new version of I Am Legend, starring Will Smith as the Last Man on Earth and directed by Francis Lawrence (Constantine).


I suppose it's a common fantasy - believing that you're alone on the planet. The reality, if it ever happened, would be more the stuff of nightmares. When Matheson wrote I Am Legend; from which this movie takes its name, its main character, and certain events and themes; he was interested in exploring the hard aspects of what this kind of existence might really mean. Loneliness can drive a person slowly insane even if they guard against it. That lies at the core of I Am Legend - the psychological torment endured by the protagonist. That, and the vampires.


Matheson's book has often been credited as the "inspiration" for many of the modern-day zombie movies; his "vampires" have a kinship with George A. Romero's dead. Cinematically, the creatures of this film most evidently echo (perhaps because of the circumstances) those in Danny Boyle's 28 Days Later. In fact, there are numerous similarities between that movie and I Am Legend, not the least of which is that both feature a scenario in which an apocalypse occurs because of a disease and those who don't die turn into slavering, raving monsters.
Excerpt from James Berardinelli's review at reelviews.net

Will Smith has always been great as an actor, and he takes it one step further, billed as the last man on Earth in his new film I Am Legend. A virus has hit New York City, a version of a formerly defeated virus, re-engineered to do good rather than harm to the human body. Something went wrong though, and it seems that a super-virus has been created with a kill rate higher than anything humans have faced before. Smith's character, Robert Neville, is a military doctor/scientist who had been working hard to find a cure, but didn't find it soon enough to save the people around him in New York City. Now he is alone, with only his dog Sam to keep him company during the long winding days. He has found ways to fill his time though, including a continued work towards the cure, but at night something different happens.


We learn early on in the film that Robert Neville isn't exactly alone in the city, as there are actually other humans that have been seriously altered by the virus, and don't resemble much of their former selves. These "beings" are very vulnerable to sunlight, and thus hide in the dark until the sun goes down. It is when the sun goes down that Neville returns to his home, and spends many nights huddled in the bathtub of his make-shift fortress that his family used to call home. He notes that these people who have suffered from the virus are starting to go against their instinct for survival, and could quickly become more of a threat. The question soon becomes whether Neville can find a cure to help them all before it is too late, or if he is doomed to remain alone in New York City for years to come.


If the story sounds familiar, it is because it has been done before, with both that film and this one based on the famous novel called I am Legend. Charlton Heston played the main character in the classic The Omega Man but did so in a much more stoic method, where he actually seemed bigger than life, and the "beasties of the night" didn't seem quite so tough. Here though, we have the talented Will Smith, who plays an almost average man, who though he has above-average intelligence, runs the gamut of emotions in the film. They range from a sense of loneliness to pure glee at times, and it really shows the range that Smith has as an actor. He takes the character to places that Heston never could, and improves the story in many places as a result. Smith just makes the role seem so real that we could really believe that the story might take place.


To classify this film, I would have to put it in the genre of thrillers, because you get involved in the story, and are cheering for Neville to find a way out of the dire situations he is has to deal with. There are some action sequences, and indeed a lot of drama mixed in with the scares, but the film is really thrilling in my opinion. You don't get the lulls that a film like Cast Away put on its audience, and even though Smith is the lone character for many scenes, he finds a way to make the film interesting, even when he is just working out or taking a trip to the video store. With the central plot being that the world has almost come to an end due to a virus, there are some cracks in how the plot carries out, but I think they are very minor compared to a story that really worked well in the end. I have to say that Will Smith just cemented himself as one of the most talented actors in Hollywood with this film, and has once again come up with a winning (and recommended) theatrical attraction.
Epinions.com

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