I Am Legend'

Plot Outline:
Based on a 1971 screenplay for Omega Man which in turn was based on a novel by Richard Matheson, the story is of

Robert Neville (Will Smith) is a brilliant scientist, but even he could not contain the terrible virus that was unstoppable, incurable, and man-made. Somehow immune, Neville is now the last human survivor in what is left of New York City and maybe the world. For three years, Neville has faithfully sent out daily radio messages, desperate to find any other survivors who might be out there. But he is not alone. He has a dog. :)

Also, mutant victims of the plague -- "The Infected" lurk in the shadows watching Neville's every move waiting for him to make a fatal mistake. Perhaps mankind's last, best hope, Neville is driven by only one remaining mission: to find a way to reverse the effects of the virus using his own immune blood. But he knows he is outnumbered... and quickly running out of time.

Overall Impressions:
Like chinese whispers this began as something groundbreaking in the 50's, (inspiring many a vampire/zombie flick) and is now far from it. That's not to say it's a bad product. I'll leave my thoughts of what it could have been, but before I do, I want it to be stated for the record that I do think the project had a lot more potential. If intrigued, I suggest you read this Hollywood writers' viewpoint, (you'll have to scroll down a bit, or search for "Dinner"), it's drenched with spoilers, but makes a very valid point in dissecting the story & comparing it to its origins.

Okay, moving on. speaking now of the film, as is: A one man film of this ilk, has its fate lie quite firmly on that one man & personally I wasn't sure Will Smith had it in him. I mean he has that universal appeal as an artiste, but could he pull off what Tom Hanks did with Cast Away? Well, to my pleasant surprise.. "Yes". He did a bang-up job of convincing you that he's been alone for a number of years now. Though he is meticulously organised, the fact that the solitude has had it's toll on his mental health, is also apparent.

They have integrated scenes from the past with current happenings throughout the film and this has it's own progression and runs a parallel of sorts with the current ongoings, perhaps so that the audience don't get bored of continuously seeing only the one man on screen, but if that's the only reason, it wasn't needed. I feel however this may not be the only reason to do this. As we see the doctor's mental health deteriorate, the flashbacks leave room for paranoia. A couple of other scenes do the same, leaving you wondering, has our hero gone nuts? Is everything we see through his eyes quite what it seems? Are we missing something?

Following this come a couple of twists in the tale that takes away a large chunk of satisfaction from what buildup we have had upto this point. Actually, I think it's fair to say, the last twenty odd minutes sink this film from being spectacular to 'slighty above average'. Quite unfortunate. Why? Tough to say without going all spoiler guns blazing, but you can probably guess. I'll just leave it by saying, in the end the one man became Legend in a forceful & rushed climax.