I Am Legend (2007)

Director:

Francis Lawrence

Writers (WGA):

Mark Protosevich (screenplay) and
Akiva Goldsman (screenplay) ...

Release Date:

14 December 2007 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | Horror | Sci-Fi | Thriller

Tagline:

The last man on earth is not alone

Plot:

Years after a plague kills most of humanity and transforms the rest into monsters, the sole survivor in New York City struggles valiantly to find a cure.

Plot Keywords:

Survivor | Cure | New York City | Blood | Virus

Awards:

7 wins & 17 nominations

US TV Schedule:

Wed. Feb. 10	2:00 PM	MAX
Mon. Feb. 15	11:30 AM	MAX
Mon. Feb. 15	8:15 PM	MAX

Cast

  (Cast overview, first billed only)

Will Smith	...	Robert Neville
Alice Braga	...	Anna
Charlie Tahan	...	Ethan
Salli Richardson-Whitfield	...	Zoe (as Salli Richardson)
Willow Smith	...	Marley
Darrell Foster	...	Mike - Military Escort
April Grace	...	TV Personality
Dash Mihok	...	Alpha Male
Joanna Numata	...	Alpha Female
Abbey	...	Sam
Kona	...	Sam
Samuel Glen	...	Military Driver - Jay
James Michael McCauley	...	Male Evacuee (as James McCauley)
Marin Ireland	...	Woman Evacuee
Pedro Mojica	...	Sergeant

Also Known As:

I Am Legend: The IMAX Experience (USA) (IMAX version)

MPAA:

Rated PG-13 for intense sequences of sci-fi action and violence.

Runtime:

101 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

SDDS | Dolby Digital | DTS

Certification:

South Korea:12 | Ireland:15A | Finland:K-15 | UK:15 | Malaysia:U | Singapore:PG | Switzerland:14 (canton of Vaud) | Switzerland:14 (canton of Geneva) | Hong Kong:IIB | Taiwan:PG-12 | France:Unrated | Australia:M | Norway:15 | Philippines:PG-13 (MTRCB) | Brazil:14 | Portugal:M/12 | Argentina:16 | Czech Republic:12 | Slovakia:12 | USA:PG-13 (certificate #43988) | Denmark:11 | Canada:13+ (Quebec) | Canada:14A (Alberta/British Columbia/Manitoba/Ontario) | Sweden:15 | Germany:16 | Australia:MA (DVD) | New Zealand:M | Venezuela:PG-13 | Peru:14 | Netherlands:12 | South Africa:13V | Austria:14 | Japan:U | India:A (cinema release) | Iceland:14

Filming Locations:

Brooklyn Bridge, New York City, New York, USA

Company:

Warner Bros. Pictures

Trivia:

In the last scene of the movie, Anna and Ethan are driving through the autumn countryside. This scene was filmed in West Amwell, New Jersey because in the original filming place, the leaves on the trees had already fallen off.

Goofs:

Continuity: When Neville is closing the windows after Anna and Ethan are in his apartment, his shirt changes from long sleeve white to dark short sleeve, then back again when he leaves the room.

Quotes:

[first lines]
TV Personality: The world of medicine has seen its share of miracle cures, from the polio vaccine to heart transplants. But all past achievements may pale in comparison to the work of Dr. Alice Krippin. Thank you so much for joining us this morning.
Dr. Alice Krippin: Not at all.
TV Personality: So, Dr. Krippin, give it to me in a nutshell.
Dr. Alice Krippin: Well, the premise is quite simple - um, take something designed by nature and reprogram it to make it work for the body rather than against it.
TV Personality: You're talking about a virus?
Dr. Alice Krippin: Indeed, yes. In this case the measles, um, virus which has been engineered at a genetic level to be helpful rather than harmful. Um, I find the best way to describe it is if you can... if you can imagine your body as a highway, and you picture the virus as a very fast car, um, being driven by a very bad man. Imagine the damage that car can cause. Then if you replace that man with a cop... the picture changes. And that's essentially what we've done.
TV Personality: And how many people have you treated so far?
Dr. Alice Krippin: Well, we've had ten thousand and nine clinical trials in humans so far.
TV Personality: And how many are cancer-free?
[...]

Movie Connections:

References Saw III (2006)

Soundtrack:

Flying Talking Donkey

Entertaining but misses the point.

If you are fan of Matheson's book prepare to be disappointed as the film entirely misses the point, especially when it comes to the title itself. Having said that, taken on it's own merits the film is not all that bad. The opening half hour is well constructed and the lingering shots of a deserted NYC are quite effective. Will Smith reigns in his usual on-screen persona to deliver a good performance as Robert Neville, although at times it does seem as though he's playing to an audience which is at odds with the permeating sense of isolation (problems with the script rather than Smith himself). Aside from it's deviation from the book, the film's most glaring problem are the dark seekers themselves. They are entirely rendered in by today's standards unconvincing cgi and therefore never quite achieve the feeling of menace we're supposed to feel. Real actors in make-up with perhaps a little cgi augmentation would've been far better. Also the attempt to create an antagonist for Neville falls a little flat, as he comes across as nothing more than a slighter smarter creature with a grudge. What does work though is Neville's relationship with his dog, Sam. Considering they spend the majority of their screen time together it was important it felt like they had a genuine bond and they do. Also Neville's flashbacks to a time shortly before the worst of the outbreak are well-implemented, never interrupting the pace of the narrative. Ultimately it's the last predictable half hour of the film that falls flat and undoes most of the good work. It's worth seeing but for all Richard Matheson fans it will be frustrating at best. In fact, for anyone who read Mark Protosevich's script that leaked online a few years back you'll probably wish they made that film instead.