Movie Review - I Am Legend

Another one I saw as a sneak preview, so this is a bit old.

There was an advanced screening of I Am Legend last night at 11:59pm. I have been salivating over seeing this one, so I bought my ticket last weekend. I am still pretty stressed at work, missing deadlines left and right and pretty much pissing off half the people I talk to, so I probably should have worked super late to try to get more caught up, but I figured SCREW IT, it's movie night! :]

Armed with two packages of edamame in my purse and two yogurts in my pocket, I was DETERMINED I wasn't going to fall asleep. (Even though I only got in a two hour nap from the time I got home and the time I left for the movie.) It's so weird how different it is napping a couple of hours late at night as opposed to a couple of hours during the day. Your body feels more lethargic and you are almost to the point of being nauseous when it's super late and you're trying to revive yourself after that short REM break.

Anyway, I got there about half an hour before the movie started - which was a good thing because the theater was PACKED! After the First Look segment and viewing some previews of what look to be halfway-decent movies (The Chronicles Of Narnia: Prince Caspian, You Don't Mess With Zoltan, 10,000 B.C., Welcome Home Roscoe Jenkins, and The Dark Knight), the movie opens up with a voiceover of someone being interviewed for a new cure that has been discovered. And the cure is for...Cancer.

The cure for cancer is to inject people with the measles. The cure rate is 100% in all test studies. However, it turns out that this cure later turns humans and animals into monster type creatures (a bit like vampires) who become aggressive, have super strength and who will feed on anything that comes in its path. This new disease can be passed from person to person thru bites and scratches but it is also airborne, so three years after this magical cure has been invented, 90% of the population is dead.

One man (a skilled scientist), is immune to this disease. Every day he puts out a broadcast on the AM channels coaxing people to meet him at a designated area at high noon. He trolls the empty streets of New York, with his faithful dog as his only companion, convinced that there are other survivors out there.

The beasties come out at night, so he performs a lockdown routine right before sundown.

One day as he and his dog are deer hunting (which was one of the most entertaining scenes in the movie), one young buck darts into a dark building and dog chases in after it. Following his only friend into the building, he discovers a nest of these humanoid creatures and THEIR faithful companions - creepy-ass looking dog-monsters - and after getting attacked, he unknowingly leaves a blood trail and come sundown they track him to his home and now there are hundreds surrounding his house - too many of them to fight by himself. He hides in his basement/lab where he has been trying to cure the beasts and for the time being he is safe, but there is only a sheet of glass between him and the vicious attackers and with each body thrust, the glass is forming bigger and bigger cracks and it's only a matter of minutes before he'll have nowhere else to run.

(I tried not to give anything away - much more to the plot than just that, but hopefully that was a good enough description to pique your interest.)

This was an EXCELLENT movie. Much better than I had anticipated. I figured it would be good because I really like Will Smith. He's a great actor for both the drama and the comedy. I Am Legend had me laughing, crying, and during a few scenes exclaiming "OH MY GOD!" (as was the rest of the theater)

So what more could you ask for?

Definitely worth another viewing. Probably best seen on the big screen, but definitely requires digital surround sound to fully appreciate all of the action scenes.

I don't remember what this was rated (and my computer runs too slow to open up another page to look), but besides the somewhat mild violence scenes and the creepy humanoid creatures who freak you out by opening their mouths wider than they should (a la The Mummy), I don't remember there being any cursing or naked bodies running around, so while this is not categorized as a family film, it's not entirely inappropriate for the younger tween type ages, in my opinion. And there are even a few cute Shrek references that kids and adults, alike, should enjoy.

But then again, go see it for yourself and let me know what you thought.

Going to bed now so I'm not total zombie girl tomorrow - oops, I mean later today. I must say, though,it's really nice having the coolest boss ever...just in case I DO end up being a tad late... :]

Vixy :]