I Am Legend

Here is the other perspective on the MyFilmVault class trip to see Will Smith's latest. Well, not so much another perspective as we almost agree entirely.

I had heard reviews saying that the first hour or so of I Am Legend are brilliant and the last half hour ropey. And, as my colleague says, that is absolutely spot on. I do not generally find myself in agreement with the film-reviewing community, and I'm not sure my colleague does either, but this time it is hard not to agree.

The first hour is brilliant, A grade, material. Smith is good, the atmosphere is taught and gripping, the post-apocalyptic New York looks visually stunning, and the character of Robert Neville is very well developed indeed. As in Cast Away, a non-human character is used to excellent effect and is a central part of the film's best scene. Unfortunately, this best scene also signals the film's turning point.

The last half hour is ropey, and it is possibly even ropier if I have misunderstood part of the ending (which I won't spoil), but I'll give the film the benefit of the doubt. God comes into it very unnecessarily and the whole chance/fate/free will thing is dealt with pretty poorly. It is handled much better and much more effectively, for example, in the excellent and underrated Signs.

I would go a couple of steps further than my colleague and say that the CGI monsters are pretty damn terrible and unconvincing, which doesn't help when you're on fictitous sci-fi territory anyway. Monsters need to convince if they are to frighten. It felt like all of the budget went on making New York look as good as it does and a few quid went on the mutants. Disappointing.

However, the good bits outweigh the flaws and it is, to be honest, worth watching for the first hour alone, an excellent and, at times, very moving character study on the themes of loneliness, isolation and tragedy. So, therefore, it is fully worthy of a

B