(Review originally written at 12 May 2008)
This is simply a good quality movie to watch but it nevertheless leaves you hungry for more, since the movie its potential and concept screamed for a better and more exciting execution. After all, this movie is about the last man living in New York City, battling a whole bunch of mutant zombie, while trying to find a cure to the virus that almost entirely wiped out mankind. It's basically its potential that still makes this such a fine movie to watch but the movie however is just not as action packed or tense/scary as you would expect beforehand. It does make the movie perhaps a bit of a missed opportunity and it does has some wasted potential in it, which does give you the feeling that the movie is missing something but it fortunately doesn't make this movie any less pleasant to watch.
First of it all, it's absolutely something great to see New York City entirely being overgrown by plants and wild life. It's above all very good and convincing looking and basically this alone is already enough to make "I Am Legend" a real recommendable movie. They did a real good job with it, although this effort apparently went at the expense of some of the movie its other effects. It's a mixed bag really. The one moment the effects are great looking, while the other its totally apparently too fake looking, especially for 2007 standards really.
It's also really a tough movie for Will Smith, since well basically he has no one to play against, except for a dog. Still he knows to carry the movie brilliantly. Leave it up to Will Smith to make a successful blockbuster, which "I Am Legend" really was at its time of release.
It's story gets obviously a bit restrained because, well how much stuff can you come up with for a movie that is being completely set in a large deserted city. They tried to give the story something extra by putting in an occasional flashback sequence but I don't think they were really in the right places and completely necessary for the movie. It probably would had worked out better if there were more and constant flashback sequences in the movie, completely explaining and showing how mankind got almost completely exterminated and everything involving around that. It still sort of gives you the feeling that they could had worked out the script better, also since the movie its ending really isn't completely satisfying (and yes, if seen both different versions of the ending.)
It's one fine big budget quality movie. It's just missing this tiny bit of extra to make this movie a true tense, action packed or completely memorable movie to watch you'll talk about for years to come. Appereantly a sequel is currently in the making, lets hope it will include this extra elements required to make it a real great movie to watch.
7/10
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