I Am Legend - B+

I AM LEGEND

There are no major spoilers below, but still, read at your own risk. Some people are sensitive to ANY detail given out.
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Okay, it won't go down in my top 10, 20, or 50 movies of all time, but nevertheless, I really enjoyed it. In general, I'm into apocalyptic movies, Will Smith is always entertaining, and well, it was set in NYC! Ever since I lived in NYC, movies and TV shows there are just so much more fun. Especially since almost every inch of that place is so recognizable. I'll be watching Law & Order or something, and exclaim out to Beau, "Hey! See that restaurant! I ate there! Oh, and that's my subway! Oh, and and..."

I was living in NYC when "The Day After Tomorrow" came out, another apocalyptical flick regarding a new ice age, and seeing those enormous waves descend upon the Big Apple was truly terrifying. It wasn't just, "Wow, look at those waves destroy NYC," It was "Holy shit, that's where I WORK!" I guess even after you leave a place like NYC, you still feel like a part of it (something I'm sure present NYers themselves would vehemently protest against. They are such survivors, you know!)

AN-Y-WAY, the movie was a lot of fun, and intense in such a way that my heart felt clenched throughout its entirety. Anytime you have sprinting zombies/vampires, it's nails-dug-into-jeans time. Will Smith, alone on Manhattan island, desperately searching for a cure for this medical miracle gone wrong, is a tragic hero, and TRULY conveys the loneliness and heartbreak that goes along with his self-imposed exile. Throughout the film, you put yourself in his place and imagine how you would face each day, what you would do (still can't believe he so HONESTLY returned those cd's every morning. Pffff).

POSSIBLE SPOILERS IN NEXT COUPLE PARAGRAPHS:

Yes, it's true, there are some MAJOR plot problems that nag at you, even while you are watching the film, and which I thought could have easily and quickly been "take care of" by a line here or there. Just minutes after the film, Beau and I were discussing the one that Jera mentions, regarding Will Smith's final "evaluation" of the monsters. But I think, strangely enough, what bugged me the most was purely a logistical plot hole having to do with transportation. Without giving too much away, let's remember that Manhattan is an island with all bridges destroyed. Now, if we think about traveling onto and off of this island...that part in itself really irked me.

To be fair though, some of those problems could also be rationalized out in your own mind - I read Roger Ebert's review and something he pointed out as a contradiction, in my opinion, wasn't at all (Will Smith's reason for searching for a cure). Will Smiths' character, Robert Neville, plainly states, on more than one occasion, that he truly believes he should (morally) and can (scientifically) "fix" the problem - find a cure. He feels so responsible (though it is not clear why HE does) for the devastation, and also probably due to guilt that he is one of the rare "immune" cases, that he absolutely must be the one to stop it all.

Lastly, a big shout out to the lovely and loyal German Shepard, "Sam." I admit, as an animal lover, I'm a sucker for any movie with the dog companion. "Dog" in The Road Warrior, Maximus' German Shepard in Gladiator, etc. Sam was a wonderful part of the movie, and not a bad actress!

If you can deal with a few plot icks in a film, then I definitely think you should go see I Am Legend. It's a treat.