Movie Review: I Am Legend

I went to see I Am Legend in the cinema last night with Valpot and Pinky. For those of you who don't know the plot, it revolves around Robert Neville (Will Smith) who is the last 'normal' human survivor in a world full of mutated, blood thirsty vampires. You all probably know that I am passionate about the novel of the same name written by Richard Matheson. To my mind, it is one of the best horror novels ever written. Its gritty intimate descriptions of Neville's life after the vampire Apocalypse are so realistic and scary, it really makes you think - how would I behave in that situation? and, if the everyone turned into monsters tomorrow, what would get you out of bed in the morning? The movie is so different from the book it would be unfair to compare them, so I will try to judge it as a stand alone piece. Will Smith is EXCELLENT in I Am Legend. As a lot of other reviewers have stated, the first half of the movie is brilliant and is carried by Smith single handed. Unfortunately, when I saw it in the cinema, it was so crowded I could only get seats in the first three rows that were so close to the screen I could count every hair in Will's permanently stubbly chin, yet even this did not distract from the tension and the pathos of seeing Neville roaming through a dead, over grown New York. The second half, when the ridiculous CGI vampire/zombies are introduced (I am not against CGI, I love CGI, but BAD CGI I HATE!) weakens the entire premise of the film and it gradually goes down hill from there. I would love to give this movie an 8 or a 9 out of 10. Will Smith is amazing, the dog who acts with him is fantastic, the scenes of New York are incredible, the direction is adequate and obviously a lot of money has been thrown at this movie. However, there are so many plot holes, inconsistencies and repetitions of hackneyed monster cliches from other movies that, book aside, I can only award it a generous 5/10 (if I were comparing it to the book, it would only get 2/10). Don't get me wrong, I really enjoyed it. I was pulled along for the thrill ride the entire 101 minutes, but afterwards I was left with a lot of questions. 'Why did they do that? How was this possible? It doesn't make sense that? Didn't they say this and then that happened?' Go to I Am Legend, enjoy it, but don't expect a satisfying meal of a movie that will stay with you for a long time afterwards. It is more like a bag of crisps. Delicious at the time, but ultimately unsatisfying.