I Am Legend

This is surprisingly good, although I must take genre fans’ word on it that it steals a bit from recent zombie successes like 28 Days Later. Reasonably sophisticated, well-paced, and only occasionally marred by cornball touches (including the silly ending, tacked-on ‘message,’ and revised explanation for the title — I haven’t read the source material, but from what I gather about it on the IMDb boards parts of it seem a bit more interesting than this interpretation of it).

Will Smith is really the story here, and I don’t know how many times we have to rediscover what a talent he is before he ceases to be an underrated actor (perhaps when he moves on from films like this). He brings just the right measure of caution and nerve to a man slowly being driven insane by the weight of being alone in the world, hiding from vampire/zombies every day, and trying to restore the human race. His performance is actually quite affecting, rising above tired dialogue and routine situations.

I went to see this with my brother, in his second viewing and on his glowing recommendation. Well, needless to say there is not much intersection between my taste in film and his, but I was very interested when he said one moment in the movie made him sob. I cry very easily at movies. If he sobbed, I expected a four-hanky affair for me. Well, the moment came and went; my brother was sniffling again next to me and studying my reaction; I think he was stupefied when I didn’t shed a tear. The moment (if you’ve seen it, I’m sure you know what I mean) was sad, but it was so… unearned, you know what I mean? And I know there’s a sophistication process involved in looking beyond modern Hollywood that my brother hasn’t gone through, but I just wonder how so many people can see those cues and give the asked-for emotional response without anything real or earned underlying it. Are audiences too willing, or in this case does one just not want to see bad things happen to Will Smith; is it just a guy and his dog thing? I mean, the movie genuinely scared me because there were unexpected loud noises and things jumping out at me. All right. But I can’t return an honest emotional response given such an empty investment.