I Am Legend
Will Smith, Alice Braga, Dash Mihok and Charlie Tahan
Directors: Francis Lawrence
101 Minutes
Warner Brothers
2007
Rating: MA15+

Loosely based on the novel by Richard Matheson, this unique, unsettling film is set in New York City, where the population has apparently been reduced to one due to a cancer cure gone wrong. The narrative follows the life of Robert Neville (Will Smith), a military scientist who is obviously immune to the virus.

We are first introduced to Neville driving through the city streets of New York, hunting for presumably his dinner as the tightly woven narrative reveals his lonely but nonetheless regimental and disciplined life. He is vigilant in his efforts to find a cure to the disease which has wiped out the rest of humanity. He also faithfully broadcasts a message on the radio everyday, offering assistance to any other survivors and instructing them to meet him on a pier at midday, "when the sun is highest in the sky", evidently not having lost all hope.

Despite the story being focused on one man and his dog, it is nonetheless very engaging. Smith (I, Robot, Bad Boys) plays his role with conviction and at times with his usual flair. Along with Andrew Lesnie's cinematography (The Lord Of The Rings trilogy) and Wayne Wahrman's editing (U-571), the very balanced combination of hand-held and the more convention shots as well as very effective contrast between light and dark adds to the tension and drama. Dispersed throughout the narrative are a few flashback sequences which shed some light on the 'present' and while it provides the audience with some 'relief' to Neville's 'current' situation, it does not in anyway relieve the tension of the unnerving circumstances. The sound design and editing is also worthy of mention; the near silence with the subtle 'natural' noise is very effective as well as strange sounds which can be heard at night.

Ironically, when Neville finally meets another two human beings, a young woman named Anna (Alice Braga) and a boy named Ethan (Charlie Tahan), he is unable to deal with the presence of other people. Also ironic is that the drama and tension breaks down after the said meeting, although there is a subtle feeling of surrealism which one cannot shake after seeing Neville living alone for such a long time. Surprisingly, there is also the enduring question of the apparent incompatibility of the existence of God and (human) suffering. Anna is (presumably) a devout Catholic, and in an effort to explain to Neville the divine providence which has led her to him, Neville earnestly asks the said question. While he is obviously angry and struggling with this problem, it appears he is partly in denial since he answers his own question - that the virus is manmade after all. The treatment of the problem of suffering is brief and even a little banal but nonetheless fitting and satisfying.

If there are to be criticisms, it would be the loss of the tension once Neville meets Anna and Ethan. The other would be the quality of the CG. It was probably impractical to do some of the elements any other way but the CG work could have been a little more photorealistic. Still, I Am Legend is an interesting and entertaining film and can be treated lightly or a little more deeply. It has its moments of suspense and is one of the more compelling films in recent years. The narrative is tight and engaging, and there is generally enough tension and drama to really draw the audience into Neville's world. Definitely worth seeing.