To be fair, director Francis Lawrence is the perfect director for this type of movie because his visual style telegraphs every scare or emotional punchline and ensures that each viewer receives exactly what he or she wants or expects from every moment. But that is also why even as counterprogramming to more serious, meditative fare, I Am Legend is neither refreshing nor rewarding, leading one less to some catharsis or epiphany about our possible future (not to mention our current cinematic options) than the revelation that the third time is decidedly not the charm in adapting author Richard Matheson's iconic story.
Smith plays Robert Neville, a scientist who is evidently the last human on Earth. As we learn in a prologue, humans have discovered a cure for cancer; but flash forward several years and it turns out that the supposed "cure" has either killed those to whom it was administered or turned them into light-fearing, superhuman monsters called Dark Seekers. Spending his days searching for a cure and hunting in the abandoned streets of New York City, Robert is slowly becoming consumed by his isolation. But after he apprehends one of the Dark Seekers, he discovers that he has become part of a dangerous cat and mouse game with the monsters' alpha male (Dash Mihok). As the Dark Seekers close in on him, Robert races to find a cure while trying to regain the humanity he ironically lost in the lonely process of trying to save humankind.
There are really two major problems with I Am Legend -- lackluster special effects and Lawrence's direction. Regardless of the opportunities currently available to filmmakers in terms of creating humanlike creatures, why didn't the filmmakers just get real people to play the Dark Seekers, even for just a few of the key characters? Was it really impossible to find an actress who could suitably pant like a dog on an operating table, or an actor who could stare malevolently at Smith? The fact that the rules are never defined for the creatures -- such as their strength, speed, or most importantly, their hunger for what, blood? Human flesh? -- further undermines the credibility of their existence, and makes them devices for a series of fake scares rather than convincing adversaries for Neville.
Meanwhile, Lawrence's camerawork is virtually identical to that in his previous film Constantine, which itself tried to create suspense or scares with a combination of forced-perspective shots and deafening foley work. Here, he seems to have gained confidence in his unimpressive but serviceable directorial style, filling the film with one calculated shot after another that never shows what will jump out at the camera until the precise moment the story's suspenseful rhythms have become their most conventional. During a recent screening of a particularly bad horror movie, a colleague of mine once pointed out that it is a natural human reaction to jump when one hears an extremely loud noise. Lawrence must have been listening because every shocking moment is punctuated with sound "design" so loud that it is certain to elicit an immediate and visceral reaction, even if it fades just as quickly.
Additionally, there is the question of exactly what the Dark Seekers want from Neville -- just to kill him? To drink his blood? To have him rent adult DVDs for them from the video store he frequents? Their attack on his stronghold produces no answers because it's used as an action sequence rather than an opportunity to fill in some of the blanks, and the film's PG-13 rating prevents any of the action itself to clarify their motives. Not to mention the incongruity between the idea that there is a Dark Seeker "leader," and the fact that his only strategy is to bang his head against shatterproof glass harder than his minions in order to get at his opponent. What is clear, on the other hand, is that there were more creative opportunities that went unexplored than those that were actually tested. If, for example, the Dark Seekers were dying off and needed "last man on Earth" Neville's blood to repopulate their numbers, then there might be some dramatic stakes in the conflict.
As it stands, however, even the climactic showdown never gains any emotional resonance, or in other words it's purely for show. I Am Legend is almost certain to do terrific business, as much for Smith's irresistible presence as the fact that in comparison to what else is out, Lawrence's film is probably the most fun audiences will likely have during this holiday season. But it's also the emptiest and most calculated of efforts, destined to make a dent in the industry's dwindling box office receipts and then be quickly forgotten once the next tentpole picture makes its way into theaters.
In fact, its worst offense may be to pretend as if it's not a "wow" movie, disallowing viewers the enjoyment of being astonished by empty New York streets or the thrilling spectacle of Smith destroying a phalanx of Dark Seekers. Ultimately, there are passing thrills and breathtaking visuals to behold in I Am Legend, but even in the pantheon of films with which it presumes to share company, Lawrence's film will likely be a short-lived legend indeed.
2 out of 5 Stars, 4/10 Score
