Tonight we're watching I Am Legend, a big budget, action flick starring Will Smith from Warner Brothers
I Am Legend (2007)
I Am Legend is set in New York City and humanity has been wiped out by a virus. We meet one of the few survivors Robert Neville (Will Smith) and his dog as they wander around an empty New York City.
Buildings are crumbling, the streets are taken over by wildlife and the asphalt is broken up by new growth.
We find out that Robert Neville was a Army virologist working on a cure. Flashbacks tell the strory of what happened to his wife, Zoe (Salli Richardson-Whitfield), daughter Marley (Willow Smith), and the rest of humanity.
He know spends his time exploring New York City with his dog; hunting, gathering dry goods, and sending out a daily radio broadcast.
Desperately looking for other survivors while trying to find a cure.
In many ways, it's a quiet film. Neville is a man of routine and structure desperately trying to use his scientific skills to cure the virus.
The monsters are called darkseekers, and they are rabid, mutated, humans. From the fandom wiki:
The Krippin Virus was genetically engineered from the Measles virus by Dr. Alice Krippin as a cure for cancer. KV at first appeared to be effective with no side-effects, but over time, the virus began to mutate and cause rabies-like symptoms in its hosts.
Although not technically zombies since they haven't died and they are frighteningly intelligent, they feel like zombies. They look rotten; they chase and feast on the humans that remain; and spread their sickness through their bite. I tagged this a zombie movie. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
Anna (Alice Braga) and Ethan (Charlie Tahan) show up just in time to save Neville from the monsters, and more importantly, himself.
Smith is on the screen solo for a huge chunk of the movie and in my opinion, does an amazing job.
This movie passes the Bechdel test -- despite the sparse screen time of the rest of the cast.
Don't get me wrong, there is plenty of suspense, lots of thrills, explosions, and drama as is expected froma. big budget, Will Smith action flick.
I did NOT know until this re-watching that there are two distinct endings.
This is one of a few movies on the list inspired by a 1954 post-apocalyptic horror novel, also called I Am Legend, by American writer Richard Matheson. I haven't read it, but have put it on my Amazon wishlist.
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Let me know what I should add to my ever growing list either on social media or email me here. For now I'm sticking with movies -- theatrical releases, straight to DVD, or TV movies. #quarantinecinema
Watch it today
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