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Sunday, February 3, 2008

I am Legend - Zombie knock off or truly legendary?


This is really an expensive zombie movie, without any real zombies in it, starring Will Smith. It starts out very promisingly with Dr Robert Neville (Will Smith) appearing to be the last man in the world. I mean how cool is that? At first he's doing what any normal guy would be doing - driving around in a fast car, toting a big gun, trying to shoot some animals, flipping through every porn magazine he can lay his hands on and a lot of Wanking. However, director Francis Lawrence seems to have left the latter two out.

For the first bit of the movie you are in awe. You get sucked into his lonely and intriguing world. Then the flashbacks start and you begin to think - oh f**k, these people are not dead, they could possibly be mutants. And then, it's bye bye 'I am Legend' and hello zombie movie. I don't mind a good zombie yarn, but it is so hard to digest CGI zombies that act like rabid animals ala Dick Cheney. Where is George Romero when you really need him. I was expecting Dr Neville to cure the female zombie he'd captured and turn her into a scantily clad kick-ass side kick to offer the teenage male viewers some respite. Sadly, this did not come to pass.

The Good- First 10 minutes is truly awesome. The scene where the zombies set the trap for Dr Neville is really haunting. His faithful dog is also a plus point.

The Bad- The zombies lay a beautiful trap for Dr Neville after learning by seeing him trap one of their own. This shows that the zombies are intelligent and that they posses cunning. So it's a pity this wasn't explored any further, and the zombies are portrayed as vicious, instinct driven animals. Why aren't they cannibalizing each other if they are so damn hungry? Does a zombie deer eat grass or other deer?

And the Ugly- CGI Zombies. They have no character and frankly, look really corny.

Alternative movies - Shawn of the Dead, Resident Evil, 28 Weeks.