I Am Legend (2007) [Blu-ray] Rated:  PG-13  Starring: Will Smith, Alice Braga, Dash Mihok. Director: Francis Lawrence Genre: Drama | Sci-Fi | Thriller DVD Release Date: 03/18/2008 The last man on earth is not alone. Will Smith portrays that lone survivor in I Am Legend, the action epic fusing heart pounding excitement with a mind blowing vision of a desolated Manhattan. Somehow immune to an unstoppable, incurable virus, military virologist Robert Neville (Smith) is now the last human survivor in New York City and maybe the world. But he is not alone. Mutant plague victims lurk in the shadows...watching Neville's every move...waiting for him to make a fatal mistake. Perhaps mankind's last, best hope, Neville is driven by only one remaining mission: to find an antidote using his own immune blood. But he knows he is outnumbered...and quickly running out of time. Storyline: Robert Neville is a scientist who was unable to stop the spread of the terrible virus that was incurable and man-made. Immune, Neville is now the last human survivor in what is left of New York City and perhaps the world. For three years, Neville has faithfully sent out daily radio messages, desperate to find any other survivors who might be out there. But he is not alone. Mutant victims of the plague -- The Infected -- lurk in the shadows... watching Neville's every move... waiting for him to make a fatal mistake. Perhaps mankind's last, best hope, Neville is driven by only one remaining mission: to find a way to reverse the effects of the virus using his own immune blood. But he knows he is outnumbered... and quickly running out of time. Written by Warner Bros. Pictures Reviewer's Note: Reviewed by Martin Liebman on March 18, 2008 -- My name is Robert Neville. I am a survivor in New York City...If there is anybody out there, anybody, please...you are not alone. --- Director Francis Lawrence's I Am Legend represents a new entry into the annals of the small but wonderful list of post-apocalyptic films, a genre boasting classics such as The Road Warrior and 28 Days Later. This genre has always held a remarkable fascination as perhaps the greatest "what if?" question ever posed to moviegoers. I Am Legend is a retelling of the novel of the same title written in 1954 by Richard Matheson, writer of both the Twilight Zone TV episode and the movie segment, "Nightmare at 20,000 Feet." The book has seen several movie renditions, including Vincent Price's brilliant film Last Man On Earth (1964) and Charleton Heston's solid yet unspectacular The Omega Man (1971). I Am Legend is similar to Matheson's work in name and basic plot only. It's an updated version of the story that works remarkably well as an effective thriller and action film with a message of the role of fate and harmony in even the bleakest of circumstances. Dr. Robert Neville hunts his next meal in post-apocalyptic New York City. Will Smith (I, Robot) stars as Dr. Robert Neville, a military scientist who finds himself alone in New York City some 1,000 days after a virus emanating from a potential cancer cure miracle drug devastates the city and the world. Neville struggles along, his only companion a dog named Sam, and continues with his work of searching for a cure to the infection. Neville finally discovers what may be a breakthrough and ventures out to find an infected human subject for further analysis of the drug. At this point, the film switches gears, focusing more on action rather than the slow and deliberate introduction to the lonely world of Dr. Neville, portraying him hunting medium sized game for food in a deserted downtown New York City and following him as he copes with the reality of being alone as he talks to mannequins and continues to borrow and return films to the video store. Once the action picks up, Neville's life will forever change in mere hours as issues he has avoided for more than three years spring up one after another. The film concludes with a fine interweaving of several seemingly minor plot points introduced throughout the film, revealing the importance of faith, belief, and the human spirit in even the most adverse and hopeless of situations. Will Smith turns in what is undoubtedly one of the finest performances of his career as a man coping as well as he can with the situation presented to him. He keeps up a cool exterior, one that is superficial only, hiding the fear, anger, and anguish he feels underneath. His back story is told in flashbacks, leading to a scene that scars him for life and leaves the audience shocked to say the least. Smith plays the role so well that audiences may forget that he really isn't the last man alive. His interactions with his dog provide his only means of maintaing a sense of companionship, though he tries his hardest to speak with mannequins to no avail. Perhaps his best scene in the film features Neville reciting a scene from the movie Shrek verbatim, doing so with a lifeless stare into nothingness, obviously having watched the film so many times that the characters in it, like Sam, have become his friends over the years. Smith was perfectly cast for this film, and while his performance isn't the kind those who choose the Oscars look for when picking candidates, he nevertheless far exceeds his job description, seemingly living his role rather than acting it. I Am Legend proves to be fine entertainment that works because it forces the viewer into Neville's shoes as audiences ask themselves how they would handle such a crisis situation. It definitely proves to be food for thought and may be even a wake-up call to those who may find themselves completely unprepared for such a drastic circumstance. As a film, I Am Legend builds on several "legendary" cinematic themes as hints of the zombie, vampire, disease, and post-apocalyptic genres work their way into the story. The film is perhaps closest in nature to the aforementioned 28 Days Later as the story of a deadly virus that spread quickly through society, destroying whole civilizations in mere days. I Am Legend isn't quite as good as Danny Boyle's breakthrough film, but it certainly matches it for pace and intensity. Both films faltered slightly in the third act, but both redeem themselves in the last minutes of the movie with a sense of hope after ninety minutes of despair. I Am Legend is a winner, and movie lovers will undoubtedly be pleased with this modern adaptation of a horror classic. Needless to say, I Am Legend was one of my favorite films of last year, and is certainly one of the better Blu-ray discs currently available. Will Smith and Blu-ray seem to go together like peanut butter and jelly, a natural fit, and his films released on the format this month (including the aforementioned Independence Day and I, Robot) represent what Blu-ray is all about. This disc offers exceptional video and audio quality, as well as a set of supplements that are good, but left me wanting a whole lot more. Still, I've never been one to let a lack of supplements keep me from recommending a film, and I Am Legend is definitely one I think anyone who has an interest in science, action, population-eradicating virus, zombie, vampire, or post-apocalyptic films will enjoy a great deal. To those Blu-ray fans who feel a film such as this is right up their alley, as it is mine, I strongly and very highly recommend I Am Legend on Blu-ray. Cast Notes: Will Smith (Robert Neville), Alice Braga (Anna), Charlie Tahan (Ethan), Salli Richardson-Whitfield (Zoe Neville [as Salli Richardson]), Willow Smith (Marley Neville), Darrell Foster (Mike - Military Escort), April Grace (TV Personality), Dash Mihok (Alpha Male), Joanna Numata (Alpha Female), Abbey (Sam), Kona (Sam), Samuel Glen (Military Driver - Jay), James Michael McCauley (Male Evacuee [as James McCauley]), Marin Ireland (Woman Evacuee), Pedro Mojica (Sergeant). User Comment: *** This review may contain spoilers *** leoncielo from United States, 15 December 2007 • Normally I have an opinion on a movie when it's over, I can reflect on it for a few minutes and then I'm done with. It becomes cataloged in my brain as 'awesome' 'pretty good' 'worst.movie.ever.' or a host of other standard issue classifications. Not so with 'I Am Legend.' I can't recall the last time I was this frustrated by a movie. It had so much potential to be so great, and then just fell apart in the last third of the movie with every summer blockbuster/zombie movie cliché known to man, run one after the other. The movie creates a fantastic atmosphere of post-apocalyptic New York and requires your patience as Will Smith's character begins to unravel as the monsters around him begin to become more aggressive and intelligent. Before heading out to see the movie, I did some research on the book the movie is based on and the reason it is such a well known classic story is because of the twists, perspectives and grim ending. What you find out towards the book is that Neville really is the last man on Earth, and the rest of society are now these zombie/vampires, and Neville's ability to walk around in the daylight and kill them has basically made him the monster. He is the one feared by them, he is the villain, and they will stop at nothing to eradicate this day walker who preys on them. Keeping that in mind, I was super impressed by how the movie seemed to be heading in that direction with that head Zombie guy's heated animosity towards Neville as if it were personal (and perhaps the zombie Neville captured were his significant other, thus lending the zombies an actual 'society), and not merely 'meee hungry for flesh.' The movie basically went right down the tubes when Will Smith decided after he had to kill his dog that he was going to go on a suicide mission at the docks playing Destruction Derby with his Explorer. All of the haunting, edge-of-your-seat suspense and fear created brilliantly with the scene in the abandoned bank, and with the zombie dogs clamoring for the last sliver of daylight to cede, and creepy subtle atmospheric effects throughout went right out the darn window and we suddenly found ourselves in '28 Days Later.' With some random chick coming out of nowhere to somehow scare off 100 angry zombies (who had just blown his UV truck to hell mind you; but apparently she had outfitted a better one than an incredibly resourceful Military Soldier/Scientist), carry Will Smith, who weighs twice as much as her, into her car, and somehow drive them to safety. So we find ourselves in an incredibly uncomfortable scenario with the Brazilian chick and her creepy Columbine son, and some Bob Marley metaphors laid on top of terrible dialog. Then, instead of a suspense-ridden in-the-dark atmospheric climax, with heavy breathing, flashes of gore, heart pounding scene, we're left with cheesy CG explosions, zombies body slamming people, no one keeping a gun on them when there's about 50 scattered across the house, and other usual stupid horror/action movie miss-steps. We finally find ourselves with Neville, back against the wall, Zombie leader separated from Smith's neck by a rapidly deteriorating inch of glass and I'm hoping the movie will be somehow salvaged with a great twist, a grim conclusion, or at worst, a convoluted piece of foreshadowing from the first twenty minutes of the movie being pulled out of the scriptwriters pie hole to be played out here. (I personally thought he could have awakened the zombie girl he was curing and seen if the reaction of the intelligent zombie would have caused a reaction, or if some communication could have been made between Neville and his antagonist who at this point we've come to realize is moderately intelligent). I'm an idiot for expecting anything but 'yo, hide in the chimney while i blow myself up.' Don't even get me started on the Utopian Vermont safe-haven, seriously. You're going to tell me 1 million zombies couldn't overrun some 20 foot walls spanning what would approximate 2 miles of land? Christ. I could have written a better ending in 20 minutes on the back of a cocktail napkin. Summary: I Am Legend: The Movie With So Much Potential That Was Ruined. IMDb Rating (11/26/10): 7.1/10 from 156,840 users Additional information Copyright:  2007,  Warner Bros. Features:  • Alternate Theatrical Version With Controversial Ending • Creating I Am Legend Minidocumentary Gallery • Cautionary Tale: The Science Of I Am Legend • 4 Awesome Animated Comics: Death As A Gift, Isolation, Sacrificing The Few For The Many, Shelter Subtitles:  English SDH, English, French, Spanish Video:  Widescreen 2.40:1 Color Screen Resolution: 1080p Original aspect ratio: 2.39:1 Audio:  ENGLISH: Dolby Digital 5.1 ENGLISH: Dolby TrueHD 5.1 SPANISH: Dolby Digital 5.1 FRENCH: Dolby Digital 5.1 Time:  1:40 DVD:  # Discs: 1 -- # Shows: 1 UPC:  085391176350 Coding:  [V5.0-A5.0] MPEG-4 AVC D-Box:  Yes Other:  Producers: Akiva Goldsman, Neal H Moritz, David Heyman, James Lassiter, Erwin Stoff; Directors: Francis Lawrence; Writers: Akiva Goldsman, Mark Protosevich; running time of 100 minutes; Packaging: HD Case.