I am Legend- Not your deja vu horror movie

Title: I am legend
Cast: Will Smith, Will Smith, Will Smith and others....
Director: Francis Lawrence
Story: Robert Neville, a military scientist is the lone survivor of a disease that has wiped a whole world of people and changed many of them into blood thirsty creatures. He races against time to find a cure to this disease.
Bottomline: Heralding a new variant of horror movies.

"I am legend" could have easily have been a typical zombie-ridden horror movies with a lot of blood and gore thrown in, on the lines of movies like the "Resident Evil". But surprisingly it turns out to be a much more realistic and sensitive story, contrary to what it seems to offer to viewers. So if you are expecting (or hoping) to see Will Smith wielding 4 feet long guns and blasting zombies to smithereens, then you would better tear up that movie ticket in your hands. On the other hand, if you are willing put on your brains to watch this movie, you might be pleasantly surprised and impressed by the innovative treatment of this genre, which is more sensitive and less in-your- face action.
The movie is about the daily life of a military scientist Robert Neville (Will Smith), who is the lone survivor of a pandemic on earth. The movie chronicles his struggle to find a cure for this disease and save the world. He also has to save himself from blood-thirsty, nocturnal creatures that this disease has created out of humans.
Essentially a semi-horror plot, but this movie has a heart in it in the form of Will Smith who lends immense credibility to his part and the plot. It is a movie which revolves around him and only him. The actor has single-handedly carried this movie on his shoulders. Emoting alone is never easy, but Smith impresses. His role draws a fine line between sanity and insanity without overindulging in both. The scene where he goes in search of his dog in a dark building filled with zombies has to be appreciated for both its sound editing and Smith’s impeccable handling of the scene. Listen to Smith’s breathing in that scene and how he calls for his dog. A brilliant and memorable sequence!!
Minimum use of dialogues, absence of background score, importance given in many scenes to silence are some contextual high points in this movie. However, the technical aspects especially the CGI employed for the zombies are a let-down. The “virtual zombies” seem hell-bent on disobeying all laws of physics and believability to their roles. The director could have used actors with prosthetic make-up with better results in this regard. If he thought actors wouldn’t have been believable enough, he better watch a screening of the LOTR series in which Peter Jackson used prosthetic make-up on actors portraying as orcs with great results.

HK’s Verdict: Personally a very good movie. But for people going to theatres with preconceived notions, you have been warned. An empty New York is a sight to behold in this movie. How many times do you go to cinema and end up looking at a desolate NYC?
Rating: 7.5/10(Hollywood Standard)