I Am Legend (2007)

3 out of 4

Starring: Will Smith, Alice Braga, Salli Richardson, Charlie Tahan, Willow Smith

Director: Francis Lawrence

Time: 101 mins

Viewed: Regal Marlboro 8, New Jersey

Another adaptation of Richard Matheson's well-known, last-man-on-earth story (previous versions include The Omega Man, with Charlton Heston) has Will Smith starring as Robert Neville, a military scientist who is immune to a virus that has wiped out most of the human population and turned the rest into flesh-seeking vampires who only come out at night. Film's eerie atmosphere, plus rare images of a wild, deserted New York City, and several effective, tense scenes combine for some worthwhile entertainment, though one may feel a bit short-changed by the abrupt ending (a more sustained finish, a la James Cameron's Aliens, would have elevated this a notch or two higher) and some shoddy CGI. Smith's despair comes across nicely, and is indicative of this one-time rapper's acting chops.

(c) Joe Wong (14 December 2007)