Film Review #1: I Am Legend

Big budget, apocalypse, Will Smith.  'Nough said.

No, not 'nough said.

Thing is, nearly every recent big-budget film (in my eyes) has been poorly written, composed, etc.  It's depressing.  Thus, I Am Legend cannot simply be summed up as an apocalyptic big-budget blockbuster.  No.  Thing is, I loved the movie.  I may be alone in that view, but it was beautiful.  First off, aesthetics: every shot was fluid and well-composed, tuning in intensity to the action of the moment, the mind of the character of focus, and the scenario that had just played/would immediately play out.  Lighting was altogether quite dynamic, with a coherently decrepit style ranging directly from gold-orange-brown to a grey-blue.  Different hues meant different tones, and towards the end it could get you on edge without your realizing it.  The scenery was brilliant.  I gotta know how they got that location to shoot at at all (center of NYC, c'mon) or if they used CG for it...  Either way, beautiful.  Convincing, unique take on the abandonment of humankind's ventures.  Of course, then, there's Will Smith.  What a boss.  Great choice for that role.  His temperament and internal struggle with delusions to (ironically) keep himself sane amidst a near hell is explored through his gait, perception of the world, voice, and action/living.  The movie in all was suspenseful and, emotionally speaking, fairly dramatic, but more than everything else intriguing.  Great score, too.

Now, if I were to rant about anything in the film, it would be the plot toward the end.  It wasn't in any way bad or poorly written...  But they failed to delve more into other characters.  The mother and son who show up are never quite set up to be relatable, and thus the viewer fails to quite connect as well with them as would be optimal.  Of course, the film wasn't about them, but Will Smith; in my mind, they were an event in his life, and no more.  The film's more about the protagonist's struggle for hope and progress than about them...  And thus, they are simply lost souls he must guard and guide.  He embraces this, obviously, and thus the relationship between the viewer and the mother and son is less so much direct as a loose bind through Will Smith.  There is another little plot inconsistency toward the end, but it isn't really an inconsistency so long as you accept that there was more to the protagonist's setup than met the eye, in the form of escape.  Anyway.  I Am Legend.  A good film, you should watch it.

A not-very-good trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sFNPNT_4Qww