I Am Legend (2007)

I caught this movie over the Christmas break with my brother-in-law, and was pretty excited to see it (probably because I was fresh off of a recent zombie movie binge, culminating in Shaun of the Dead). Will Smith delivers a very good performance as Robert Neville, a virologist that witnesses the downfall of the human race as it succombs to a pandemic virus that kills most, and turns the rest into mindless savages. It seems like an unoriginal idea, especially as I think back to 28 Days Later - but in reality, this film is a remake of an older flick with Charlton Heston called The Omega Man. (Haven't seen that one, but I now plan to.)

Despite this being another post-apocalyptic, thinly veiled zombie movie, I was highly entertained. By day Smith hunts and gathers in an eerily vacant Manhattan where trees, grass, and other forest animals have begun reclaiming the city. Those infected with the deadly virus are allergic to sunlight, and thus, every evening, Neville treads back home, puts his house in lock-down and hopes that the zombies don't discover his presence. The acting of Smith is great - reminiscent of Tom Hanks in Castaway. There are some thrills, and great drama as he soon realizes that the infected are a little smarter than he realized, and that there may be survivors other than himself. All the while he struggles to find a cure for the rest of humanity.

Not a flick for the very young or sensitive, as there are some pretty frightening images, but overall a good movie. I recommend this movie to just about everyone, but especially for the sci-fi lovers, and those looking for something interesting, and un-ordinary.