I Am Legend (2007)

Years after a plague kills most of humanity and transforms the rest into monsters, the sole survivor in New York City struggles valiantly to find a cure.

Director:

Francis Lawrence

Writers:

Mark Protosevich (screenplay), Akiva Goldsman (screenplay),

Stars:

Will Smith, Alice Braga, Charlie Tahan

9 wins & 18 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
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 McCauley	...	Male Evacuee
Marin Ireland	...	Woman Evacuee
Pedro Mojica	...	Sergeant

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.

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Plot Keywords:

survivor | cure | new york city | virus | scientist | 

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Taglines:

Welcome to earth. Population 1.

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Genres:

Drama | Sci-Fi | Thriller

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG-13 for intense sequences of sci-fi action and violence

Details

Official Sites:

Official site [br] Warner Bros [fr]

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

14 December 2007 (USA)

Also Known As:

I Am Legend: The IMAX Experience

Filming Locations:

Brooklyn Bridge, New York City, New York, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$150,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend:

£11,009,365 (UK) (28 December 2007)

Gross:

$256,386,216 (USA) (4 April 2008)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Warner Bros, Village Roadshow Pictures, Weed Road Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

101 min 104 min (Alternate ending)

Sound Mix:

SDDS Dolby Digital DTS

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

There are references to butterflies scattered throughout the movie: the "God Still Loves Us" poster; when Neville was talking to Sam about the mannequin he met in the video store a butterfly is shown flying near Sam's face for about a second; at the ending the Dark Seeker makes cracks in the glass that represent a butterfly; Neville hearing "Daddy, its a butterfly!" (a quote from his dead daughter); Anna has a butterfly tattoo on her neck.

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Goofs

After his first swing, we can clearly see only 3 balls remain on the SR-71, and they're immediately beside the dog. But when the shot reverses, he hits another without resetting a ball, or taking a step forward, or disturbing the dog.

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Quotes

[first lines]
TV Personality: The world of medicine has seen its share of miracle cures, from the polio vaccine to heart transplants. But all past achievements may pale in comparison to the work of Dr. Alice Krippin. Thank you so much for joining us this morning.
Dr. Alice Krippin: Not at all.
TV Personality: So, Dr. Krippin, give it to me in a nutshell.
Dr. Alice Krippin: Well, the premise is quite simple - um, take something designed by nature and reprogram it to make it work for the body rather than against it.
TV Personality: You're talking about a virus?
Dr. Alice Krippin: Indeed, yes. In this...
[...]

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Crazy Credits

The title doesn't appear on screen until several minutes into the film.

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Connections

References American History X (1998)

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Soundtracks

"I Shot the Sheriff"
Written by Bob Marley
Sung by Will Smith (uncredited)

User Reviews

A missed opportunity

Let's get the obvious stuff out of the way - Will Smith is excellent, as usual. The scenes of an abandoned New York are amazing, in much the same way as the shots of a deserted London in 28 Days Later.

Now on to the disappointing stuff - the CGI work throughout the film is terrible. 14 years after Jurassic Park, and this is seriously the best they could do? I could live with the CGI animals, but the CGI 'infected' are just beyond belief. They all look the same, they all behave in ways that are clearly opposed to the laws of physics, and they all look as though they've stepped out of a cartoon or a computer game.

It's hard to overstate just how unconvincing the CGI work is; about half-way through the film stops being 'real' and turns into an absurd mix of the real world and sub-par animation. It's more 'Mary Poppins' than '28 Days Later'.

Real people with prosthetics would have made a much greater impact, and may have added some genuine thrills into what is otherwise a fairly dull film.

The ending - and I won't use any spoilers - is very weak. Ultimately, 'I Am Legend' is a wasted opportunity; worth watching, but only just.