Reviewed by Johnny McNair 

Warner Home Video – 104 minutes – 2007 – Unrated – 1080p Widescreen 2.35:1 – Dolby TrueHD 5.1 Audio Mix

The novel I Am Legend, which was written over fifty years ago by author Richard Matheson has had quite a life cycle. It was first adapted as a movie in 1964 with Vincent Price using the title The Last Man on Earth, and the again in the 70’s with Charleston Heston under the title The Omega Man. Well being that Hollywood loves remakes, Matheson’s novel has come to life again, originally planned as a big budget Arnold Schwarzenegger film, the script was re-tinkered for the current box office champ, Will Smith, and given back it’s original title, I Am Legend. It became one of the biggest box office hits of 2007 and is now available on Blu-ray from Warner Home Video.

THE MOVIE

This film should have been called the I Am Will Smith, because he literally carries the entire movie. With the exception of the end and various flashback scenes, Smith is the only actor in the movie playing Dr. Robert Neville, a scientist who specializes in deadly viruses, who becomes the only living survivor of a bacteria that has wiped out humanity, which he is immune to, and the only others remaining are mutant creatures who come out at night to hunt for flesh called the dark seekers.

Neville has the entire island of Manhattan all to himself, where he and his loyal dog, race through the decaying streets of the city during the day in a cool Mustang, and then locks himself inside his home at night clutching a high-powered rifle to protect himself from the dark seekers. He constantly sends out radio messages hoping that someone else who has survived will arrive, while at the same time struggling to find a cure for the virus. Finally someone does arrive, a young woman and a little boy, who are trying to make their way to a camp where it’s assumed that other survivors like them are holding out. But Neville has a bigger problem on his hand because the mutant woman he holds captive in his home to perform experiments on is the wife of the mutant leader, who is desperately trying to find her. When Neville’s location is found by the mutants, their leader launches an all out attack in hopes of getting her back, pitting him against Neville face-to-face.

Director Frances Lawrence has delivered a good popcorn movie that as long as you don’t take it very seriously is very entertaining. Will Smith does a good job with his role and you do feel his sense of loneliness. Not many actors can keep a movie going with a solo performance, but Smith does his best with the material. New York City has been the backdrop for many post-apocalyptic movies, but it just looked too neat at times. It would have been more effective if corpses and skeletal remains were everywhere and there was much more destroyed scenery. Most would actually not mind being in this vision of Manhattan and having the place to themselves. I’m a New Yorker and I can testify that on most nights in the lower village it already looks like mutants are roaming around, so it would have been interesting if the city had a different look.

This Blu-ray gives you the option of watching both the theatrical as well as the director’s cut with an alternative ending. It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out what the difference is. In the theatrical version Neville dies…in the alternative version he lives. Everybody has already seen the alternative ending online by now, so no spoilers are being revealed. I actually preferred the alternative ending because I felt that when Neville died at the end of the theatrical version it was an easy way out to conclude the story. This new ending has more of an impact because it’s saying something about humanity instead of just ending with cliché big explosion.

I Am Legend is not perfect, but it does successfully breathe life in a fifty year old story; and even though it plays it safe and avoids taking risk in terms of story, there are many good moments. It’ll probably be another two decades before there is another remake of I Am Legend, so until then this will have to suffice. Word of advice to whoever holds the rights then, how about the last woman on earth? The guys have already had three tries at it.

VIDEO

I Am Legend is one of the best looking Blu-ray movies you’re going to find, hands down. Presented in a 2.35:1 aspect ratio in 1080p, colors, skin tones and dark scenes all flow evenly and look superb. The image is so sharp that during close-ups you can see the grey hairs in Will Smith’s beard. If you get a chance to check out the standard DVD, you’ll see the differences between the two instantly. Probably the only problem with the transfer is that the image quality is so good that you can see how bad the CGI effects look. Instead of looking photo-realistic, the mutants look like cartoon characters. Just look at the final scene when they mutants attack Neville’s house; it looks like a videogame cut scene. But despite that minor issue, I Am Legend is complete HD show off material to tease the naysayers.

AUDIO

Like with its picture quality, I Am Legend scores another home run in the sound department, offering a TrueHD 5.1 surround sound mix. This will blow your speakers off, especially during the action scenes, such as when Neville is trying to find his dog that has wondered in a dark abandoned building and he has to rely on sound to find him. Another standout audio scene is the flashback where Neville is trying to get his family out of the city. The sounds of the sirens, helicopters, and screaming crowds will make you feel like you’re right in the scene. And when you hear the mutant’s shrieks as they attack, that’s the icing on the cake. If you’ve got a good sound system, and your neighbors won’t complain, crank this one up full volume and enjoy.

EXTRAS

Unfortunately, there is no audio commentary track offered in the extras, but there’s a decent making of feature and you’re getting two versions of the movie.

“Creating I Am Legend” is just about an hour long and goes deep into the making of the movie, featuring interviews with Will Smith, director Frances Lawrence, screenwriter Akiva Goldsmith. There’s a lot of good stuff in here looking at everything from updated the book for today’s audience, converting NYC into an apocalyptic dead zone, and creature design. This is an interesting documentary that should satisfy those who enjoyed the film.

“Cautionary Tale: The Science of I Am Legend” is a 20 minute that looks at the science behind the virus presented in the film. Real doctors and scientist are interviewed talking about the possibility of something like this occurring and what the aftermath would be on the planet. This plays out like a science channel special, and is set up to make what was in the film more terrifying. It’s worth a look, but you’ll find better info about all these scary viruses on the Internet.

There are four animated shorts that all together run 20 minutes; Shelter, Death as a Gift, Sacrificing the Few for the Many and Isolation are tales that relate to the virus wiping out humanity and a look at other survivors dealing with the aftermath. These shorts are well done, and interesting in an alternative way.

BOTTOM LINE

This is a movie that every Blu-ray owner will buy no matter what, because the type of entertainment that the format was designed for. It has an excellent picture and great sound, and having two versions of the film on one disc seals the deal. There could have been more extras offered, such as an audio commentary, but overall it’s a good package that will make you feel like you’ve got your money’s worth. This one is a keeper.

SCORES (Out of 5):

The Movie: 4.5

Video: 4.5

Sound: 4.5

Extras: 4.0

Bottom Line: 4.5