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To Watch or Not to Watch? Definitely Watch!

Qualified: If you are old enough and if you like a good scary movie…

My Background: I’m a working mom and I Lu-UVE to go to the movies.  My budget doesn’t love it so much though so I try to be a little discriminating. So…most any movie that I’ve actually seen and would review here is either going to be something that I liked, liked the idea of going into it or went to in order to satisfy my husbands or my daughter’s curiosity.  

I have to admit that I Am Legend was mostly my husband’s choice but I was a tiny bit curious myself. It only seems fair to say *SPOILER ALERT* at this point because I don’t know what some people will consider a spoiler and some people won’t and my writing is probably jumbled enough it won’t follow sequentially what you’d expect and may end up giving away somethign that came later.  So, again * SPOILER ALERT* - read anything below at your own risk if you haven’t seen the movie yet.

What to start with?  Will Smith? The lack of music? The suspense? The Dark Seekers? Ooh the choices!  I guess what I’ve suggested will serve as a decent order to cover things in.   

I haven’t seen a Will Smith movie for awhile - skipped I Robot completely, considered The Pursuit of Happyness at Blockbuster but ultimately decided “no”.  So this is the first project of his that’s pulled me in for some time.   And he doesn’t disappoint.  It had to be quite a feat to be the only actor on screen (unless you count the dog but I don’t really think that you do) for more than 80% of the movie and to actually remain entertaining the whole time.  I think that he did a great job of drawing the audience into his world and making the audience feel how fragile his mental state was and how it was slowly deteriorating as time passed in the movie “world”.  

It seems to be more or less common knowledge now a days that most movies rely heavily on music to pull out the emotions in their audience.  But not I Am Legend.  I can’t say that I noticed this myself but in reading another review about the movie someone had pointed out that the first time we actually hear movie is a good way through it.  And even then it’s not to heighten the emotional involvement of the movie-watcher so to speak but rather because it serves the scene it is being used in.  I liked finding this out.  It’s good to know there are still movies that don’t rely on manipulating people to evoke a desired reaction.  

The suspense…ooh the suspense.  Will Smith or I should say “Dr. Robert Neville” against the Dark Seekers.  Possibly, probably the last human remaining battling both his declining mental capacity and some nasty looking flesh-eaters.  Quite honestly, I probably had my eyes closed or covered for a good 1/4 of the movie due to the suspense.  So..in other words it seemed to work.  

And finally the monsters and other CGI…I don’t personally know much about it all.  What I do know is that I heard (I think it was the director or maybe producer? on the XM Movie Sountracks Radio Station - I have no idea what station it is since it’s programmed on my car stereo)…Anyways I heard this talking about the decision to change the monsters to CGI and from watching the monsters it seemed like a good idea.  Whoever the individual was - he said they started out filming with real actors as the monsters, they had even sent them to some special training so that they would be more believable as creatures.  But unfortunately even trained creature actors couldn’t have the right sense of abandon that these dark seekers really needed.  Anyone have opinions on the use of CGI creatures vs. real actors? Oh and of course if I am going to talk of CGI I suppose I should mention how impressive abandoned New York City was.  I personally didn’t realize this was computer generated but my husband seemed very impressed with it and pointed it out to be.  The place certainly did look awe-inspiringly deserted however it was accomplished.  

Ok, funny thing - I think I managed to review this movie without really talking about the plot at all other than that there is a lone survivor, battling dementia and dark seekers in a thoroughly empty New York City.  So you’ll just have to go sit through the show and fill in all the GAPING holes yourself.  OH and you should probably do it soon while it’s still in the IMAX theater because I am fairly certain that enhances the experience somewhat.  :)  Enjoy. 

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