betz.org a journey through the very ordinary

I Am Legend was another movie that I had on my short list of movies where I would actually burden myself to go see in a theater. Furthermore, I like Will Smith and a think he is an endearing actor. Though I don’t much care for his relationship films (read “Chick Flicks”), I can’t point to any particular movie in which he starred in that I wouldn’t see and probably enjoy. He, like Danzel Washington and Tom Hanks, is one of those actors that I really like and will, for the most part, go to see their films.

This movie is yet another adaption of the Richard Matheson novel that shares its title with this movie. As a kid, I had seen the second filmed adaptation of this novel titled “The Omega Man“. This 1971 film, staring Charlton Heston, deviated wildly from the novel; a point I didn’t realize until I had read the Matheson novel several years later. But I have warm memories of watching The Omega Man on television and recall that I really liked it. So there was little question that I was going to see this movie.

Initially I was a bit miffed that the plot line in the Will Smith version changed so dramatically from the book. A tweek here and there is fine with me. But to completely remove key elements from the book, which alters the original meaning, is nothing short of scandalous. I understand that the film producers are trying to weave a tale that is meaningful to today’s audience. But to give the movie the exact title and to change it so dramatically is a bit of a sucker punch in my opinion. I was expecting the book, or rather something close to the book, and what I got was completely different.

Nevertheless, I really liked this movie. Barring the cavernous plot deviations, I still think the film made me not care so much about the changes and rather allowed me focused on what the film was trying to say. I liked the changes they made in the relationship between Smith’s character (Robert Neville) and the dog. This created the setup for some enduring and touching moments and it helped to finalize the film by solidifying the reasoning for why Robert Neville does what he does in the remaining moments of the movie. The ending, just as in the book, gives insight to the title “I Am Legend”, but their meanings are vastly different. The book juxtaposes our notions concerning who is the real monster while the movie takes on a more literal meaning to the word “legend”. Both are equally good and impactful, but their meanings couldn’t be further apart.

One of my biggest critics is that there were a lot of things they used from the book that probably wouldn’t have made a lot of sense if you didn’t previously read the novel. These points were just left unsaid and it made for a lot of unanswered questions. At these points I kept feeling as though I was missing something and found myself drifting back and forth between searching my short-term memory and the film. This made the experience a bit clunky at times. It wasn’t until I let the movie digest and mesh with my memories of the book that those specific scenes began to click and make sense. I suspect those that haven’t read the book are probably going to get a bit lost at times.

But all in all, this movie was certainly enjoyable and I would recommend it whether you read the book or not. It is the typical Will Smith movie, which is actually a compliment.