We saw: I Am Legend

I Am Legend may have the distinct honor of being the first zombie movie/tearjerker in history. And I mean that in a good way.

Despite a mere 59% tomatometer rating, Anthony and I decided to take our chances and see the film last night. The bad reviews were far from damning, the good reviews were convincing, and we were both in the mood for a big-screen popcorn flick. Plus, I have a soft spot for zombie flicks (right here in my shoulder, bwahaha).

The key to liking this movie is to go in knowing that you're going to see a ZOMBIE MOVIE. No movie with undead CGI creatures is ever going to be in AFI's top 10 films of all time. But in the zombie movie genre (or subgenre), I Am Legend is top-notch.

Okay, the monsters aren't true risen-from-the-dead zombies. They're also not the evolving vampires from Richard Matheson's 1954 novel. For all practical purposes, they're the plague victims from 28 Days Later, infected with a virus that makes them insane, bloodthirsty killers.

I Am Legend also doesn't receive originality points for its survivalist/post-apocalyptic world setting, which goes hand-in-cold-dead-hand with nearly every zombie plague ever created on film (a premise cliche enough to inspire Max Brooks to write the hilariously deadpan and detailed spoof Zombie Survival Guide a few years ago).

But it does deserve serious credit for taking its boilerplate framework and running with it. The zombies are central to the plot but don't dominate it; although there are the necessary scenes where Robert Neville (Will Smith) has to run for his life, his struggles with loneliness and his daily failures in engineering a cure are more gripping.

I Am Legend also has a certain subtlety that is generally absent from horror films. One of the few common points it shares with the novel is Neville's mistaken belief that the zombies have lost all intelligent thought and motivation. Although his error becomes apparent through a couple of scenes, analysis of these scenes is refreshingly absent--at no point does Neville stoop so low as to utter anything about how the monsters are (cue creepy music) becoming smart. You just have to realize it yourself. It's also full of other enjoyable details--Neville's home is decorated with several items from MOMA's permanent collection, while the world outside is full of government-issued posters.

Smith's excellent performance also gives the film a lot more weight than it would've had in some other action hero's hands. (I'm not naming names, but I will mention that a certain governor of my state was once considered for the role in the early 1990.) And the German Shepherd who plays Sam, Neville's dog and only friend on earth, is so adorable and funny and heartbreaking that we both wondered whether there's an Oscar category for animal trainers.

(And I'm not exaggerating about it being hearbreaking--despite my best efforts, a wee tear slid down my cheek at one point.)

As one critic pointed out, the last half hour isn't as enjoyable as the first part of the movie (and features a somewhat annoying part with hints of deux ex machina). But it is a satisfying ending that certainly doesn't spoil the first part of the movie.

At 90 minutes, I Am Legend fits a lot of movie into a pretty short amount of time. The short length works in its favor; the sad parts are wrenching but brief, the chase scenes aren't tedious, and the monster parts stay scary. And it gives just enough back story to keep the viewer interested. All in all, it has way more thrills than a serious character drama, and more depth than a simple horror film.