If you have not seen the movie “ I Am Legend” yet, do not read any further if you don't want to see any spoilers.
Long before George Romero's “Night of the Living Dead” or any other movies about flesh eating zombies, there was a novel written by Richard Matheson from the 50's that spawned a whole genre of zombie and flesh eating horror. Authors such as Stephen King and such were inspired by Matheson.
Two other movies were made based on his novel: 1964's “The Last Man on Earth”, played by Vincent Price and 1971's “The Omega Man” starring Charlton Heston.
In 2007's “I am Legend” the latest character is acted by Will Smith. He gives a stellar performance as Robert Neville, who survives the nuclear outbreak of an airborne virus that kills off the earth's population.
This latest film version takes place in 2012. After the President orders the city of New York to be quarantined, back in 2009 he sends his wife and daughter with military to flee the city. . After losing his family, ironically not from the virus, but a terrible helicopter accident fleeing the city. Neville stayed behind to help find the cure. Alongside him is his loyal companion German Shepherd named Sam (short for Samantha). Throughout the movie, he hunts these creatures during the day, capturing them one by one to experiment vaccines he concocted to find a cure.
There are some great special effect shots of NYC that looks like an abandoned jungle, cars laying waste and grass growing over the roads. There is even a cornfield growing in Central Park! These shots make you feel like New York City had been abandoned. Throughout the movie, he hunts these creatures during the day, capturing them one by one to experiment vaccines he concocted to find a cure. When he captures a creature, he takes it back to his downstairs lab to inject them with the latest strain to test them out. There are hundreds of profile and head shots plastered to his wall of his failed experiments.
After his trusted and loyal companion chases a deer they were hunting into an abandoned dark building, Neville cautiously goes after her. He is confronted by a horde of zombies. He and Sam are chased through the building where he runs towards a light, crashing through the window a few stories above the street. The creature is writhing in pain from the sunlight, and dies on the street. After scolding his dog, he returns home just before dusk, locks up all the windows and doors, and sleeps with Sam with his rifle alongside him. He leaves his home just after day break, just to repeat the whole process over again.
Throughout the movie, he talks to mannequins that he strategically placed throughout the city in the places that he frequents the most. This sounds crazy to most of us, but you need to remember that he is the only lone human survivor. Solitaire and loneliness does strange things to any normal human being. If you have seen “Cast Away” with Tom Hanks, you know what I am talking about when he befriends a volleyball named Wilson.
One day, he is driving through the city where he spots a mannequin standing in the middle of the street. He knows that he didn't place it there. He gets out of his car and starts yelling to the mannequin “how did you get here!” then shoots the mannequin and shoots his gun into the air into some of the tall buildings. He steps into a trap that lifts him upside down. He hangs there all day knocked out from a blow to his head. Samantha is barking at him and trying to get his attention the whole time. He comes to just as the sun is setting. He pulls out his knife and cuts himself free, and accidentally jabs the knife into his leg as he hits the ground. He is struggling to move to get back to his car when he hears barking, not from his dog, but elsewhere. Emerging from the shadows is a zombie, who is obviously the leader bent on revenge for Neville capturing his girlfriend or wife. He is holding 3 infected dogs. He lets them go and they run after Sam and Robert, but stop where the sliver of sunlight still spills across the street. As soon as the light fades, they chase after the duo. Robert manages to kill 2 of the 3 dogs with his pistol he grabbed from the vehicle, while Sam fights for her life against the third infected dog. It is too late since Sam gets infected and dies later that evening at home.
