Rating: 2.5 Pulses

Rated PG-13

I Am Legend is the third rendition of Richard Matheson’s defining vampire novel of the same name. It is preceded by the films The Last Man On Earth and Omega Man, but this time, in a wise move, the movie retained the author’s original title.

The film opens in 2012, post-apocalyptic, New York City. Smith, as Dr. Robert Neville, is on the hunt, attempting to cure the inevitable boredom of being the last man left on earth.

His one companion is his dog Sam. The dog is a wise screenplay adaptation in that it allows the audience to hear what Neville is thinking. If this companion was not added, the film would either have to be silent or subject to the mindless chatter of a man speaking solely to himself.

While watching the film, you actually sense that New York is empty, desolate, and mankind is near extinction. The CGI is beautiful and the audience sees several key New York landmarks, such as Time Square and Central Park, devoid of human life.

Neville, in his attempt to retain his sanity, sets up mannequins on the streets and in his favorite DVD store to converse with and simulate human interaction. Being an intelligent man, Neville knows this attempt is lame and petty, but nevertheless forces himself to at least partly partake in the action. It is this one clue that points to the spiral of insanity that comes only when one is left alone for too long.

Neville is left alive because he is immune to the virus that has caused the epidemic devastation on earth. He was also a key scientist looking for a cure for the disease, and this role plays a key part of the story.

There were two interesting Easter eggs in the movie. One is a poster for the release of Batman vs. Superman scheduled for Memorial Day 2010 and the other was a gas station sign featuring a $6.40 unleaded price.

Those are pretty much all the positive comments to be made about this film.

Everyday Neville waits at noon in a predetermined spot for some contact with other survivors. Inevitably, they show up when he has reached his lowest, most maddening, of points.

Their interaction is awkward. Neville has spent three years by himself and conversation comes slow. However, this point was underemphasized and barely believable. He had no trouble talking to his dog the whole film.

The elusive vampire villains are a loose mixture of CGI and actors. Their skin tones are horrible and reminiscent of most modern video games. They also act like video game villains, and if you play any of them I am sure you have seen them before.

The film ends with a burst of undeserved optimism. I felt bad for enjoying any earlier moments of the film. Smith does play the super Hollywood star that he is known for, and for that, I think he was the wise choice for the role.

However, the happy ending is, no matter what, a hard pill to swallow.