Gonna go see this one tonight.

The book was great - I even enjoyed Vincent Price's "Last Man on Earth" version.

We'll see tonight if it lives up to Matheson's writing.....

and I get to see if for 'Free' (using my Logan's Run DVD movie cash) -- Wahoo!

I too am looking forward to seeing this. :)

My "I Am Legend" Review - take it for what it's worth..... ;)


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MILD SPOILERS BELOW (not too many):
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Well - I saw this on Friday and to be honest, I was a bit let down. :boo:

I didn't care for the CGI zombies at all! What's the matter with hiring some zombie extras and feeding them pizza in between takes? :dunno: The CGI zombies looked overly fake to me. This made me not worry about Robert Neville whenever he would be attacked - there was really nothing there....

I greatly prefer the real-actor 'vampires' from the Vincent Price version than the fake computer zombies here. :zzzz:

I must say though that Will Smith was very good in the role and kept things moving (he had too - he was practically all alone throughout most of the movie - with just his trusty (but dare I say stupid dog) Sam to give him someone alive to talk to).

Also - there wasn't much of the zombies, even when we finally do get to see them. In "The Last Man on Earth" and in Matheson's book - they're out it droves right from the start. I thought the director here took too long to introduce them into the story. This is I AM LEGEND we're talking about, not Jaws!!

The thing that really irritated me was how Robert's (Will Smith) wife and daughter die in this new version. What was masterfully penned in the original novel and filmed to perfection in the Vincent Price version is totally absent in this version!! Too bad - those great scenes would've added a wonderful amount of shock, despair and dread to the Robert Neville character. To me, without this, their deaths are meaningless in the new film. It's a ZOMBIE movie for crying out loud! What a waste!!

But still - there were some good parts (a few) in it. I especially liked the Video store scenes, Robert talking to the mannequins and the part where Robert and his dog battle the Hounds of Hell!

Overall, I'd give this 're-imagining' two out of four stars.

If you want to see the best version of "I Am Legend", watch Vincent Price's "Last Man on Earth"! It still reigns supreme!

"I Am Legend" with Will Smith:

Strengths: Will Smith, wild animals roaming free, and a beautifully filmed vacant and empty New York City
Weaknesses: CGI Zombies, Robert's family's deaths, and the ending 'cure'

Stay home and read the book instead - its one of my favorites!!