I Am Legend (2007)

The third film made from Richard Matheson's novel I Am Legend, and the only one to keep the title, was Francis Lawrence's 2007 big-budget action pic starring Will Smith as Robert Neville. This time, Neville is a research chemist in the army, working on a cure for a plague that has wiped out almost the rest of humanity, turning them into aggressive, ravenous beasts.

The core of the film is the same as the book and the other two films: a virus has turned everyone into vampire-like creatures who only come out at night, leaving one man to survive. With this one, though, Smith plays a man who has a purpose--the discovery of a cure. He also has a companion (a dog) who makes things a lot more palatable. Smith treats Manhattan, which is closed off from the mainland, as a private playground, zooming around in a sports car, hitting golf balls off the Intrepid, or hunting the increasing deer population with high-powered machine guns (there are also lions, presumably escaped from the Central Park Zoo, but Smith doesn't show any worry about them).

At night is when the creatures, or "Darkseekers," come out. In a prologue, Emma Thompson appears as a doctor who has reprogrammed the measles virus so it cures cancer. But what a side effect! Everyone except those like Smith, who are immune, turn into monsters. They aren't strictly vampires--there's no garlic or mirrors--nor are they zombies, as they are alive. Smith catches one every so often to test a new cure.

I Am Legend held my interest over its taut running time. I liked that they did give Smith a touch of madness, which would be true of anyone left alone for three years, dog or not. For the most part, nothing struck me as ridiculous, although Smith's lab in his beautifully appointed home on Washington Square seemed unlikely, as were his never-ending supplies (including rats). The action scenes are well done and suspenseful, and there's a spiritual twist at the end that, while convenient, at least sets the film apart from its predecessors.

If you asked me which film was the best of the three adaptations, I'd be at a loss. The Last Man on Earth is the closest to the book, while The Omega Man was the most fun, and I Am Legend the best production. You'll have to see all three to decide for yourself.