A few years ago, when I was going back and re-watching many of the favorite films of my youth, some friends and I had a Charleton Heston festival. We picked up Planet of the Apes, Soilent Green, and the Omega Man (based on the original I am Legend from Richard Matheson) and watched them all back to back; the first two had maintained their charm, but the cheesified Omega Man fell far short of what was needed to become a Sci Fi classic. Maybe it was the sense of sophistication spawned by Kubrick’s 2001: A Space Odyssey in the late sixties that paved the way for science fiction films that made you think, but the Omega Man ended Heston’s reign as a science fiction/action star with a drive-in approach to a smart story.

Dr. Robert Neville (Will Smith), is the last man on earth (or, at least he thinks so) – in 2009 a virus killed 90% of the world’s population, and by 2012 all that is left is him, and the rabid nocturnal leftovers of the epidemic. His only company is his dog, a faithful German Shepard that shadows his every move. The infected humans basically ate the last 10% of the world population that was immune to the virus, and they will also eventually die. The good doctor is one of those who are immune, and he has been trying to cure the virus in his secret basement lab; but to no avail. Eventually, all good things must come to an end, and I won’t go any further to avoid spoilers.

I am Legend follows a trend in movies as of late to go more for the story and suggestion rather than exploitation (No Country for Old Men, The Mist), and good for them. You start paying attention to special effects more when the story is lacking, and I found that my suspension of disbelief held up this time under some of the implausibility of the whole end of the world scenario. Some of the strongest moments of the film were the Doctor and his dog roaming the city. What the film does strongly succeed at is a bleak sense of loneliness, amidst sunny skies and the circle of life brutality of the wilderness. I admire the odd dynamic of the film, which had giant budget to achieve the look of a New York city that was deserted and quiet – it kind of nulls the phrase “more bang for your buck”.

I don’t want to reveal any more to the story, but it becomes apparent later in the film that our hero may not have all of his marbles quite in order; and that is where Smith shines in a way I haven’t seen since his early year, when he was trying to prove himself as an actor. Will Smith’s best acting job in years (since Six Degrees of Separation), is led by some smart directing by Francis Lawrence who tells the story through flash backs and long periods of loneliness involving Dr. Neville wandering New York city talking to his dog. The action is sometimes spectacular and nail biting, yet minimal. I felt that some of the CGI renderings of the infected victims were a little weak and unrealistic, but somehow that was insignificant – kind of like in the first Spiderman film where charm prevailed over seriously flawed special effects.

I am not saying that I am Legend comes anywhere near to 2001 or Planet of the Apes, but it certainly gets the closest to the sensibilities of the era when it was originally written, while maintaining a modern flair.