Will's a Legend

Will Smith is a million miles away from the Fresh Prince of Bel-Air nowadays with blockbuster roles and a couple of Oscar nominations in the bag. So when I heard that Big Willy was doing a lonely Tom Hanks in Castaway role I was quite excited and rightly so.

The film starts brilliantly. A modest but clearly bursting with pride Dr. Krippen (Emma Thompson) announces on a talk show that they have discovered a cure for cancer but fast forward three years to the devastating effects of this breakthrough where an eerily empty Manhattan is home to just one man and his dog.

As Dr Robert Neville (Smith) goes about his day, driving as fast as he likes through the street and having conversations with mannequins we see Smith doing a superb job of acting as the man trying to stay sane while dealing with complete loneliness and the ever-so-slightly daunting task of trying to save the world and avoiding death.

The haunting feel of the first half captures the essence of Richard Matheson's original powerful story. Both in the cinema and on DVD there's no denying that the feeling of isolation has been captured superbly by director Francis Lawrence. Lawrence also manages to make the existence of the mutants that have evolved from the 'cure' truly frightening. That is until you see them.

Yes, the problem is that this is a game of two halves and that's where I Am Legend falls down. If your imagination was running riot in the first half, the second half of the film puts it to sleep. CGI creepies and other characters who aren't as compelling as Smith make their way onto the film and then there's an ending which tries to wrap it all up without answering any questions.

The good thing about the DVD is that you have the option of two endings. (I personally dislike having a choice. Just tell me how it ends, dammit.) Anyway, on DVD you get an 'alternative theatrical version with controversial ending.' It's hardly controversial but it is ever-so-slightly more satisfying (if still a bit of a cop out.)