.jeri.

Jenny and I went to see I Am Legend a few weeks ago at the cheap theater. I am glad I waited to see it there, because zombie movies are massive cliches to me these days.

The movie begins as Dr. Robert Neville goes through his day with his dog. He is the last person alive on Manhattan. Through flashbacks, we discover that the island was quarantined when a vaccine meant to cure cancer mutated into monster-making material. Watching Robert in his daily routine gives us a picture of how smart, resourceful, and lonely he is.

For a good while, the movie is interesting in its own right, because it is a lonely survival story. But, with the element having to do with mutated monster people, I just didn't care all that much. It was entertaining, but as soon as the movie shifted gears in favor of featuring these creatures, it became less emotionally involving.

What I really hated was how often the creatures would stand and yell, as if they were lions or orcs or something similar. I find howls like this entertaining in The Golden Compass when two big bad polar bears are showing off their manliness before they decide to fight each other, but here, it's irritating, and repeated far too much.

The movie isn't a bad one, but how it started was so much more interesting to me than how it ended. I especially appreciated that this was the first time I ever really appreciated Will Smith as an actor. The fact that he could sell himself as a scientist was amazing to me. The relationship with Robert's dog is particularly good.

I did watch the alternate ending, and tend to agree that it is the better ending, but I still didn't like it all that much. I was also frustrated with the overuse of CGI on the creatures, especially the one that Robert captures. I really don't see what the harm would have been with a little bit more use of makeup.

Anyway, the movie was better than I expected at the beginning, and pretty much what I expected at its end. I am glad I saw it for the potential that it had, but wish it wouldn't have felt so much like other movies I've seen. I'm also very interested in how more and more movies seem to be showing up in which vaccines turn into evil things. In the olden days, it was radioactive material. Today, it's the medicine that we create. Hm.