Narrative identity and thematic significance remain persistently ambiguous in Francis Lawrence's apocalyptic zombie thriller, I Am Legend. The film shifts from a quiet, haunting drama to a chaotic action-packed adventure, and then back again. It teases at big picture issues like grieving, fate, and the placement of blame, but never really explores any to the fullest. It all comes apart under microscopic inspection, but from a comfortable, popcorn crunching distance, it's a better than average thrill ride with far more sincerity than the typical blockbuster. Will Smith gives another great performance as soldier and scientist Robert Neville, the last living man on an earth cleansed by a deadly virus that turns the infected into rage fueled monsters. Neville has the fortune of being immune to the virus, but the misfortune of outliving his wife and child. His only companion is a dog named Sam and a few realistic looking mannequins that he feigns banter with to keep up the appearance of normalcy as best as he can. He also conveniently happens to be one of the foremost specialists tasked to curing the virus, which he continues to pursue in his basement by running trials on infected rats and other animals. He's a dark figure battling the emotional effects of survivor's guilt and an added sense of responsibility given his failure to reach a cure. He also has the very physical, urgent task of fending off an occasional zombie or two.The film is nearly note-perfect in its first half or so, but the narrative starts to bounce and bend when new possibilities present themselves and Neville's psychological black hole of an existence begins to expand its horizons. Sudden, awkwardly implanted speeches about God and destiny start to clutter the intense action with needless speechifying. And ultimately, the film ends with a sickening moment of convenience and anticlimax that hinges of fortuitous, unbelievable progression of both narrative and character. But while it's good, it's very good. A broken ending and a dragging final act can't kill the momentum here. Neville remains a compelling, likable character and the action scenes send a striking chill up your spine up until the very end.
Grade: B
