Video/DVD Reviews

Video/DVD Reviews -
I Am Legend: Navigation

I Am Legend - PG-13

Rate It!
Pause 14+
3 stars

Intense, thoughtful thriller has some big scares.

Rating: PG-13 for intense sequences of sci-fi action and violence. Studio: Warner Bros. Directed By: Francis Lawrence Cast: Will Smith, Dash Mihok, Alice Braga Running Time: 101 minutes Release Date: 12/13/2007 Genre: Science Fiction

It's quick and easy to pass on
this great info!

Common Sense Note

Parents need to know that although this cerebral action thriller is quite clean when it comes to language and sexual content, it deals with intense subjects like the fall of mankind and the fight for survival. It's not for kids who get scared, since it gets pretty terrifying, especially when the mutants take their turn onscreen. They jump out of nowhere, and the movie makes the most of that suspense to heighten the audience's response. Overall, the movie is very sobering -- and, unlike many Will Smith thrillers, it's light on the fun. Still, teens will want to see it and will be intrigued by the special effects and the edge-of-your-seat action.

Families can talk about Hollywood's fascination with disaster movies and post-apocalyptic stories. What's the hook? How is this one different? Which aspect of the movie is more interesting to you: its thoughtful side or the fighting-off-mutants side? How is this movie different from other Will Smith sci-fi films? Families can also discuss what they'd do in Robert's place. Would you be able to keep your wits about you, as he seems to have (barely)? Would you be able to make the selfless decisions he seems to make?

Rate It!

Common Sense Review

Reviewed By: S. Jhoanna Robledo

If anyone had any doubts left that Will Smith could carry a movie, I AM LEGEND will banish them forever. He's virtually alone in this sci-fi thriller, with a dog -- albeit a talented one -- as his only foil. There are stretches when he literally talks to himself, and he's able to hold the audience's gaze throughout.

Frightened and on edge, determined to survive, Robert Neville (Smith) is the last man standing in all five New York City boroughs after a virus thought to have cured cancer mutates and becomes a worldwide plague. Almost everyone on the planet dies; those who survive are turned into rabid creatures who only come out at night to hunt for food. But Robert decides to stay in the new ghost town of Manhattan. "This is Ground Zero," he declares. "I can still fix this."

Three years later, he's still there, spending his days hunting for deer with his dog, Samantha, by his side. He's hoping to find an antidote to turn the mutants back into humans. In the meantime, he has to fend his enemies off -- which is no mean feat, considering how violent they are. (Director Francis Lawrence has a way with suspense; jumping out of your seat is almost a requirement here.)

Onscreen, Manhattan transforms into a true island, isolated, removed, and falling apart. Weeds grow on the streets, Times Square is deserted, the Flatiron Building sits neglected, and an eerie hush has fallen. Bravo to the special effects crew, who have created a New York never seen before (except, perhaps, in Escape to New York). The results are nothing short of amazing.

But the story ultimately disappoints. It starts out strong, hooking viewers in, but it sputters in the end. It's as if the screenwriters (or director, or producer) ran out of ways to wrap it up. Or perhaps the film simply doesn't have the same nuances as the Richard Matheson book on which it's based. Still, you can't fault I Am Legend for trying to be different from the typical action thriller. Taking on such themes as mankind's need for companionship, the fight for survival, and the existence of God, it at least succeeds in making us think.

Fans of this genre may also enjoy the even more-intense 12 Monkeys and 28 Days Later. Or try The Last Man on Earth and The Omega Man, both earlier adaptations of Matheson's novel.

Rate It! Send to a Friend

It's quick and easy to pass on
this great info!

Content
CS adults kids

Sexual Content

A married couple shares a tender kiss.

Violence

Frequent. The main character totes guns and shoots at marauding, rabid mutants who attack him with the intent to either eat him or kill him -- or both. He also accidentally stabs himself, flashes a gun at a woman and her child, and conducts experiments on feral rats and other creatures. Bridges and buildings explode, cars careen, and a loyal dog becomes collateral damage.

Language

Pretty mild; "damn," "hell," "Oh my God."

Message

 

Social Behavior

In the aftermath of a viral apocalypse, society has collapsed. People have become zombie-like mutants that feast on human flesh. The main character is reduced to his base nature, paranoid and on the brink. But he rises to the occasion when the time comes and makes a difficult decision for the good of mankind.

 

Commercialism

Lots of signage left behind in New York, especially in Times Square, where billboards for shows like Avenue Q, Hairspray, and Wicked abound, as well as hotel brands like the Hyatt. Premium placement for the Mustang GT500, Apple computers, iPod, and a Time magazine cover.

 

Drug/Alcohol/Tobacco

Robert downs prescription pills at a very difficult moment.

Rate It Now

Tell others what you think!
Write a review or post a comment.

Tell others what you think!
Write a review or post a comment.

Tell others what you think!
Write a review or post a comment.

OR

Tell others what you think!
Write a review or post a comment.

It only takes a minute to get great benefits! Sign up now and get a FREE Internet Survival Guide!