Will Smith’s new movie “I Am Legend” is the third adaptation
of Richard Matheson’s 1954 novel of the same name. This time around the action
takes place in New York, and not in Los Angeles like in the
book.
The film is set in 2012 and Will Smith is Robert Neville, a
scientist and the only survivor of the virus that has destroyed almost the
entire population on earth. He is a former Army doctor and is somehow immune to
the virus.
The virus, man-made, transforms the people who get infected
into vampires (although the word “vampires” is not used at all in the movie).
Neville is the only survivor of New York City and probably the world and patrols
in his Mustang the Fifth Avenue
along with Sam, a German shepherd, also immune to the airborne virus.
Everyday Neville sends radio messages trying to find anyone
that could have survived the virus like him, probably his family too which he
sent to the country when the entered in quarantine.
He spends his days in the city, which is at his and Sam’s
disposal, and when he is not looking for food or visiting museums, he is in his
lab trying to come up with a serum, using his own blood, that will reverse the
effects of the virus.
Movie Type: Action/Adventure, Science Fiction/Fantasy, Thriller, Adaptation and Remake MPAA Rating: PG-13 for intense sequences of sci-fi action and violence. Running Time: 1 hr. 40 min. Directed By: Francis Lawrence Cast: Will Smith, Alice Braga, Dash Mihok, Salli Richardson-Whitfield, Charlie Tahan Released: December 14th, 2007 (wide) U.S. Box Office: $256,356,018