I Am Legend

First off, let me say I like Will Smith. And I am easily scared. So my review of I Am Legend, the sci-fi, post-apocalyptic vampire-zombie that is Castaway meets 28 Days Later is: Really. Fucking. Scary. Of course it doesn't help that I jump at the sound of slamming doors--which was constant throughout the movie. And that I'm pretty squeamish. But on the relative scale of scary movies (of which I don't see many because as I mentioned before I am easily scared), this is way scarier than the psycho-thriller 1408. And much more tension than the zombie sheep movie Black Sheep.

Let's discuss the zombie-vampires. Apparently, the cure for cancer is found in the form a genetic altered version of the measles. But that cure mutates into a form of rabies--which causes depigmentation and aversion to sunlight (vampires), a hive mentality (zombies) albeit with a leader (vampires), thirst for blood (vampires) and taste for human flesh (zombies). The virus also imparts super human strength and speed and makes one somewhat impervious to bullets. At one point Smith's character of Robert Neville, who is working desperately to find a cure for the virus (even while he struggles to retain his sanity), goes vampire-zombie baiting and bashing in a Hummer. The Hummer is nowhere near as indestructible as the vampire-zombies.

This is not an Oscar contender (Sorry, Will. Your best shots have been Ali and The Pursuit of Happyness. Maybe next year...). It's a cheesy, yet slick sci-fi horror flick. There are more questions it raises than it answers--for example: how does an Apple (um, along with the iPod--product placement much?) laptop battery last for three years? Or how are deer able to outrun a sports car? How was Neville able to turn his house into a fortress complete with running water, electricity and food enough to last for a good ten years? And why did he have a key to the local video store? But it's pretty entertaining. And scary. If you're into that stuff. I got to see if for free with the ticket I earned from the AMC MovieWatchers Club. And it was definitely worth it.