The prospect of what will happen after the end of man-kind is a subject that has been explored many of times. From literature (The Stand) to film & television (28 Days/Weeks Later, several Twilight Zone Episodes, The Omega Man, etc…). In 1954 author Richard Matheson wrote the Novel I Am Legend and presented a horrifying vision of the end of humanity where everyone with the exception of 1 man had been turned into Zombie-like Vampires , from that novel has spawned quite a few adaptations: The Last Man on Earth starring Vincent Price, The Omega Man starring Charlton Heston, and finally this past fall’s I Am Legend starring box office favorite Will Smith, but how does this version stack up to the other classic films based upon Matheson’s classic novel? Well read on!
Robert Neville is a brilliant scientist, but even he could not contain the terrible virus that was unstoppable, incurable, and man-made. Somehow immune, Neville is now the last human survivor in what is left of New York City and maybe the world. For three years, Neville has faithfully sent out daily radio messages, desperate to find any other survivors who might be out there. But here is not alone. Mutated victims of the plague – The Infected – lurk in the shadows… watching Neville’s every move… waiting for him to make a fatal mistake. Perhaps mankind’s last, best hope, Neville is driven by only one remaining mission: to find a way to reverse the effects of the virus using his own immune blood. But he knows he is outnumbered… and quickly running out of time.
While it is not entirely faithful to the original source material (but what really is?) this modern adaptation of Matheson’s novel is the truest to its original version as any other previous attempt to bring the novel to the big screen. I really would’ve loved to have seen someone bring the novel to the big screen but I guess that won’t happen. Will Smith gives one of his best performances playing opposite a German shepherd for most of the film; you really get the sense that he is on the brink of insanity and is slowly losing his grip on reality, and the only things keeping him sane are the search for a cure for this virus and his relationship with his dog. With that said, I Am Legend is a thoroughly enjoyable popcorn film with some really interesting thought provoking ideas.
Included on this Blu-Ray Disc release are both the original theatrical version and an expanded version including 2 extra short character scenes and an alternate ending which totally changes the overall tone of the film, but other than those two changes the two versions are identical. As far as the other special features go there are some really interesting additions, but I can’t help but feel there are something’s that were left off for a future release, on this disc you get the following:
• Creating I Am Legend – Mini-Documentary Gallery: Over 50 Minutes of behind the scenes material that go into the making of the film.
• Cautionary Tale – The Science of I Am Legend: Exploring the history of pandemic viral infections and the reality of life-threatening microbes lying in wait to impact humankind.[In High Definition]
• 4 Animated Comics: Chronicling other survivors of the virus around the world
As I said above, a nice collection of extras but a Commentary with Director Francis Lawrence and Author Richard Matheson would have been more than welcomed, along with deleted scenes (there are several scenes shown being filmed in the documentary that did not make it in the film.)
- Rating: 4 out of 5
I Am Legend is presented in its original 2.4:1 aspect ratio and has been beautifully mastered with a VC-1 encoded 1080p transfer that preserves every bit of what was shown on the big screen during its theatrical run. Colors are vibrant and saturated but not overdone, blacks are perfectly represented. Though some of the CGI can be a little soft at times it’s not entirely noticeable.
Warner has given quite a few audio selections for I Am Legend, starting off with a English Dolby TrueHD 5.1 Surround (48kHz/16-bit) and 640kbps Dolby Digital 5.1 track and features some of the deepest bass I’ve heard on a TrueHD track.
- Rating: 5 out of 5
There is a lot to like here with I Am Legend, but anyone who has read the book will be upset with the major changes made to the film, mainly the ending (The Original, and the Alternate ending). The Disc however is a technical marvel and will certainly be a showcase disc for many people who want to convert people over to the format!
- Overall Rating: 4 out of 5
Film and Features: 4
Technical Specs: 5
Overall Review: 4
Studio: Warner Bros.
Genre: Sci-Fi/Thriller
Aspect: 2.4:1 (VC-1 1080p)
Audio: 5.1 TrueHD, Dolby Digital 5.1
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