Saturday, December 29, 2007

Legend Has It

Today we went for a visit to my parents home in Flamborough, with the ulterior motive of dropping off our daughter so we could go see a movie. There isn't too much out that I'm dying to see right now, and we settled on I Am Legend mainly because it was playing at the right time.
I had heard mixed reviews, but the lowered expectations paid off and I found it quite a passable time waster. The best parts of the film involve roving around the deserted remains of New York City as Smith hunts deer and dodges lions. The film was shot by Andrew Lesnie, who did Lord of the Rings, and it looks amazing. Just following Will Smith and his dog through an empty world is quite exhilarating, especially a few rows back from a giant screen. Eventually the plot kicks in, with raging zombies and a few requisite explosions, and the film becomes somewhat less interesting.
Will Smith does a great job carrying the movie almost singlehandedly on his meticulously sculpted shoulders. Watching an actor talk to himself for most of a movie is a dicey proposition, and Smith comes off much better than, say, Tom Hanks in Cast Away. (Mind you, I guess a dog is a better foil than a volleyball.)
I Am Legend ends with a vaguely pro-faith message that I could have done without, but overall it was a satisfying afternoon at the movies, if not much more.

A side note. There were about 100 people in the theatre and I swear each of them, with the exception of Irena and me, got up to visit the bathroom at least once. This was a 90 minute film. Sheesh!

No comments: