I Am Legend reviews

Shaggy

Shaggy

Vice Admiral
I just got back from watching I Am Legend and I liked it a lot.
But every review I've read has said that the zombies looked like a bad video game! Now come on people. They looked at least as good as the GMan in Half Life 2 and that's a pretty damn good game. They're at least as good as the monsters from Doom 3 and that's a pretty good game. Now if they looked like they came from something like the original Quake or Wolfenstein 3D then I would agree, and be appropriately pissed that I paid for the film.
What do you think, shouldn't they be a little more discerning about labelling mediocre CG as from a bad video game when it obviously is as good as an OK to good video game?:D
 
I don't really know how to put say it. A cgi human monster is hard to make as scary and realistic as a well acted human monster. I don't know if that comes acrossed right. There are several close ups of the dark seekers faces. They just don't express the same emotion as a human monster.

I did read the book and I also enjoyed the movie for what it was but like almost everyother book based movie the book is usually better. It was kinda weird that they changed the entire meaning of why Neville was a legend.
 
First 2/3rds pretty good.

Last 1/3rd awful.

Creatures looked awful in general and at some points you could really see the lack of effort in the CGI at points. I mean those deer? Seriously.

I'm pretty sure this movie was also trying to hit on every social conflict affecting the modern world.

The Walt Disney ending was too much for me and how did Anna get onto Manhattan if all the bridges and tunnels had been rendered useless? It was a good movie for the first 2/3rds and then it just took a huge dump on itself.
 
Dundradal said:
The Walt Disney ending was too much for me and how did Anna get onto Manhattan if all the bridges and tunnels had been rendered useless?
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There are some logical assumptions you need to make to answer this on your own, cause they don't spoon feed you every bit but anyway:
She said she was on a boat at one point, maybe she used that. Also it wouldn't be too hard to find a boat in New York and make the crossing.

I had a good time watching regardless of any faults, and after all isn't that the whole point of going to a movie. The one time I actually allowed myself to analyze a movie and actually dwell on its faults was when I watched Fight Club, and to this day that movie annoys the crap out of me.

One thing I did like about, in relation to not spoon feeding you information at every turn was:
They showed in the course of the film that the Dark seekers, as they were called, were beginning to learn and even show relational attachments. The same monster that exposed himself to sunlight, when Neville trapped the female, also set a similar trap for him and lead the attack on Neville's house and it all seemed to be for the female.

Besides, my point is that movie critics today aren't discerning enough to compare movie graphics to video games. They don't seem to have the experience to know what a bad game is.:p
 
I don't think so.

She says she was on a Red Cross ship that stopped in Maryland and that's where the virus made it onboard. 5 were immune, but 3 died from the Dark Seekers. She is driving a vehicle that looks like its done a lot of traveling, not like she just found it in the city and fired it up. She also arrive in VT in Neville's SUV. How did she get it out of the city?

I did like how they showed the Alpha Male expressing intelligence and some emotional attachment. They were still human at some level in there.
 
Neville's SUV was demolished, or at least torn to shreds, when he tried to kill himself at the pier. The one she was driving in Vermont looked like it had just come off the showroom floor. Besides that, even before Neville's SUV was smashed it was still kind of hammered. The only similarity between the two was that they were both the same model, which could be chalked up to a product placement deal with Ford, because Neville did have a rather nice Mustang. And even if she didn't come in the red cross boat she still could have found one on the mainland side.

I also read that the screenwriter had already submitted a script for a sequel. It would be kind of intersting to see what the plan is for that. I think the movie has the potential for kicking off a good linear series, rather than an open ended franchise, and there seems to be lots of potential to it.
 
I watched the movie and thought it was ok for what it was. Then I read the wikipedia entry and I feel a little let down on how they changed the story. I can't help but compare it to The Mist which I felt was a so-so movie with a great ending (even though they also changed the ending). I Am Legend just has a very blah ending.
 
True, but if you look carefully it's the EXACT same car. The roof racks, the gas cans, the lights, the brush guard, it's all there. They could have at least tried to make it look slightly different. And yeah talk about one giant Ford ad.
 
I thought the movie was very good, but it diverged from the novel too much for me to love it. I hope there isn't a sequel because I rather dislike the path they're taking with the story.
 
d3r3k said:
I thought the movie was very good, but it diverged from the novel too much for me to love it. I hope there isn't a sequel because I rather dislike the path they're taking with the story.
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I've heard a sequel is being talked about.
 
Dundradal said:
And yeah talk about one giant Ford ad.
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Transformers and 24 were much worse for that. Although, in all fairness, the Transformers crew has said that the product deal was a necessary aspect of making the movie affordable and in 24's case it was at least a little logical that evryone at CTU would drive a Ford, or in the last season a Toyota.
 
The movie was a remake of Omega Man, with a different reason for the monsters being there. The only criticism I had for it was because near the end of it, the movie felt like it was rushed to be completed.
 
Winnyfred said:
The movie was a remake of Omega Man, with a different reason for the monsters being there. The only criticism I had for it was because near the end of it, the movie felt like it was rushed to be completed.
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Not exactly.. It's a remake in the sense that they are both based on the same book.

A lot of the big effects blockbusters *are* rushed out though. Release dates are picked nearly a year before release and shots come in completed sometimes less than a month before the actual release date. To acheive this, various shots get contracted to many different CG studios (sometimes all over the globe). There often isn't a core team doing all the effects. Even the WC movie had other companies other than digital anvil do some shots. With movies like transformers and Pirates of the Carribean 3 and Spiderman 3 they have to do it that way. In some cases it's the time - not a matter of talent - that means stuff isn't as good as it could have been. In fact, often the final cut of the movie is chosen before the a lot of the shots are ever finaled. Using rougher versions of the scenes they often decided exactly what the shot length / camera moves etc will include and have the movie working dramatically. That's why test screenings often have unfinished effects scenes.
 
Dundradal said:
Creatures looked awful in general and at some points you could really see the lack of effort in the CGI at points. I mean those deer? Seriously.
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Are you saying the deer looked good or bad? I thought they were fine.

Dundradal said:
The Walt Disney ending was too much for me and how did Anna get onto Manhattan if all the bridges and tunnels had been rendered useless? It was a good movie for the first 2/3rds and then it just took a huge dump on itself.
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Obviously they just got a boat or something. They don't need to show it. I didn't have a problem with the ending beyond thinking that the Fresh Prince's main basement door really should have been strong enough to keep people out.

Dundradal said:
True, but if you look carefully it's the EXACT same car. The roof racks, the gas cans, the lights, the brush guard, it's all there. They could have at least tried to make it look slightly different. And yeah talk about one giant Ford ad.
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I don't think so. I can't remember the specifics, but when I was in the theater, I remember thinking to myself "oh, that looks just like his car.. oh wait, there's a bunch of differences." I don't think the girl's car has any of the custom light rack modifications.
 
My biggest problem with the movie was how did that Alpha male learn and lead? They were all supposed to be unintelligent, that was established at the beginning. What made him so special?
 
Anyone heard about the alternate ending that was also shot?
It'll appear in the DVD versions later, and in YouTube no doubt.
 
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