A few days ago Brian suggested a review of I Am Legend, the latest Will Smith movie. After seeing the film a couple of days ago I was even more eager to read Brian’s take on this thriller. Here’s part one of his review . Part two will be posted towards the end of the week. Enjoy.

If you haven’t seen Will Smith’s newest movie, the Post-Apocalyptic sci-fi/horror/thriller I Am Legend, then “I Am Surprised.” It set the record for best December opening weekend in history, outdistancing all of the Lord of the Rings installments. In just two weeks it grossed over $217 Million, making it the 7th biggest hit of 2007 (did I mention in two weeks). It’s currently the 64th highest grossing movie of all time, which doesn’t sound all that great until you realize that in two weeks it had already edged out such notables as Saving Private Ryan, Gladiator, Ratatouille, The Fugitive and Ocean’s Eleven. So maybe you haven’t seen this latest end-of-the-world-man-v-zombie-flick, but a lot of people have. And that’s one reason, among many, why it’s worth posting about.

Synopsis (no spoilers – if you’ve watched a trailer)

Military virologist Robert Neville (Will Smith) is the sole human survivor of a global pandemic spawned by Krippin Virus (KV), a bio-engineered cure for cancer that went horribly awry. An eerily abandoned New York City serves as the backdrop of Robert Neville’s daily struggle to survive. By day, he and canine companion Sam hunt deer in the overgrown streets of NYC, forage for supplies from abandoned apartments, and talk to mannequins at the local video store. By night, the pair hunker down in Neville’s über-fortified Greenwich Village brownstone. The picture of them cowering in the bathtub with an automatic rifle while bestial screams build to a crescendo outside pretty much says it all.

As it turns out, Lt. Col. Robert Neville is not entirely alone. Call them zombies, or vampires, or “Dark Seekers” (as they are in Legend), there are things other than animals that go bump in the night. Infected with KV, they’ve deteriorated into a sub-human brood of nasties. Daylight burns their skin, they shriek and growl viciously, and seem to have a taste for blood – particularly Neville’s. They don’t like his other hobby of hunting and capturing them in order to continue his scientific attempts to find a cure for KV. The tension builds as Robert Neville combats isolation, nature, and Dark Seekers while racing to find a cure. Which makes one wonder – is he going to set up a free clinic for zombies at Washington and Broadway?

History & Significance

While I Am Legend has all the trappings of a Hollywood money-making vehicle (Will Smith, holiday release, lots of special effects), this movie actually has a greater significance in the Post-Apocalyptic subgenre. It is based on a 1954 novella with the same name by Richard Matheson (if you’ve watched The Twilight Zone you’ve seen his work; only Rod Serling himself wrote more episodes). This short book detailed the tragic struggle of Robert Neville against a horde of vampires created by a bacterial pandemic.

Today the idea of a world-ending plague seems common in fiction, if not a plausible reality for the evening news. It was Matheson’s little book that started it all. Some of you will remember 1968’s Night of the Living Dead (and increasingly gory sequels). Its creators credit Matheson’s influence, as does Stephen King who said he wouldn’t be writing if not for Matheson. Influences can also be found in the popular Blade, Resident Evil, and 28 Days/Weeks movies. Besides indirectly spawning these franchises, Legend directly inspired three movie adaptations (The Last Man on Earth , The Omega Man, and I Am Legend), two graphic novels, and a video game.

As with any book-to-film adaptation, fanboys everywhere seem to have their complaints about how Matheson’s original story has been treated over the years. Truthfully, the newest film has definitely veered away from the plot of the original story, particularly when it comes to the ending. While upsetting to Matheson purists, I am less concerned about this artistic license, and more interested in the fact that over a half-century later people still desire to re-tell this story. How is it that this tale of disease, destruction, fear, and survival still speaks to our culture today? This seems to be a clue that those of us who are Christians should be looking at this film with our cross-cultural detective hats on, as opposed to our social and moral critic hats.

Unfortunately, I think some Christians won’t consider going to see I Am Legend. Post-apocalyptic films and their mutated/undead creatures, violence, and gore don’t play well with the churchy crowd. Which is odd, because before Matheson, didn’t the church endorse Daniel and Revelation (two Apocalyptic thrillers in their own right)? Vampires didn’t make an appearance in either of those books, but there were some scary demons and a lot of bloodshed. Revelation: The Director’s Cut would definitely get an R-rating. With humanity at war, dying, and enduring environmental doomsday it would be a pretty scary movie. Much more than I Am Legend.

Legend has it’s edge-of-your-seat moments, but is a far cry from your usual gory zombie movie. It’s actually a very smart, spiritual kind of movie. It entertains and frightens (kind of like the evening news), but once you scratch beneath the surface interesting questions arise.

• Will humanity biologically engineer itself to the edge of extinction?
• What would I do if I were the sole survivor of a such a disaster?
• How do we define humanity? Are the Dark Seekers human? Can you lose your humanity?
• Is God responsible for this disaster? Is he even around to care?

Actually that last question wasn’t left for implication; it was blatantly asked and part of a spiritual theme woven into the fabric of the movie. If you’ve read the reviews, some people were very disappointed because of the blatantly Christian overtones and trite sentimental message that developed in the last part of the movie. Huh?!? From a novella that inspired The Night of the Living Dead and Steven King?

Yeah. This might be the first ever “Christian” zombie flick. I don’t think the screenwriters had a theological ax to grind, nor did they use this as a slick marketing campaign to attract Christian viewers (think The Passion, The Chronicles of Narnia, and Evan Almighty). But the spiritual element is there, and a big departure from the original novella and previous movie adaptations.

Ok – so now you have to go see it, don’t you? Please do. (Unless Lord of the Rings made you squeamish – then this movie might not be for you). And then come back in a few days for my analysis and reaction to specific parts of the film.