I Am Legend

If I was to use one word to describe this film, that word would be "bland".

I'm not sure people really want to see Will Smith as Robert Neville, a tortured soul with the weight of the world on his shoulders. I don't think he pulls off the role in the acting department, a role that seemed a little too underwritten given the gravity of his situation. I think I wanted to see a little more depth in the character, and it just doesn't quite find the right emotional beats as a foundation for the character, but I kind of blame that on the director, for not overcoming the screenplay.

I'm actually surprised that Neville survived as long as he did (up to the point that the film begins, as it would take eternal vigilance to keep safe in his environment.

The film opens up decently, but gets progressively worse as it loses steam, and dramatic heft. The 3rd act is pretty poorly written, like the writers had a word limit on the dialogue or something.

Oh, and then I find out Akiva Goldsman had a hand in producing this film, so most of the deficiencies of the film made more sense to me afterwards. I really need to learn not to see his films because he seldom is involved in films that appeal to my cinematic sensibilities.

I give it 2.5 stars, or a grade of C+.