When R and I walked out the big Hoyts cinema, got into the car, the sun was almost down. Then R said " Let's get home quick, need to shut the windows!" I laughed and said "come on, we are back in the real world now, honey!"
Obviously he was affected by the movie we have just watched together, I AM Legend. For the record, I watched it twice in a day! one time with Chris, understandably as a parental guide even it is M-rated. The nice cinema staff always are loose on these rules as long as there are parents along. And with R, we planned this a week earlier like we always waited for the new release and try to get there not later than the 3rd day after. Well, he still got a money-saving option of watching it himself, only that kind of thing never will happen when based only on the excuse of my repeated participation. He enjoys the movie only with my company. So I reckon it is sweet and went, again.
The movie was a story about Robert Neville, (starred by Will Smith) as the only NY surviver of the vital virus which killed almost the whole population on earth, fought to the last breath to find the cure to rescue the human kind.
Will Smith is seen in this movie as a very mature actor by presenting his spectacular performance. His acting skill has improved with each new movie he made since Bad Boy 1, the debut by him which made him a star.
I was so impressed by his solo performance(if excluding the dog performance)in the first half of the movie when he is basically the only character in the scene except the small pieces parts when Robert was thinking back. Without correspondence and bouncing back lines with other characters, he successfully expressed the loneliness and scariness he has even as a tough guy himself. The tough guy fact actually only formed contrast to stand out more about the hopeless situation the character is in. This is a very demanding acting role and Will Smith nailed it right there!
The movie cleverly plotted the story in a way that draws the audience' intensive curiosity of what's goanna happen next, while it also timingly clears audience's doubts in the most natural way.
A few scenes that I would applaud for Will Smith.
One is when he was sending his wife and kid away, the tear work is done so well and it made me do a little of tear work myself too. He was trying to smile to tell his wife and kid that he would be all right when the tears poured down at the same time.
Second is when the German Shepherd dies. As an owner of a German Shepherd myself, I think that scene is sad when Sam(the dog) saved his master then got affected. Robert held her as a baby singing for her, but then had to kill her because she was affected by the virus too. Will Smith pulled an excellent pain look mixed with the ultimate anger for losing the only companion he has in the world at that scene.
And the other survivors finally appeared right after this scene when Robert was trying to kill himself overcome by the hopelessness after Sam's death. This is excellent plotting in the movie.
The sound effect and camera work are well done too. They, in a way, added strength to the scary effect.'
Of course, besides all the scariness, there were a few chuckles in the movie. For example when the dog is exercising on the treadmill with Robert; Robert lost his temper and blamed Anna for cooking his saved bacon; and also when he was doing Bob Marley singing. Those cracks the audience up a little in the middle of the intensity. Again, all these little comedy were plotted well and naturally.
I got to know the director of this movie Francis Lawrence in Constantine, played by my favorite star Keanu Reeves. It is not hard to see what he is good at making now.
Personally I think I AM A LEGEND entirely beats up the other movie in the same category War of the Worlds starred Tom Cruise and directed by Steven Spielberg who claimed the movie the perfect movie ever in its propaganda.
Not to mention the plotting, the acting, one thing that is proving enough is I AM LEGEND affects people right after the movie like what it did to R. When audience walk out of the cinema, see the real world, they will dramatically relate the surroundings to the story, while with War of the Worlds, walking out the cinema, I was trying to figure out why the movie ended so abruptly in such a logically ridiculous way when the giant monster was destroyed by the birds.
As a gal, I have to be honest about the fact that the physical attraction from Will Smith has undoubtly influenced most ofl the female audience. The touching-feeling arm muscle , sweating workouts when you can see the amazing abs, ha, well done, Will!