2007 - Rated PG-13 - 1 h 51 min
Director: Francis Lawrence
Starring: Will Smith, Alice Braga, Charlie Tahan, Salli Richardson-Whitfield, Willow Smith
I watched the movie, read the book, and was surprised by the differences. The basic idea is the same: one man alone in a world of vampire-like disease-ridden people. He's lonely, he's fighting to stay alive. In the book he's not a scientist, nor does he go down quite like the movie shows it. Still, I liked the modern updates, the revamp this story gets.
While I don't like the way they redo the meaning of the titl. In the book, he becomes the "legend" to a society of vampires who fear him, like a bogeyman. In the movie, he becomes the "legend" for finding what could become a cure. The basic details of his life are the same, however, and so this story at its core is about one man on his own and what can happen in such extreme circumstances. It's compelling, either on film or on the page. I think both deserve to be held separate and appreciated.
And that scene with the dog still gets me every time.
Will Smith was awesome in this and it was great until that woman showed up and it all fell apart. The ending just annoyed me.
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