I am Legend

We got the movie, I Am Legend, from Netflix yesterday and watched it in the evening (we missed seeing it in the theaters). It was really good, but I might give it more than a PG-13 rating, just because it is somewhat disturbing. It was NOT a movie for young kids, for the faint-of-heart, for those who tend toward apocalyptic thinking, or anyone who is disturbed by macabre, sad things.

People die in this movie. Animals die. There is violence, there is some “choice” language, there is a host of disturbing images. There is no sex or nudity which catches the attention of the censors.  Personally I find the violence less easily dismissed than an occasional glimpse of skin.

I don’t think it’s more violent than (for example) The Matrix (which was rated R and had brief nudity and sexual content), but I think it has a more immediate, urgent sense of danger, a more personal unease it engenders. This one is in great part about relationships, sanity and the ability of humanity to destroy itself. A film with a similar sense of the fine balance between sanity and insanity that comes from the isolation of being the only one left is The Good Earth, which is also available from Netflix. The Good Earth is not for kids or teens of any age… by the way. Much too intense in my opinion.

By the way, some (or most?) of these movies may be available from other services, but the only one I know of is Netflix. We use it, we like it.

Moving right along, before watching this movie, we had the children watch the precursors, on which this movie is based: The Last Man on Earth (Vincent Price) and Omega Man (Charlton Heston). The new movie incorporated the best parts of the previous movies, and added some more modern touches to give it a reality that was missing (I thought) in the others. Perhaps at the time, the earlier movies had similar effect. By having them watch the earlier ones, which were less realistic, they were hopefully more prepared for some of the sadder portions.

Finally, I have enjoyed watching Will Smith develop as an actor over the years.  His comedic timing comes into play in this movie in unexpected ways, breaking up the intensity to make it just (barely, for me) tolerable.  At the same time, he carries himself with dignity and a fair amount of weight as the potential savior of the world, aware of his importance and mission.  Without his impeccable performance, I believe the movie would have been overly dark, and less believable.

I think if you are a fan of Will Smith, this movie will please you.  If you like dark, action-packed, apocalyptic movies, it might seem a bit tame, but it has enough content to entertain.

For older teens (or mature younger teens with parental presence and discussion) and up.

I revised this on 30 March 2008 to clarify and add details.