Cool News
Mild Mannered Reporter Considers I AM LEGEND!!
Merrick here...
Mild Mannered Reporter sent in this extremely positive look at I AM LEGEND.
I've known this guy for some time - he's easily one of the coolest, most decent folks I've ever met. Of greater relevance, though: he's not a plant, and he knows his Sci Fi/horror/fantasy/kitsch/etc. better than many of us ever will.
With this in mind...
Here's Mild mannered Reporter...
Hi everybody,
well, I saw "I am legend" yesterday. Before you scroll down to the actual review, please use the search engine on this site to check out my other reviews. They should clearly indicate that I am a miserable old coot with no life, a deep rooted hatred of Hollywood schlockbusters, and a sincere conviction that a) Akiva Goldsman should burn in hell, and that b) the Fresh Prince just isn't an action star, not matter how much he pumps up (to Dolph Lundgren-esque proportions by now).
I have followed the development of this movie since the time it was supposed to star Schwarzenegger (a story perfectly retold in "The greatest sci-fi movies never made" - buy it!). I know the original story, I have the Vincent Price version (odd, but strangely satisfying), I love the Charlton Heston version (I'm a kid of the 70's - sue me), and I recently listened to the superior BBC radio adaptation. All of which should strongly indicate that I went into this screening with a desire to hate whatever the director of numerous J-Lo videos, the writer of "Batman & Robin", and the lead actor from "Wild Wild West" were going to throw at me.
And yeah - it started tacky enough: Loads of attention grabbing shots of a digitally depopulated New York coupled with a "chase scene" that combines Fast & Furious-style driving with distractingly obvious CGI animals.
But then the movie proper started - and man, it's a BLAST! I don't care what everybody else says, but this bitch ROCKS. Not just because they actually manage to build a plausible backstory (even for the "vampires"), and give the scenario an atmosphere of dread and isolation. No, "I am legend" works because despite all the action sequences and FX fireworks, it's still very much the story of a lonely man incapable of accepting fate. The finer details of the script are too numerous to list here, but if you look for it, everything in the movie has a subtext, a mirror opposite, or some deeper connection. Mankind brings the plague upon itself, and every time things take a turn for the worse, someone has caused it. Even Robert Neville is responsible for everything karma throws at him, and when his carefully balanced world starts to unravel, it's strictly because he made mistakes, ignored facts, slipped up.
I can not praise Wil Smith enough in this one - his Robert Neville is a man clearly trying to hold on to his sanity, but man, it is slipping. You can see that his strict daily fitness and security schedule is the only thing that keeps him from going totally bonkers. And when things go from bad to worse (well, in this case from worse to worst), he rapidly unravels. He is no hero. He is frightened, mad, alone, desperate, hateful.
That's another thing: Despite the big budget, big property, and big star, "I am legend" is not a heroic blockbuster. It's almost - intimate. There, I said it. Robert Neville might be a trained scientist and soldier, and he is trying to save mankind, but he is also a lost soul. Again, it's all in the
details: His daily radio call to find other survivors ends with "Please...
you are not alone". And in the "please" we feel his pain, because: HE is alone.
I was stunned how well Goldsman and Protosevich have not only updated the original script, but filled out all the blanks, eliminated a ton of inconsistencies, and elevated it from a "survivor movie" to a deeply affecting human drama. Only after seeing this film did I realize how unsatisfying the previous adaptations were.
Apart from the core drama, the action scenes are really well done, with enough pizzazz to satisfy die hard movie fans, bit also enough restraint to make them plausible and real (no Michael Bay style editing here). There is also actual suspense built into the action scenes - the "dog attack" is nothing short of stunning. I also liked the way they told the backstory fast, and integrated it into the movie. Zero fat, folks.
You may not want to hear this, but "I am legend" is a blockbuster remake that actually stands head and shoulders above the original.
Is it a perfect movie? No. The decision to depict the "vampires" as agile CGI creatures was a big mistake. They sap a lot of the reality out of the movie. And they are not very well done, with unconvincing movements and distracting facial tics.
And while Neville is never painted as a messiah (see the ending of the Heston version), some unnecessary references to religion and faith could've been eliminated. But that's a matter of personal taste. The story also requires Neville to be immune to the virus, a bigshot soldier, AND a proficient scientist. That's a bit much.
I was going to list numerous references to "Ground zero" as a drawback, but thinking about it, "I am legend" actually uses the analogy to its advantage:
Seeing Robert Neville in a depopulated city, saying "This is Ground Zero!
This is my site! I can still fix this!" works on numerous levels...
Final verdict? I am STUNNED. This is better than it has any right to be.
While it is not (and was never supposed to be) a true adaptation of the Matheson story, it delivers on the potential and dramatic power of the source material. For anyone who claims that big movies can be big entertainment, but not quality entertainment - this one should shut them up.
well, I saw "I am legend" yesterday. Before you scroll down to the actual review, please use the search engine on this site to check out my other reviews. They should clearly indicate that I am a miserable old coot with no life, a deep rooted hatred of Hollywood schlockbusters, and a sincere conviction that a) Akiva Goldsman should burn in hell, and that b) the Fresh Prince just isn't an action star, not matter how much he pumps up (to Dolph Lundgren-esque proportions by now).
I have followed the development of this movie since the time it was supposed to star Schwarzenegger (a story perfectly retold in "The greatest sci-fi movies never made" - buy it!). I know the original story, I have the Vincent Price version (odd, but strangely satisfying), I love the Charlton Heston version (I'm a kid of the 70's - sue me), and I recently listened to the superior BBC radio adaptation. All of which should strongly indicate that I went into this screening with a desire to hate whatever the director of numerous J-Lo videos, the writer of "Batman & Robin", and the lead actor from "Wild Wild West" were going to throw at me.
And yeah - it started tacky enough: Loads of attention grabbing shots of a digitally depopulated New York coupled with a "chase scene" that combines Fast & Furious-style driving with distractingly obvious CGI animals.
But then the movie proper started - and man, it's a BLAST! I don't care what everybody else says, but this bitch ROCKS. Not just because they actually manage to build a plausible backstory (even for the "vampires"), and give the scenario an atmosphere of dread and isolation. No, "I am legend" works because despite all the action sequences and FX fireworks, it's still very much the story of a lonely man incapable of accepting fate. The finer details of the script are too numerous to list here, but if you look for it, everything in the movie has a subtext, a mirror opposite, or some deeper connection. Mankind brings the plague upon itself, and every time things take a turn for the worse, someone has caused it. Even Robert Neville is responsible for everything karma throws at him, and when his carefully balanced world starts to unravel, it's strictly because he made mistakes, ignored facts, slipped up.
I can not praise Wil Smith enough in this one - his Robert Neville is a man clearly trying to hold on to his sanity, but man, it is slipping. You can see that his strict daily fitness and security schedule is the only thing that keeps him from going totally bonkers. And when things go from bad to worse (well, in this case from worse to worst), he rapidly unravels. He is no hero. He is frightened, mad, alone, desperate, hateful.
That's another thing: Despite the big budget, big property, and big star, "I am legend" is not a heroic blockbuster. It's almost - intimate. There, I said it. Robert Neville might be a trained scientist and soldier, and he is trying to save mankind, but he is also a lost soul. Again, it's all in the
details: His daily radio call to find other survivors ends with "Please...
you are not alone". And in the "please" we feel his pain, because: HE is alone.
I was stunned how well Goldsman and Protosevich have not only updated the original script, but filled out all the blanks, eliminated a ton of inconsistencies, and elevated it from a "survivor movie" to a deeply affecting human drama. Only after seeing this film did I realize how unsatisfying the previous adaptations were.
Apart from the core drama, the action scenes are really well done, with enough pizzazz to satisfy die hard movie fans, bit also enough restraint to make them plausible and real (no Michael Bay style editing here). There is also actual suspense built into the action scenes - the "dog attack" is nothing short of stunning. I also liked the way they told the backstory fast, and integrated it into the movie. Zero fat, folks.
You may not want to hear this, but "I am legend" is a blockbuster remake that actually stands head and shoulders above the original.
Is it a perfect movie? No. The decision to depict the "vampires" as agile CGI creatures was a big mistake. They sap a lot of the reality out of the movie. And they are not very well done, with unconvincing movements and distracting facial tics.
And while Neville is never painted as a messiah (see the ending of the Heston version), some unnecessary references to religion and faith could've been eliminated. But that's a matter of personal taste. The story also requires Neville to be immune to the virus, a bigshot soldier, AND a proficient scientist. That's a bit much.
I was going to list numerous references to "Ground zero" as a drawback, but thinking about it, "I am legend" actually uses the analogy to its advantage:
Seeing Robert Neville in a depopulated city, saying "This is Ground Zero!
This is my site! I can still fix this!" works on numerous levels...
Final verdict? I am STUNNED. This is better than it has any right to be.
While it is not (and was never supposed to be) a true adaptation of the Matheson story, it delivers on the potential and dramatic power of the source material. For anyone who claims that big movies can be big entertainment, but not quality entertainment - this one should shut them up.
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+ Expand All
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Book sounded really great, glad this turned out alright
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FIRST!
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about this movie..is for the first 6 minutes of TDK on IMAX. *slobber*
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Hard to take him seriously in anything.
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I just want an ending that gives the source material the justice it deserves
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Glad to hear Lawrence has delivered the goods, I really liked Constantine despite the outcry from the hardcore fans of that series. Just wish it would be a bit rougher with an R rating, thus darker as 28 Weeks Later was awhile back. Ah, well...will definitely be checking this film out a few times.
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ill wait for the dvd - the unrated (or R rated) directors cut - there always is one of those following an action movie now - especially now that all "adult" themed action movies are rated pg13 - its a general rule in hollywood - if the material reads as r rated make it into a pg13 movie - in the hopes that more people( kids) will go see it - i miss the 1970s, 80s and 90s - i digress - there are still r rated movies - but just crap like "saw" etc.
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That's really all I needed to hear. I'm there, Fresh Prince be damned.
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but first I need to water my PLANT!
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I'm ashamed to say I haven't read the book so I'm doing that before I see the film; something tells me I'm going to like the former a lot more.
CGI vampires are lame. CGI vampires that are some fucked up looking creatures are even worse. -
Anyone who uses the "it's not perfect but ..." approach to writing a review ought to be dragged out and shot in the face.
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...a true adaptation of the Matheson story" Why bother calling it I Am Legend then?
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Go buy the Omega Man, enjoy the Heston, grab your movie cash and enjoy this one fo nuthin.
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December 14 can't get here fast enough!
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Demanding that people not employ the "it's not perfect but . . ." approach to writing a review accelerates our descent into meaningless hyperbole by requiring all reviews to either describe something as perfect or terrible. Sometimes things really are imperfect, but enjoyable. In fact, that's really the best way to describe most good stuff.
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sorry.
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Heh, right on. I don't have much to say about this review except that I wish I were more surprised that there are still TalkBackers who insist the writer is a plant despite the fact that one of the site editors vouched for him and his history as a critic is all well-documented online. It's almost as if they want to hate this movie so badly that they think they can will him into being a plant. Anyway, I've never read the book and my natural reaction to all of Will Smith's blockbuster movies is a considerable dose of cynicism, but the previews do look intersting and I've been hoping that it turns out to be good. With any luck I'll wind up coming out of the theater agreeing with this review.
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I'm pretty interested in this, as long as its more I Robot than ID4
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this looks at least worth a watch, these people aren't happy with James Cameron, Spielberg, Lucas, Darabont or George Miller. What makes you think their irrational brains can concieve of this film being entertaining?
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Just askin'.
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... of course we want to hear it! We want this movie to be good. I just hope I (personally) agree with you after seeing it.
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The CGI vampires ruin it for me. Sorry, but there is no excuse to use them.
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I don't see any contests here.
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History repeats itself.
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'cause I'm gonna see it in IMAX and I want to see the Dark Knight trailer. (and I'm an idiot!) BTW, I read the Schwarzennegar version of the script years ago and it was an abomination; there's no way this is gonna be any good...
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Dec 07, 2007 1:46:15 AM CST
HA! But he didn't get to see the first 7 minutes! Which I did!
by iamnicksaicnsn
IT WAS FUCKING GLORIOUS. Better than anyone could have even fucking possibly imagined. I'm so totally confident in this movie now, it's insanity.
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2001: g
batman: mask of the phantasm: pg
batman begins: pgsuperman: pgblade runner: m15most hitchcock and wells: pg.AND diehard1: m15. -
Dec 07, 2007 3:19:19 AM CST
If not a true adaptation, then why mislead fans with the title?
by killakane
Not going to waste money on this, I'll wait for it to hit Sky.
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That's the funniest opening to a review this year.
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Nobody who reviews this answers that most important question! It's almost as if... sheesh, as if Smith never said it in the entire movie. Maybe A. H. N. is listed in the ending credits...
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AlienDie Hardcan't be arsed to continue with this.
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Or the collective nerdom will hunt you down and kill your disco ass. Great review sir.
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Plant!
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sounds like it could be alright. Trailer was good. Hard to top Heston though.
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Really, has to be. Also if this was not intended to be an adaptation of the Matheson novel then why use the title. This is a remake of Omega Man.
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Dec 07, 2007 7:34:42 AM CST
Well, if there is one thing that can help subside my hatred for
by otter
it was this review and the hope that this movie is actually all this reviewer has claimed it to be. It might even allow me to wash away the sin in my soul that was called "Wild Wild West".
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Dec 07, 2007 8:07:58 AM CST
You know the only way they're going to ever stop putting smith
by smackfu
in these movies is for us to stop going to see them...
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does this "rockin' bitch" have the ending found in the original story by Matheson...???
--G -
Hating on Kevin Smith...so the trend in AITC.
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because the story and the setting will make it work. I don't have a problem with Will Smith being the lead in the film, but I am worried about the CGI infected. There have way too many films that have featured very realistic looking "vampires" with only makeup (like Blade II and the 28 days films). All in all, I look forward to seeing the film.
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Robert Neville in the 1954 novel, was a police detective who had a brilliant driven scientist for a father. Neville was a college drop-out, and his father never forgave him. A sub-plot--very clever indeed--is Neville having to develop his natural scientific skills from *scratch* while dealing with: alcohol abuse, loneliness, and last but not least, cleaning dead vampire women off his lawn every frickin' morning. You've gotta hand it to Richard Matheson. Nobody was doing scifi character in the 1950's the way he did...well maybe Henry Kuttner, but that's about it.
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Dec 07, 2007 9:14:05 AM CST
"Never supposed to be a true adaptation"??
by guy who got a headache and accidentally
Well you could have fooled me, what with calling it I AM LEGEND and everything.
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What about the 6 minutes of 'Dark Knight' they ran before the movie?
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Has been edited to Aw (gunshot) Naw
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is it really that hard to make someone pale and put fangs on them, for gods sake? still want to see it though
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...is the new AWESOME. The movie is called "I Am Legend." Maybe the review should have been called "I Am Plant."
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Read this on ipecac.com the other day that the "voices" of the vampires were all done by Mike Patton! Given some of his more avant-garde work I think the creatures might be pretty creepy sounding!
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Wonderful, another missed opportunity at a great horror flick. Bring back the rubber prosthetics!!!
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I don't know what book you were reading. I have it on my night stand and have read it many times. Nowhere in the book does it state or even infer that Neville was a police detective or that his father was a scientist. Neville was a factory worker, a regular Joe, if you will. His did rebel agains his fathers logical clinical thinking.
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I mean the guy gets nominated for an Oscar now? I thought those were reserved for actors who actually can act and don't play themselves in every subsequent film they star in. Now with this film we're supposed to believe he's a scientist and a soldier? The guy can't even act like he's smart during interviews, cracking stupid jokes and never having anything real to say. Cmon.
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Can't even spell dumb anymore.
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Aw, hail naw
by Gforce1992 Dec 7th, 2007
09:23:43 AM
Has been edited to Aw (gunshot) Naw -
I have wanted to see this for a while now. The fact that a sci-fi fan with close knowledge of the material and an innate dislike of Will Smith still strongly enjoyed this film makes me even more excited to check it out. I'll be seeing this on an IMAX screen for sure.
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where they say that Smith does some of his best here, as the lone madman trying to stay sane. (think Cast Away, with "vampires") So it's not just this guy who's had a good review. I'll be seeing this opening weekend. I don't care what anybody says, I like Will Smith. Always have, from the tv show to Bad Boys, to ID4, to MIB, to Enemy of the State, to I Robot, to Ali (in which he DESERVED that Oscar nom), to Pursuit of Happyness...he's a great actor TO WATCH. He's not the best or anything, in fact mostly he's just popcorn fun, but I enjoy him onscreen. He's a cool, funny guy to go on some little adventure with. And every now and then he turns in an actual GOOD acting performance, like in Ali or Happyness. I've always supported Will (except for the WWW, MIB 2, and Bad Boys 2 phase, that was nonsense), and confess that as an 8th grader in '97 I got Jiggy wit it. The trailer for TDK will just be icing on the cake for me.
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BTW, like Lundgren, Smith got a scholarship to MIT. Which he turned down.
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it was all-hell-naw-some!
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you know what i meant. *need edit feature for us morons who don't check b4 we post*
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Wow, I was expecting much more negative feedback - Talkbacks are notorious for WANTING movies to fail. Just wanted to clear up a few things: The screening I attended did NOT have the TDK clip (DAMN!). The movie has a "sorta" happy end, and it's nothing like the book - it RESEMBLES the ending of the Heston movie, though. I believe that the credits after the movie actually confirm that it is "based on the original screenplay by", and not the novel (but my recollection is hazy on that one). It never occurred to me that this was PG rated, since the movie never ventures into territory where the rating would be an issue. The minor amount of gore and violence FELT entirely sufficient, and it's NOT a cop out on any level. And to those of you who still think I am a plant: suck my dick.
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I'm mixing up the Vincent Price character with the novel. VP was a detective or policeman of some sort, he was responsible for one of the pits, if I remember correctly. But...in the novel, Robert Neville's dad was some kind of accomplished person, not just a whiner.
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For two things:
1) Making me actually LOL with the following quote - "And to those of you who still think I am a plant: suck my dick." Well played sir, well played.
2) Making me feel a whole lot better about my excitement for this movie. Let me first go on record to say, I like Will Smith. I enjoy the pop-corn action flicks that he is often involved with (excluding WWW). I don’t think of them as good films, I think of them as good FLICKS, and there is a VERY big distinction between the two. That being said, when I saw the first preview I KNEW I needed to see this movie opening weekend.
As I learned more about the premise of the story I Am Legend I opted to read the story. I loved it. I thought it was an amazing departure from the traditional vampire lore. I also thought it was an intense look at one man’s struggle to maintain his sanity when facing two distinct horrors. One, having no human contact for three years, and facing the fact that he could possible be the ONLY human left in the world. And as if that was not enough of a total mind fuck, he must contend with being hunted (and haunted) but vampires every night. How someone could manage this without dropping his basket is almost beyond comprehension.
After reading the book, and seeing the previews (which are chocked full of action, and don’t reflect on much of the torture Neville faces) I resigned myself to the fact that this version of I Am Legend would be far more action packed, and a definite deviation from the feel of the book. After reading your review, I feel confident that the movie balances these two opposing forces. It sounds as if Will Smith’s was able to tap into the acting talent shown in 6 Degrees, Ali, and Happyness, to show the vulnerability and desperation that was the essence of Matheson’s Neville. In contrast to resorting to the ID4, I Robot, Bad Boys (all FLICKS that I enjoyed) carbon copy Will Smith persona.
You sir, have made my day. I will see the movie (in IMAX for the TDK preview) opening weekend and look to enjoy seeing Will Smith’s mentally tortured and deteriorating take on Robert Neville move on to KICK SOME VAMPIRE ASS!
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Can someone tell me how to leave spaces between paragraphs? Thanks.
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The "book" (which is actually more of a lengthy short-story) is terrific. The last line of the story is its title - how kewl is that? Anyhoo, lay off Willy. This sounds pretty good.
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Hey, you know us TB'ers. When a second review comes out that is wildly positive, following an initial negative review, the first impulse is to respond, " I better PLANT my feet firmly to the ground to see this movie..my doctor told me I should have more PLANT fiber in my diet..I better PLANT PLANT my PLANT PLANT PLANT PLANT." Just sayin'. By the way I don't think you're a PLANT.
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I'll give this a quick Test Run. I’m going to try it a couple ways to make sure I understand. Test #1: hitting enter, putting in the code then writing the next line =
Or, Test #2: typing one line, then just putting in the code then typing the next line.Now lets see which worked.
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Why weren't you SoupSpitter in the review? I smell bullshit. Merrick, is this the REAL MMR?
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for this movie, like with Wild West? Jesus that was shit.
Here Ize am all alone in the city
Building's all crumbled and nothing looks pretty
Nighttime comes, to hide I'll go
Vampires, vampires, all HAIL NO -
Plant status CONFIRMED.
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... it's me. SoupSpitter is my Talkback nickname, and when I wrote my first review for AICN years ago, I decided to go with another nick. If you check my "30 days of night" review, you can see the pattern - I review as MMR, but I comment as SoupSpitter, since I can't be arsed to change my account. Oh, and I almost forgot: Yes, I find Smith's ears irritating as hell. I found myself thinking (during a very dramatic exchange in the movie, no less): "he should really have those fixed".
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You nasty ass vampire? Aw, naw you DINT! BLAM! No one ruins MAH jacket!
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Since you actually answered my question in a civil way. ;) I'm going to see the screening Monday in Atlanta, so this review has me more excited than before. Are there ANY non-CGI vamps in the movie? I've seen the shot in the commercial of the 4 vamps surrounding Will Smith - even they looked a little fake and straight outta Blade 2 (which should go a long way with Harry).
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No problem. I watched Last Man On Earth again the other night. Price's character, for some reason his name is changed to Robert Morgan, is a scientist in that film adaptation. The script for Last Man On Earth was written by Richard Matheson using the pen name Logan Swanson. Oddly enough Heston was at one time looking to addapt a novel titled Progeny Of The Adder, published in '65, in which he would have played a cop tracking down a vampire in D.C. I read it recently and it was VERY similer to The Night Stalker. I'm surprised the author of Night Stalker, Jeff Rice, didn't get sued, it's that similer, in my opinion.
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... that I got all your hopes up way too high, and that you'll kill me if you don't enjoy the movie as much as I did. @ Abin Sur: I think that some really basic shots (four vamps standing in the dark, their backs to Neville; a female vamp lying on an operating table) may have been actors in makeup, but these days, that's hard to say. Mostly, they are jumping and clawing and hissing in a way that only really mediocre CGI can provide...
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Vampires, Vampires, ahh hail no." Abominalbe Snowcone FTW. ROFL!
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Just curious, did you go into this with very VERY low expectations..because thats one positive review.
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... well, read the first paragraphs again - I went in with every intention of hating this movie. I came out loving it. And yet - I HATE it when that happens. Emotions are a very strange thing...
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Good enough for me, sir. I got some sneak preview tix for Monday...
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Sometimes when going into a movie with very low expectations, if it turns out better than you expected, it colors your attitude toward it. It may make a passable movie better than it was in your opinion.
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I wouldn't actually rule that out - maybe the movie is just good, and "just good" was so far removed from my expectations that I mistook it for "fucking brilliant". I am interested to read about other AICN readers' opinions...
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Now if I DON'T like this movie, I'm going to hunt you down and beat you senseless with a copy of Matheson's book.
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What city are you gonna be seeing the sneak peek in?
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Michigan
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I detect bias.
Alvin, Simon and Theodore (especially Theodore) are about to beat Will Smith ans shock you all. -
'Specially cuz the munks get all gansta up in his ass. Yo Alvin..
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I'm pretty excited, despite the mixed reviews coming out about it.
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Dec 07, 2007 3:50:00 PM CST
While it is not (and was never supposed to be) a true adaptation
by bgdawes
Lame. I almost bought this guy's story at first before I read this 'tell' of his that proves he's a planty mcplanterson. If it was "never supposed to be a true adaptation of the Matheson story" then don't call it 'I Am Legend' for fucks sake! It's really a shame that a book as good as I Am Legend couldn't have a faithful adaptation after three fucking attempts...
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Correct!
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and the concensus seems to be that the shitty vampire CGI kills anything else this had going for it.
and even though i didn't like all that was in the old script (with the orc-like race of hemocytes) the science behind it made more sense, and as a whole sounded better than what i'm reading this version went with. although i have to say the script where the 'bad guy' is impaled and struck by lightening...sucked major -
his acting skills, it's hard to believe that he's good in a role that requires so much range and isolated screen time. Pursuit of Happiness, Hitch, WWW, MiB, I Robot, Bagger Vance (probably one of his worst performances) etc all show Smith as mediocre at best. Heavy in the melodrama with shallow interpretations of human emotions/reactions and no depth in his performances. No sense of a genuine person living in his characters. I should clarify that he's not nearly as bad as say a Mario van Peebles or any cast member from an Aaron Spelling series but I'd be really surprised if he's as good as Mild Mannered Reporter states.
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I've gotten too bored with the cartoonish looking CGI in movies. It's something I don't understand. Way back in 1997, the CGI in Starship Troopers seemed better than most of what I see today.
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...PLEASE buy a ticket for something else. Hell, buy a ticket for something else even if you are going to see this P.O.S. in name only version of a GREAT book!
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While randomly accusing anyone that doesn't constantly bad mouth and prejudge movies to death of being a plant is fun and all, do none of you remember David Manning? You probably shouldn't, because he never existed. Sony Pictures invented him to give positive reviews of their movies, but when they were caught it led to massive amounts of bad PR, and it's believed to have made several of their movies released soon afterwards flop. Now, imagine all that, only in the days of YouTube, MySpace and endless pointless news stories on CNN, and blatantly made-up news on Fox News, and add in the person hired to do all this, demanding that people perform oral sex on him if they do not believe his lies? There is absolutely no way, any company would risk that much bad PR over the extra three tickets that a positive review on a notoriously unreliable web site (Godzilla '98 is the single greatest movie ever made, just as a for instance.) might bring in.
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You're all so focused on hating everything released by anyone that you can't stand the fact that someone actually allowed themselves to enjoy a movie instead of spending the full two hours thinking of brand new baseless complaints about the fact that a production involving hundreds of people not fitting exactly to your personal vision for a novel that's existed for longe then everyone here has been alive, most likely, and been interpreted by more people that will be swayed by a poorly planned spiel about the problems of trying to be entertaining instead of simply making a page for page adaptation of something that was not intended as a movie.
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has a poster out.
It's the flick with the killer
PLANT! -
"Way back in 1997, the CGI in Starship Troopers seemed better than most of what I see today."
yeah seriously, what the hell? i too remember graphics of that time being better ....maybe because they were still imperfect- like the world- where as now they are sooo damn clean and detailed and accurate they stick out from the film quality itself. this shit has to stop. -
The STARSHIP TROOPERS CGI is exemplary - really great work. But I think it works because a) Verhoeven's films have a very particular photographic sheen to them, b) because they are arachnid creatures rather than humanoid, and c) because they kept them grounded by the laws of physics. CGI turns to CG-Why? because a lot of film makers think let's have our digital creations leaping around, bouncing off walls, and all that other nonsense! The eye spots unrealistic motion quicker than it spots unrealistic texturing.
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Top three films ruined by OTT CGI... VAN HELSING, ATTACK OF THE CLONES, SPIDERMAN 3.
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... I would add that the human eye also registers CGI flaws much faster in humanoid characters. We are so used to imperceptibly judging weight, proportion, speed and motion, that it is still VERY hard to fool our instincts. And "I am legend" gets up close with critters, allowing you to practically count the pixels. But since the vampires are not the core of the drama, they are less distracting than in, say, Van Helsing. And I do think that the fake lions and deer in the opening sequence are worse.
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Read the book. Have you been in contact with Matheson? How do you know it was never intended to be a movie? If you read the book you will see that it is one of the most filmable novles ever written. So much so that you could, litteraly, use the book as the script. We just want a faithful adaptation of the novel. I don't think anyone here is trying to dump on someone for enjoying a movie. I enjoy a lot of bad movies. But I admit that they're bad, but I enjoy them anyway. Saying you enjoy something, and saying it's good, or great, are two completly different things. If you think that a studio is not above using a plant to help recoup what is going to be well over 200 mil, after advertising, distribution and other post production costs, then you are quite naive.
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I said that a paid plant would never tell you to perform oral sex on them, and that not every person that enjoys a movie is a plant.
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It's true! I saw a commercial where a critic said that "I Am Legend" is an Oscar contender!
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Hummers and flat screens and an inexplicably fortified compound, oh my. The original script sucked. I don't care how even-handed and knowledgeable this reviewer is, I just refuse to believe that Akiva Goldsman could make a bad thing better.
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Again, I have no problem with someone enjoying a movie, good or bad, but only if they make a judgement call as to the quality of a movie. I have no reason to think that the poster or editors of this site should be above reproach. Seriously.
I realize that faithful novel to screen adaptations are rare. Sometimes the source material demands alteration in order to create a cohesive screen narative. And I whould have not have had as big a proble with this film as I do IF they had not called it I Am Legend. As many of the people who have posted have stated, why call it I Am Legend if it is not supposed to be the novel. In this case the novel offers an excelent chance to make a strict novel to screen translation, if anyone bothers to read it. To state that movies will always be different from the books is to make a statement as to what will happen in the future which, unless you are a prophet, I don't think you are qualified to do. Will some films be faithful to their source material and some differ widely from it, yes. But this is a case where it did not have to be this way. These changes were made out of hubris and ego, nothing more. If the studios didn't think the title I Am Legend would sell why use the title this time? I would have had no problem with this film if they had called it The Omega Man, which it is. -
I read John Logan's run on this material years ago. I quite liked it. It was set in L.A.
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i gotta know, i just gotta know
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depends on the fate of the dog. If he lives, i'll see it, if he don't, i won't.
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With lots of space to run. ;-)
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You'd better not lie to me, 'cause i'll take my 8 dogs to see it on the opening day... They had a blast with Underdog
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I watched a screening on friday in leicster square, beina a huge fan of the original book, v prices adapt, omega man and even the graphic novel, I def had bad vybes for this movie, will smith being one of them!! but after the film ended I clapped and cheered....AWESOME and the review above is correct in every aspect...one thing ill add tho is the terror comes from the sound..SO GO WATCH THIS AT A DECENT CINEMA............Come out neville!!!!!!!!
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i'm confused....
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