Tom Pheby delves into his DVD collection and picks out the lone Will Smith movie, I Am Legend.
Now before we get going
on this one I have a confession, I don't like Will Smith as an actor!
There, I've said it. For me he's never added value to anything he's
appeared in. I wised up to his antics after Men in Black,
which was just an excuse to let him be street wise and mildly
amusing, and he has grated on me ever since, he's about as welcome in
my lounge as dry rot!
The trouble with Smith
is that in film terms he has become Cod and Chips, enjoyable on the
odd occasion but not something you want or need on a regular basis.
He's either typecast, cast as a type or has scripts especially
written to showcase his particular brand of pithy urban humour. Often
it's a mixture of all three, and that's why he dies upright in most
films he's made.
So with that in mind
imagine my surprise in 2007 when I am Legend was released. I
felt compelled to watch this science fiction horror flick, but I
already had a preconceived idea about what I was going to see. I
waited for Smith to traipse on to set as 'The Fresh Prince of
Bellend' and deliver yet another cool but unsatisfying performance.
But I am Legend bucks the trend and stops the Smith cinematic rot.
Initially I was a little annoyed with myself for liking it, because I
was so used to my Will Smith bashing ways.
Smith plays Military
Virologist Robert Neville, the man at the centre of a drama featuring
a contagious and unstoppable mutating virus which requires the
evacuation of New York City. Based on Richard Mathesons novel, and
directed by Francis Lawrence, I am Legend certainly conveys
the loneliness and desperation of being the soul survivor in the Big
Apple. There are poignant scenes such as when Neville goes to a local
video store and interacts with various mannequins just to create some
form of normality, but it appears to us like he may well be losing
his sanity.
Neville has to limit
his forays into the desolate city centre and ensure he's back before
nightfall or risk encountering the skulking mutants lurking in the
dark corners of abandoned apartment buildings. He has succumbed to
rituals that now govern his solitary existence, and these include
trying to contact the outside world and attempting to discover a cure
for the virus. Then we are curious observers to his peculiar night
time regime, locking down all possible entry points and bizarrely
choosing to sleep in the bath with his faithful dog Sam.
Smith's character
manages to abduct a live female mutant to pioneer a cure, but this
upsets her obsessive, aggressive mutant partner who seeks reprisal.
It would appear that even mutants have feelings, and as the
antagonist looks to recover his partner from the 'hip and happening'
virologist, it leads to an excellent, pulsating finale.
There are some
interesting questions raised by I am Legend as it tries to
play with our own thoughts and feelings. If we were unlucky enough to
find ourselves under similar circumstances, how would one adapt to
the endless loneliness without losing a sense of reality or
perspective? It's a disturbing and brilliant film, which exceeded my
expectations of Smith's acting ability. Although with his track
record, just as I find a reason to like him, he'll no doubt go and
make something that I comprehensively detest, so I can resume my
normal outlook on his dubious CV.
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