I Am Legend

I Am Legend was a blockbuster hit a summer ago. But, I waited until it came out on video to check this sci-fi thriller out. So now, here is my chance to kind of ramble on about it.

Will Smith did an excellent job portraying a scientist who is one of the last men on earth after a virus strain leaks through the world and kills off most of the population, turning them into zombies. Now, I was kind of skeptical to begin with since there are SO MANY zombie movies. Not all are even noteworthy. 28 Days Later was done very well. Great film. I can't think of another one that was worth watching again or mentioning here.

The movie did such a great job that I felt tense and scared the whole time. I felt so creepy and eerie that I wanted to get up and leave at points. I had this overwhelmingly weird feeling--a sign of a powerful movie.

I love the insertion of "Three Little Birds" and "Every little thing is gonna be alright" by Bob Marley. I love the insertion of music into books and movies. I feel like it makes the plot so much more dense. It gave this uplifting tone to the movie, that despite all, everything CAN be all right. Very strange juxtaposition though of Bob Marley, a pot-smoking raggae lover, and Will Smith and a zombie movie. It works though. Good choice.

Anyway, I thought it was well done. I'm sure the book was fantastic too. What I would like to comment on is this: Imagine that you're in Will Smith's spot. You wake up every day, knowing that every person you ever knew is dead, celebrities, family, friends, everyone, and you just keep living even though you are chased by zombies EVERY day. They chase you because they want to eat you and turn you into a zombie. You go through the motions just to survive, and in his case, to fix the problem. But for most of us, we're not scientists who can find the cure to change the world.

If you were in Will Smith's shoes, what would you do? Is it worth it to stay alive?

I know I'm sounding like a downer here, but I don't really see the point. I think life is beautiful--this earth is filled with so many different joys and experiences that make life worth living. But at that point, when everyone is dead, you have to fight for every ounce of food and shelther, running from zombies (and I am terrified of being chased), is life really worth it at that point? When he curls up in that bathtub with his dog and listens to the zombies preying on anything alive--that makes me think, what's the point? I'd be scared shitless. Screw that.

So what do you think you would do? I know it's hard to put yourself in that kind of situation, but I'm trying to be honest and realistic here. Movies make us think about ourselves in a situation, so I'm turning the tables on a very bizarre idea from this book turned movie. What do you think?