I am Legend
Unfortunately, I have not read the book yet but, being as it is sort of a zombie movie, my husband dragged me to see it opening weekend. I must admit that the premise intrigued me. I’m a moderate sci.fi. fan, and a huge fan of the apocalyptic/distopian genre. I just don’t like to be scared out of my wits every so often while I’m watching an otherwise interesting movie. At any rate, I am Legend ended up offering a lot to interest me, aside from an entertaining plot.
Now, I’ll preface my review by saying that I’ve heard that the movie departed widely from the novel, so don’t take my review of the film as an endorsement of the novel. (By the way, I’ll be heading over to the book store this afternoon to purchase a copy, since I just received a gift card from an administrator at work.)
The first surprise in the film comes during a flashback to when the main character was sending his wife and daughter away so that they would be safe from the infection. As he puts them on the military helicopter, they hold hands and bow their heads and say a quick prayer, the words of which we actually hear. I know. Rare for a film unless they are trying to make a point about how futile prayer is or how ludicrous Christians are.
Towards the end of the film, the filmmaker suggests that God’s hand has been at work in the midst of the horrible things that have happened in the world as a result of this virus. Although the main character initially denies the existence of God, he does state that the virus is not the work of God. He also eventually comes to believe that God really has directed his path. The end of the film is very exciting in this aspect, though I don’t want to reveal too much for those who might go see this movie now.
I will say that it also has its frightening moments. This is not a movie for children or the faint of heart (that would be me). But, if you have nerves of iron, or like to jump out of your seat occasionally, this one is well worth the trip to the theater or the rental fee in a few months.
December 17, 2007
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2 Responses
Great movie overall although the short story/book has a few points that I would have loved to have seen in the movie i.e the relativity of the terms “normal” and “monster”.
I’m going to agree that most movies which show prayer are showing it for the reasons that you suggest – to show how futile prayer is and how ludicrous Christians are. This time I feel that the prayer was shown and heard so that the viewer would have the idea that the main character and his family were ones of faith and to show how close they were to each other. It was a great moment in the film which I found to be very moving even though I’m not of the Christian faith.
And not to sound snarky but the phrase is “faint of heart” not “feint of heart”. Sorry
Grammar corrections are not at all snarky in my book. Thank you for that, and thank you for sharing your insights.
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