Theatre of the Dead #14 - I am Legend (2007)

Director: Francis Lawrence Stars: Will Smith, Alice Braga

Review:

I am Legend (2007) is a movie adapation of the 1954 novel in the same name written by Richard Matheson, which is the inspiration of the whole zombie idea, and influenced even Night of the Living Dead (1968). It stars Will Smith and showcases some beautiful visual. But I hate this movie. To me this movie is pointless and un-necessary, and nothing more than a ATM for the production company to milk the movie-goers.

The only man around wandering on abandoned empty street?

I understand it based on the novel, but I couldnt help but feel it just captured the success of 28 Days Later, and the production said, "You know what, I can make a better movie with higher production value!" The main idea surrounds Will Smith being the last man on earth and his loneliness, which very much like the first half of 28 Days Later. It did nothing that hadnt been done, and despite that fact that the visual is better and it shows the whole New York city being abandoned, but I feel sick knowing there is no heart in it and the whole thing is solely for the production to cash in.

Will Smith's acting has always been screaming commercial to me. He is not bad and on the contrary, he is really good, but it makes you feel it is cold and calculated in every possible way for you to pay to get into the theatre. He makes everybody like him, and that is evidence of lacking personality. There goes the right word which I have been searching to describe this movie. This movie has no personality. It is carefully calculated that most of the crowd would walk in and pay, and that is all this movie cares.



The movie starts with some Dr. being interviewed on TV about her new vaccine or something. Apparently it's a virus that has genetically engineered to help human rather than do harm. It poses good theory that some experts actually praises the high possibility that it actually happens. I am no expert in bio-chemistry and all I care is what does it have to do with the movie. And you know what? Absolutely nothing. It can be the some research for new Viagra which went wrong and that would not make any difference. The zombies here are afraid of daylight, but does it matters anything? Nope. It just makes excuses for our hero to hang out during daytime.

You were hurt so bad that could get up? Damned!

The plot is alright with some moments that can be nitpicked. When Will Smith is trapped (and Yes, trapped by the zombies), and paralyzed his legs, he used his hands to drag himself away. But we have only seen him hurt in one leg. Cant he jump with a single leg or something? So he dragged himself for a while, under some screaming of the zombies coming, and after a while he finally jumped with a single leg. Why didnt he do that at first? Is he so hurt that he would rather be eaten by the zombies?

Oh so you can. Maybe you just wasnt in the mood back then.

Towards the end he met some other survivors, who told him there is a whole survivor's colony up on the north, since the virus wouldnt stand the cold. "How did you know that?" Will Smith asked. "God told me so." Oh great. Evangelicalism in "Signs" (2002) style. If God can be so specific to tell you the whole fact, why havnt he told you the cure of the virus directly? Oh right it is because Will Smith that should become legend, not you. Whatever.

"God told me." If I start praying now will God tell me the next lottery number?

And zombies can lay traps. Ok I can deal with that. But zombie that have a wife and cares about her? Remember all those moments a zombie bite off the flesh of its loved ones? Remember the gravity of one become a mindless corpse that have no feeling but hunger and eat anyone he sees, even his family? And now one that is emotionally comprised and cares about his women?

I am Legend (2007) is nothing about a trap to make us take our money from our pockets. It is so derivative that I despise it. And I know that it may be supposed to talk about nature and how wrong we are to alter it with science, and I call that whole idea bullshit. It is a block-buster movie and that's it. Zombie movies so far were low-budget and bold to display gore and violence, and this movie has no balls. That single fact could make it lame.

The Darjeeling Limited (2007)

Director: Wes Anderson Stars: Owen Wilson, Adrian Brody, Jason Schwartzman

Review:

Three brothers that have not spoken to each other for a year went for a spiritual journey in India, to become brothers again. The elder brother Francis have it all planned out, which means sightseeings and meditations. All three brothers have their own reasons of coming to India and hesitations to share with each other. But the journey which the other two brothers Jack and Peter thought to be only a formality to comfort Francis, turned into a quest for facing their past and bond.

Very Indian style train journey, in the Western eyes I must say.

On the first viewing of this movie I get a bit lost and do not know what is going on or what it is trying to tell. Nothing really exciting happens. There are some comedic moments on the Caucasions meeting India culture, but that's it. But on the second viewing I compare it to Lost in Translation (2003), in which both involves people sortof trapped in un-familiar culture, changing from alienated to attracted by the culture, and the establishment of bonds with each other.

Francis (Owen Wilsoon), despite passionate about bonding, was upset about Peter (Adrian Brody) using his belt.

The exposition in the beginning was done in a way with multiple layers. We know the facts by the brothers telling another, ending with the phase "do not tell the other". Besides telling us what they were going through, it shows that they do not trust each other. They have complains with each other that Francis is always trying to decides for the others, Peter is depressed on having a new-born baby, and Jack is struggling with his own relationship. The changing point here is that they came across a group of kids, doing honestly I dont know what in the river, were in danger. They tried to save them but one could not be savaged. The three brothers attended the funeral, and related to the funeral of their father, in which I imagine they did not attend fully.

It is a little hard to review this movie because you do not know actually what you have learned, but that maybe the whole beauty of it. We witness things and encounter situations, and we got matured. Thinking back of what we have learned from those experiences, we could not tell for sure but we have changed.  That is the feeling this movie gave me. At the end they threw away the packages which contained things of their deceased Dad, symbolising they have thrown away their burden and their attachment to their past father.

However the India overtone that many people appreciate did not work out for me, maybe because I am an Eastener and India culture is not so distant to me. It does polish up India a lot, or else I wouldnt think you would stand it. Overall, I do enjoy Lost in Translation more, considering I am fasincated with the Japanese culture so much more. The Darjeeling Limited is for one that would like to take a spiritual journey.