WEEK OF GEEK SERIES: I AM LEGEND: PART VI

In this penultimate entry in our I AM LEGEND series, the Geeks of Doom staff offers up their thoughts on the film, which opens in theaters today. I Am Legend stars Will Smith and is based on the novel by Richard Matheson and well as the 1971 film adaptation The Omega Man.

I Am Legend is also opening in IMAX, so those of you who can catch it all the BIG screen will get a real treat — the prologue for The Dark Knight is running as a trailer before the IMAX screening.

Cinema Junkie
The Omega Man is one of my favorite films from Charlton Heston’s era of apocalyptic cinema. The Omega Man ranks right up there with Planet Of The Apes and Soylent Green. Every generation deserves its own version of Richard Matheson’s classic I Am Legend. As much as I love The Omega Man, I cannot say I was upset with the news of another version. It has been in development hell for a long time. I am excited for this version with Will Smith, it looks like the most accurate version yet. Will Smith as Robert Neville, from the trailer it looks like he will bring his style to the role just as Heston and Vincent Price did in their films. Friday cannot get here soon enough.

Smed
By all accounts, after viewing in the trailer, I Am Legend seems to be a winner. It seems to have it all, which of course means that it may not have any of it (see Pearl Harbor). My biggest fear is not Will Smith mugging for the camera (which he is wont to do), but that the story will devolve into simple black and white elements and not be a complex morality play. Movies like this also need to pass the Twilight Zone test. If Rod Serling could have done it justice in 22 minutes, then it’s going to be bloated and overblown.

Dave3
Wanna know how I feel? Two words: I, Robot! Issac Asimov’s work is so near and dear to my heart that the very thought of a movie with robots running amok ATTACKING(!) humans, is COMPLETE and TOTAL disregard of Three Laws of Robotics –the very foundation of Asimov’s Universe… Ugh!! To be honest, the biggest reason I hated I, Robot was the titular association. They could have called it ANYTHING else, and I would have probably enjoyed it… freakin’ BAD ROBOT, CRAZED ROBOT, HIM ROBOT… Anyhoo, so here I am again in the exact same position. Braced against my bias for Will Smith in what will probably be an otherwise great movie. I don’t want to hate Smith. In fact, I’ve enjoyed him in a number of movies. But I really dislike that he’s okay with participating in complete bastardizations of revered geek fiction. If it’s any consolation, those of us who are familiar with I Am Legend should be satisfied with Smith’s fate… unless they decide to alter that too.

Movies At Midnight
After reading the novel and watching the two previous film adaptations, I fully anticipate this being another failed attempt at capturing Matheson’s story on celluloid. Sure, it’ll probably have some exciting action and catchy one-liners to add to the great Will Smith repertoire, but the real Robert Neville is not a one-liner kind of guy.

Empress Eve
Richard Matheson’s 1954 novel I Am Legend is one of my favorite books of all time, and while I thought the 1964 black-and-white film The Last Man On Earth was an enjoyable and mostly faithful adaptation of the book, I’m curious what a modern-day version will be like. I typically like Will Smith movies and I’m sure he can pull off playing the sole human survivor on Earth, but I worry about how CGI will come into play. The CGI could really ruin the entire movie. Also, the upcoming film is based only in-part on Matheson’s novel; the rest is taken from 1971’s The Omega Man … now that’s scary.

Henchman 21
I’m of two minds about this one. One side of me is really looking forward to it. It sounds like a cool story, and the previews look good. I’m all for a moody horror/action movie. The other side of me is disappointed because Will Smith is in it. Yes, Will Smith, who has gotten by playing the same character for the last decade and a half. My only hope is that with no other characters to interact with, his dialog will be kept to a minimum. I can hope can’t I?

WordSlinger
I have been waiting for this movie for a while. Matheson’s story is a great one, and even though the previews imply this movie will stray from the plot in places, the heart of the story remains the same. This is guaranteed to be the most original vampire story we’ve seen for a long time. Forget Salem’s Lot, 30 Days of Night, or any story about a town being attacked by a band of vampires. This is really the story of what happens after the vampires have already taken over the world, and how one man with barely a single shred of hope fights to hold out as long as possible.

Tony D, Hardcore Film Maniac
Why do I not want to see I Am Legend, you ask? Well, for many of reasons. One reason is because I just don’t want to see it. Another one is because it looks stupid, boring, and the special effects look like used toilet paper. Do you want another reason? Will Smith.

Disco Volante
I’m so sorry, guys. But I once again have to bow out of another ‘Gear Up’ feature because my family is going through a personal crisis. Coincidently, the crisis involves Will Smith.