i hadn't read into the movie at all beforehand and really was not too interested in seeing it...but a friend call about 20 minutes before the first showing on opening night and went...maybe that is why i loved to so much

12/17/2007 3:06:47 PM

Quote :

"Every night there would be a couple of dead ones outside his house from the group out there giving up and feeding on one of their own."

So why were they just outside his house if they didn't know that he lived there? Are (or I guess in the book) were there just so many of the zombies that they happened to be a few that were eaten outside of his house?

12/17/2007 3:07:07 PM

there were a few references to the extreme number of zombies...you could also hear them at night, i guess just "roaming" the city

12/17/2007 3:09:54 PM

^^ In the book, the vampires knew where Neville lived and they stopped by every evening. His house was fortified with plywood and garlic to keep them out.

12/17/2007 4:02:56 PM

like in Omega man

12/17/2007 4:25:10 PM

Quote :

"if you are going to start picking on every tiny flaw, don't forget... when he opened his closet and the Goodfellas DVD is obviously displayed...he grabs some stuff from the closet (and as he is closing the closet door the DVD is still in it) then leaves for the video store... you can then see him returning the DVD even though he left it home"

there is a difference b/w continuity flaws and plot holes

Quote :

""What was the purpose of the stuff (vinegar?) he'd pour on his doorstep and other things throughout the movie?" I had wondered this as well. It occurred to me that perhaps it was deer urine, like hunters use. It'd help mask any trackable scent of his or the dog's presence in the house."

i'm pretty sure the bottles were labeled "vinegar" unless you are thinking he refilled the empty bottles, which seems counterproductive

Quote :

"1) How are this woman and kid traveling at night?" Yeah, this one bothered me as well. I wondered if it might have something to do with their threat level to the monsters. If they weren't perceived as a high threat (like Neville), then they'd have been largely left alone."

when did they say they were traveling at night?

Quote :

"The one difference between not following him home after the trap and following him home after the pier is that one was dusk, the other was sunrise. At sunrise they are already outside and need to come in; at dusk they have to wait to come out still."

the peer seemed to be late at night, not dusk, could be wrong though. after the trap, the sun was still up, it was just casting shadows so large stretches of area would be sunlit.
i dont know about this point though, good question.

12/17/2007 7:28:43 PM

Quote :

"when did they say they were traveling at night? "

I think they said at night since she saved him at night . . . but it has already been discussed that she didn't show up just then, rather she had been there since noon . . . when he said he would be there.

Quote :

"the peer seemed to be late at night, not dusk, could be wrong though. after the trap, the sun was still up, it was just casting shadows so large stretches of area would be sunlit. i dont know about this point though, good question. "

In the movie just before the infected attacked his house he asked the woman if it was dark out when she brought him home and she said the sun was just coming up.

12/17/2007 7:48:02 PM

^, ^^
and they are already outside at sunrise at the pier
and haven't yet come outside at dusk (after the trap)

it's a lot easier to escape from being chased when you have a headstart--that is, when your chaser has to wait to chase you (dusk)

[Edited on December 17, 2007 at 9:44 PM. Reason : .]

12/17/2007 9:43:41 PM

Quote :

"when did they say they were traveling at night?"

Poor wording on my part. I assume they were actually traveling during the day. There is still the substantial question of where they were staying at night, but mostly what I meant was: How did they intervene at night when Robert was trying to commit suicide? I get that they had something that lit up real bright, but so what, especially when the film went out of its way to show that the darkseekers didn't respond merely to light, but to UV rays?

12/17/2007 11:10:31 PM

I got to see it tonight and it was actually better then expected.

Kind of glad sam died in the middle of the movie, because I would have had a harder time if they waited till the end to kill her.

I would agree that the ending was a bit weak. I think that most directors these days film a decent movie and when they get close to filming the ending they either run out of money or say "fuck it" its good enough.

Finally, for those of you who have not read "cell" by King, just wait for the movie and I know you will love his take on the zombie/survival series. Especially the ending.

12/22/2007 1:10:41 AM

^^^? I figured the liquid he put on the doorstep was ammonia to get rid of his scent.

12/22/2007 1:23:08 AM

if the dark seekers were smart enough to set that trap for him, why werent they smart enough to steal food out of some of the houses?

12/22/2007 10:26:17 AM

This was a pretty mediocre movie.

12/22/2007 11:52:47 AM

^^They fed on live flesh, so they weren't interested in regular food.

12/22/2007 3:06:56 PM

^^^I was under the impression that was one of his traps and he had just gone crazy and forgotten about it. They didn't seem to show enough intelligence to set a trap like that.

12/22/2007 5:00:44 PM

correct me if I'm wrong, I haven't read the book but weren't the "monsters" in the book more intelligent and actually learned from Robert Neville, which is why the trap was exactly the same as the one he set pretty much. the monsters in the movie might have been more intelligent than Robert Neville had thought.

12/22/2007 6:45:37 PM

In the books, the "monsters" that were intelligent were humans that actually looked like monsters. Neville was killing them without realizing it.

btw, the CGI was kinda on the shitty side, because the decision to use CGI instead of actors wasn't made under post-production. The director decided that actors in costumes that had been filmed didn't look real enough.

[Edited on December 22, 2007 at 7:06 PM. Reason : a]

12/22/2007 7:00:39 PM

^ that's pretty interesting. I wonder if the DVD special features will have what they originally look like or something.

12/22/2007 8:15:56 PM

^^No not entirely. In the book the mutations came in 2 forms, completely transformed, then partially transformed. The partially transformed had functioning brains, but had the strengths and weaknesses of the completely changed. So they couldn't go out during the day. Neville would go out during the day and try to kill off as many of them as he could so he'd have less to worry about at night. I won't go into anymore details in case someone is planning on reading the book, but it's safe to say that they show signs of learning in the book.

And this learning is basically what is hinted at with the guy looking out and showing anger at losing one of it's "monster" friends, and the trap that was set for Neville.

12/23/2007 1:35:40 AM

Quote :

"I was under the impression that was one of his traps and he had just gone crazy and forgotten about it. They didn't seem to show enough intelligence to set a trap like that."

was my conclusion as well, though i havent read the book either

[Edited on December 23, 2007 at 1:41 AM. Reason : ]

12/23/2007 1:41:17 AM

i heard that in the book the dark seekers set the trap for him after they learned from him

12/23/2007 10:25:37 AM

Well they did a pretty crappy job explaining that in the movie then. Especially after that part where he was talking in his journal about how they show little to no sign of intelligence or something like that.

12/23/2007 10:33:44 AM

Yea, I never thought it was his own trap. The hole in the building right next to the trap made me assume they were watching him. And the fact that he had the dogs waiting for the sun to go down just made it more clear that was the case.

Ending is very sobering, not sure how the book ends, but of course I would have liked him to survive. And the CG in this film can go to hell. I will probably read the book now.

12/23/2007 10:37:09 AM

^^next time you will ahve to ask the directors/writers to feed you everything on a platter.

at what point did they say the smith's character was some all-knowing god? he was working off of his assumptions and prejudices, of course he wouldnt notice intelligence/social tendencies on that level.

12/23/2007 1:28:16 PM

Quote :

"Well they did a pretty crappy job explaining that in the movie then. Especially after that part where he was talking in his journal about how they show little to no sign of intelligence or something like that. "

He said this after he captured the one female and the male came out into the sun to "shake his fist" at him. He attributed this to lack of survival instinct instead of rage for losing one of their own kind.

12/23/2007 1:55:10 PM

I really loved it except for the ending, which was ok. The cinematography was great and they captured the feeling of isolation really well. Smith's acting was good too.

I don't see the ending as feel-good. For fuck's sake there's 12 mil people left on the planet and the rest are infected or dead. It's at best a slight glimmer of hope.

12/25/2007 12:19:00 AM

i didn't really like the ending. I'm all about bittersweet/plain bitter endings like no country for old men, and i didn't have a problem with smith's overall fate at all, but something just seemed to be missing, it was very abrupt.

12/25/2007 2:35:59 AM

What rifle is he using? Is it a type of modified m4 or a m468 possibly?

12/25/2007 3:58:38 AM

Summary:


I can't cure this shit, science is hard

Oh wait, yes I can.

The End.

12/25/2007 2:11:01 PM

^ Science is hard, but he didn't give up until the dog died. Hell, the science in finding a cure was prolly the only thing keeping him sane.

12/25/2007 4:30:59 PM

sequel?

12/25/2007 5:21:08 PM

Quote :

"don't see the ending as feel-good. For fuck's sake there's 12 mil people left on the planet and the rest are infected or dead. It's at best a slight glimmer of hope."

the biggest problem with the ending is that ^
the only reason they ended it that way was to leave it open for a sequel ala the 2nd 'of the dead' remake and 28 weeks laters where there are people trying to defend against whatever but it somehow gets in anyway.

a child could write the script and it would stll make $40 mil opening weekend b/c of mindless fucks

12/25/2007 10:31:50 PM

without reading the rest of this thread im going to ask this question, so it may have already been asked: How did the lady and the kid get onto the island when all of the bridges had been bombed?

12/25/2007 10:45:10 PM

I have not seen the movie, but they probably got to the island in a similar to fashion to how everyone got to the island in the early 19th century: they took a boat. I think a row boat would get you there as long as you start far enough up stream.

12/25/2007 10:56:31 PM

Quote :

"without reading the rest of this thread im going to ask this question, so it may have already been asked: How did the lady and the kid get onto the island when all of the bridges had been bombed? "

Lincoln tunnel

12/25/2007 11:51:55 PM

^^ they had their car with them though, but i guess you wouldnt have known that
^thnx

12/26/2007 12:43:30 AM

Although, it wouldn't been hard to boat to the island and then find a car

12/26/2007 12:44:45 AM

got the book for xmas, looks promising.

12/26/2007 1:19:36 AM

Quote :

"the only reason they ended it that way was to leave it open for a sequel ala the 2nd 'of the dead' remake and 28 weeks laters where there are people trying to defend against whatever but it somehow gets in anyway. a child could write the script and it would stll make $40 mil opening weekend b/c of mindless fucks"

Interesting. I thought since Will Smith died, a sequel is out of the question, but then again they managed to make a sequel to Blair Witch so i suppose anything is possible.

12/26/2007 7:32:03 PM

They couldn't do a sequel.

Did you miss the movie? He cured the disease.

Which is hilarious.

See, Will Smith remakes of classic fiction goes like this:

Get rights to title.

Scratch the original story.

Get some asshat to throw together a piece of shit.

Convince SandSanta's friends to make him go see it.








This movie was fucking terrible.


HURR IM IN THE ARMY BUT CANT SHOOT FOR SHIT

HURR IM A DOCTOR BUT IM TOO FUCKING DUMB TO HOLD ONTO THE ROPE BEFORE CUTTING IT AND THEN ACCIDENTALLY STABBING MYSELF IN THE LEG

HURR LET ME EMOSTRIKE AND HOLD VAPID CONVERSATIONS WITH MANNEQUINS


I mean seriously why did they even call this 'I am Legend?' Why not just call it 'ESCAPE FROM NEW YORK REMIX' and copy Will Smith's character from ID4. It would have been a billion times more entertaining.

12/26/2007 10:01:33 PM

You grossly underestimate Hollywood's ability to squeeze juice out of a turnip. The fact that there are 588 million people infected vs. 12 million immune people (minus those killed by vampires) means that distributing the cure will not be trivial.

Possible scenario: A number of satellite operations go into infected areas and distribute the cure somehow. There's a breach of security and suddenly their secure base is flooded with vampire-zombies. Now a small squad complete with token tough girl, black guy, and tech dork and sampling of filler characters must try to make it out alive during one hellacious night. Throw in Milla Jovovich naked to sell a few extra tix.

[Edited on December 26, 2007 at 10:15 PM. Reason : .]

12/26/2007 10:14:26 PM

Quote :

"HURR IM IN THE ARMY BUT CANT SHOOT FOR SHIT HURR IM A DOCTOR BUT IM TOO FUCKING DUMB TO HOLD ONTO THE ROPE BEFORE CUTTING IT AND THEN ACCIDENTALLY STABBING MYSELF IN THE LEG HURR LET ME EMOSTRIKE AND HOLD VAPID CONVERSATIONS WITH MANNEQUINS "

Does the army train people to shooting vampires jumping up and down walls? And was his character's army position one of combat or research?

Also, about hanging from the rope, i'm not even sure that scenario is possible to begin with. Can someone hang unconscious from a rope without breaking their leg or otherwise being hurt very badly? Or risk having some type of stroke/blood clot in their brain?

And, if you were alone with a dog by yourself for 3 years, you'd be talking to mannequins too.

There are valid criticisms about this movie, but nothing you mentioned falls under that. It seems like you didn't like the movie because it wasn't like the original, which is fine though.

12/26/2007 10:25:18 PM

Quote :

"I was under the impression that was one of his traps and he had just gone crazy and forgotten about it. They didn't seem to show enough intelligence to set a trap like that."

At first I thought the same, but notice how that trap was slightly different than on of Neville's. I would think that Neville's trap would always include the sheet to protect the monsters from the sunlight. That way he could always get to them before sunlight had a chance to kill them so he could still run his experiments.

The trap he got caught in was just that... a trap... without the sheets. It would make sense to have such a trap in/near his home, but it seems like a waste to trap one monster in the middle of town with no means of keeping it alive for the experiments.

Quote :

"Lincoln tunnel"

I guess when they were quarantining the island off they somehow forgot that bridges weren't the only way in and out of the city?

[Edited on December 26, 2007 at 10:32 PM. Reason : -]

12/26/2007 10:29:03 PM

the level of analysis in this thread is amazing

amazingly bad

seriously, there are better movies with repeated plot-lines....

12/26/2007 10:37:00 PM

didn't like it at all..... lightning quick "zombies" that can match wits with humans....a man so smart he can cure illnesses but he takes his dog out with him instead of leaving him safely at home? too much stupid unconvincing looking CGI bullshit.. too much goblin-like fantasy crap... too much Will Smith



grade: D+

12/26/2007 10:38:08 PM

^ He took his dog out for the purpose of protecting him (and to keep him company obviously). He knew there was a possibility of it getting killed.

The smart "zombies" thing was explained from the book. Will Smith is often cited by critics as the one thing that held the movie together. The CGi wasn't that bad... not as bad as spiderman or the last Matrix movie, IMO. The style of monsters was a tad out of place though.

12/26/2007 10:41:27 PM

As far as the CGI goes... monsters that can hyper-extend their jaws wasn't even cool when they first used it (in the Mummy?) and it gets worse and worse with each move they put it in. Next to bullet time it's one of the most cliché things they do now, and it looks terrible.

[Edited on December 26, 2007 at 10:48 PM. Reason : t]

12/26/2007 10:47:28 PM

^^ i didn't read the book and i won't either. i came into it expecting a NYC 28 days later and was a little let down, especially after hearing "OMG IT was SOOOOOOOOO good!!" by idiot coworkers. I movies that are somewhat realistic w/out goblins and space aliens etc. Independence Day for example was pretty intruiging to me until Will Smith punched a space alien and said "how's that for a close encounter" or somethin stupid. I am Legend lost me after seeing the ridiculous looking zombies that looked like Smeagle's cousins

[Edited on December 26, 2007 at 10:49 PM. Reason : ^]

12/26/2007 10:48:33 PM

Quote :

"i came into it expecting a NYC 28 days later and was a little let down"

What does that mean?

Some people liked 28 days later because of it's relatively sophisticated treatment of the psychological aspects of a zombie attacked, some people liked it because of the crazy zombie violence. If you were one of the latters, you'd hate this move, if you were one of the formers, this was a very similar movie.

In any case, you can't blame the movie because you expected it to be like another movie, but it wasn't.

12/26/2007 10:52:12 PM

haha, you critics on this page are amusing

amusingly retarded

12/26/2007 10:53:32 PM