Date: April 15, 2008
Location: Clifton Living Room
Lots to say about this one, most of it positive. For starters, I don’t think there is another actor in Hollywood who could have played this role as effectively. The film is similar to Cast Away in that most of its running time features a single actor (a dog stands in for the volleyball), and Will Smith pulls off all the ‘lonely man slowly going mad’ stuff with aplomb. But it’s also a tense action thriller, and he brings a physicality and tactical intelligence to the role that sells its most heart-pounding moments. There’s a reason Smith is the biggest movie star in the world right now.
Legend is a blend of creepy, cerebral sci-fi and edge-of-your-seat horror film, and it does both very well. I prefer the former, and it is those parts that elevate the film for me. The creepazoid killer zombies are most frightening when you hear but don’t see them… I watched about 15 minutes of this thing through my hand. Once they crash the party, they’re still creepy but also cliché.
I would have loved for the movie to be about 20 minutes longer and focus more on Smith’s life as the planet’s sole normal occupant and his efforts to save what’s left of humanity. I found the ending abrupt and not entirely satisfying. But overall I was impressed.
