I Am Legend

Von dem Drehbuchautor Akiva Goldsman habe ich eine tiefere Vorlage erwartet. Auf der anderen Seite: Er ist auch der Hauptproduzent, der weiß, dass für einen erfolgreichen Blockbuster eine gute Idee reicht, aus der man ein Actionmärchen macht. So ein Film braucht eine gute Ausstattung und Will Smith auf dem Plakat. I Am Legend ist ein perfektes kommerzielles Produkt. Wenn Sie aber das Potenzial seines Themas richtig genießen wollen, schauen Sie sich lieber den spannenden und unheimlichen Film 30 Days of Night und danach den geistreichen und technisch fortschrittlichen Film Children of Men an. (14.01.2008)

Die wie reines Gold verdichtete Atmosphäre, wird in der Mitte durch a) digitale Ekelcharaktere b) eine Talaragitation erheblich verdünnt. Punkt a) wird durch die streng authentische Regieführung von Lawrence und Smiths Charisma gut ausbalanciert, Punkt b) bleibt leider bedrohlich in der Luft hängen wie ein verfaultes Kruzifix. Außerdem verführt die rohe und hoffnungslose Ouvertüre regelrecht direkt dazu, es dabei zu belassen, denn die daraus resultierende Depression wäre definitiv imposanter als ein glattgebügeltes Dorf mit einer Kirche und dem lieben Gott auf einer Wolke. Trotz des finalen "Apage Satanas" hat mir der Film gefallen. Wenn er es nicht gescheut hätte, in einem niedrigeren Genre zu bleiben, hätte er paradoxerweise viel höher sein können. P.S. Wären die Produzenten keine Feiglinge, hätte das alternative Ende den endgültigen Eindruck viel besser feingebügelt ... (02.10.2009)

The cartoonish abilities of the infected are a shame. They are so strong that they could perhaps shred an armoured car and so fast that they could leave Asafa Powell behind in a short sprint. That clashes a bit with the rest of the film, which is actually a kind of intimate story about the lonely life of a single survivor, his feelings and sadness. An "intimate piece" with phenomenal visual effects, it must be added, because you have never seen New York depopulated by digital magic like this before and you may not see it again for a long time in the future. This is a one-man show about a guy who hardly leaves the screen for the whole movie, and Will Smith proves that if you have the acting chops, you can sell it, even the poignant dialogue with the artificial mannequins in the shop window. Who would have guessed years ago that this Fresh Prince, who rapped to the world his wisdom about the 'gangstas' of the neighbourhood, would become such an acclaimed film star. Despite the pathetic ending, it was two interesting hours, although the lady sitting in the cinema behind me had words for it: "....more American crap." She clearly didn't mean it. (19.02.2008)

In an amazing opening that reminds us that Lawrence is simply talented, you don't even think that a monumental betrayal is about to happen. The director is innocent in this because having to make something out of Akiva Goldsman's scripted nothingness is unenviable. It does give a few scenes a proper edge, and Will Smith's charisma works quite well, even if he’s not exactly comfortable in the dramatic scenes. However, the rest of it is a drawn-out boring 100 minutes. This was supposed to be a two-and-a-half-hour drama with proper action and fancy special effects, not a big-budget theatrical play with no balls. Someone forgot how to work with dramaturgy and let the creators of post-apocalyptic sci-fi and family soap opera onto the same set. This year, no film deserves the label of disappointment more than this one. (28.12.2007)

The first half is excellent, with a very good portrayal of a depopulated New York, Will Smith is brilliant and we don’t get to see much of the infected. But in the second half, when they start showing up more often and in their full glory, the quality declines because their CGI look is really not good. Also, the screenwriter deserves to be punched in the face for that ending. The rating is between 3 and 4 stars. (02.01.2008)