I Am Legend (2007)

This is the third major film adaptation of Richard Matheson’s 1954 novel of the same name, following The Last Man on Earth (1964) with Vincent Price and The Omega Man (1971) starring Charlton Heston.

Set in a desolate Manhattan, the story takes place three years after a genetically modified measles virus (originally engineered by the well-meaning Dr Alice Krippin (Emma Thompson) as a cancer cure) mutated into a devastating plague.

The virus wiped out roughly 90% of humanity and transformed the rest into Darkseekers – violent, nocturnal, light-sensitive mutants who hunt in packs and burn or melt in direct sunlight.

US Army virologist Robert Neville (Will Smith) is mysteriously immune to both airborne and contact strains of the virus. As the last apparent human survivor in New York City, he scavenges for supplies, broadcasts AM radio messages hoping to find other survivors, and uses his own immune blood in a heavily fortified laboratory in Washington Square to engineer a cure.

He does some deer hunting on Park Avenue and indoor fishing at the Temple of Dendur, picks fresh corn in Central Park, and smacks golf balls across the Hudson from the deck of the aircraft carrier Intrepid.

His only companion is his loyal German Shepherd, Sam

Neville’s fragile existence shatters when Sam is infected during a trap set by the Darkseekers and has to be put down, driving a grieving Neville to launch a suicidal attack in broad daylight.

Just as he is about to be overwhelmed, he is rescued by Anna (Brazilian actress Alice Braga) and a young boy named Ethan (Charlie Tahan), immune survivors travelling toward a supposed safe haven in Vermont.

The Darkseekers track Anna and Ethan back to Neville’s home, but in a theatrical ending, Neville realises he has finally synthesised a cure from a female Darkseeker he was testing on.

He hands a vial of the sample to Anna and Ethan, seals them in a coal chute to safety, and sacrifices himself by detonating a grenade to blow up the incoming mutants.

Anna and Ethan reach the survivor colony in Vermont and deliver the cure to mankind. The end.

The extensive location shooting across New York City included a massive $5 million operation that required shutting down the Brooklyn Bridge and other major infrastructure and deploying over 1,000 extras and National Guard troops.

The art department covered city streets with wild grass, abandoned vehicles, and wildlife (including herds of deer running through Times Square) to visually capture the quiet decay of civilisation.

Released in December 2007, the film was a massive commercial hit, grossing over $585 million worldwide.

Robert Neville
Will Smith
Anna
Alice Braga
Alpha Male
Dash Mihok
Ethan
Charlie Tahan
Zoe Neville
Salli Richardson
Marley Neville
Willow Smith
Dr Alice Krippin
Emma Thompson

Director
Francis Lawrence

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