I Am Legend-film

In the 2007 film “I Am Legend” starring Will Smith, we see a lot of raw human emotions and of course a lot of action. However, what I found disappointing about the film is its obvious differences from the novel. I had never seen the movie before this weekend, so I had the opportunity to read the book before viewing the movie. I think that the pure isolation and hopelessness portrayed in the novel was conveyed on screen at times, but it wasn’t quite as dark of a concept as it is in the book. In the book, the feeling of bleak desolation and being absolutely the last human on earth is always present and gives the novel such an eerie feel. In the movie the main character has his dog for company and eventually Anna and Ethan come around to help him find others who are still alive, whereas in the book he is the only one on the earth for the entire novel.

Another huge disappointment was the ending. The end of the movie was full of hope and the realization that sometimes we must make sacrifices, but in the end it will all be for a greater good. Anna and Ethan successfully deliver an antidote for the infection to the colony of surviving humans and that is where the movie ends. On the contrary, in the novel Robert ends up being killed because he is so feared by the infected and is never successful in inventing an antidote. I feel that the movie and the book generated completely different emotional feelings for me. I do think the movie did a good job of taking inspiration from the book, but there are so many clear differences that make it hard to compare the two. Overall, it was a well done movie with an interesting plot, but it did not follow the story line and main points that were written within the novel.