Cinefantastique Online

Kirk Honeycutt provides his take on the new film. version of Richard Matheson’s novel – the first to actually use the original title. Unfortunately, instead of going back to the source material, new film seems to be essentially a remake of THE OMEGA MAN, with a man-made virus replacing the vampirism of the original.

“I Am Legend,” the third or fourth film — depending on what you count — based on the 1954 apocalyptic science fiction novel by Richard Matheson, nails the emotional core in Matheson’s story: What would it be like to be a last man on Earth?

Will Smith plays a military virologist who has inexplicably survived a man-made virus that wiped out mankind …. But the film can never quite decide whether it’s speculative fiction or a B-movie horror show.

The third act either ups the ante of action and suspense or falls apart, depending on one’s taste in science fiction. [...leading] to an upbeat ending few are going to swallow