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Smith Carries Legend

Movie has its flaws, but it's also a lot of fun

By Marcia Greenwood, Newser Staff

Posted Dec 14, 2007 8:31 AM CST

(Newser) – I Am Legend, a tale of the last man on Earth, who, through some freak of immunity, avoids a killer virus, isn't a perfect film. But despite its lack of surprises and its ending, which feels like "a studio-sanctioned reshoot," writes Chicago Tribune critic Michael Phillips, "you’re willing to cut the movie a break."

Perhaps it's because the film is, in the words of New York magazine's David Edelstein, "terrific, mindless fun." Or because I Am Legend is "by far the best" of three big-screen adaptations of Richard Matheson's 1954 novella, says William Arnold of the Seattle Post-Intelligencer. But what the movie also has going for it, according to critics, is Will Smith, who carries the picture "even when the story loses its nerve," Phillips says.

[Images (2)]

[Videos (1)]

Will Smith prowls an empty Manhattan, along with his dog, in "I Am Legend." (KRT Photos)

Will Smith is earning praise for his starring role in "I Am Legend." (Getty Images)

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Smith Carries Legend