Rewatch: I Am Legend

(** out of five)

     I think the last time I saw this movie was when it was released in theaters: December 2007.  That means eleven years have passed with so many other post-apocalyptic movies.  Even the Hunger Games were released after this film.  This film may be a favorite to many, but I never got the spark from it that so many audiences did.  Recently, a group of my friends were talking about this film and how good it was.  I decided to revisit it on Netflix.
     To quickly summarize the plot of this film without giving away much, Will Smith plays Robert Neville, a scientist in search of a cure at ground zero of a viral apocalypse.  A cure for cancer is found, but it quickly mutates humanity into violent monsters.  The virus can be passed on by a bite, but after it becomes airborne, only a few survive.  Neville is the last human.  Accompanied by his canine pal, Sam aka Samantha, they search the city for supplies and signs of life.  Neville has a daily routine, with his watch constantly beeps when the sun is starting to set.  Once it's dark outside, the monsters can freely hunt.  Ultra-violet light can kill the monsters.  They hide in buildings and dark places during the day in almost a trance, unless disturbed.  Things turn south for Neville once he gets stuck outside while the sun is setting.
     Because I love character development so much, it's hard for me to enjoy films with one character.  The main character is only developed in the flashbacks.  The present-day protagonist is quite boring and sometimes annoying.
     There was a ton of potential for this film based on the story.  We don't know if he is going to discover a cure.  We don't know what the monsters are truly capable of, but we know that the group in the film has a leader.  Neville never focuses on what the monsters want or what they need to survive, yet we see anger in the main monster's face.  As the plot develops, the movie comes to a sudden and abrupt ending.  Now that I think about it, I Am Legend really reminds me of Birdbox.
     I don't think I will watch this one again for another eleven years. Without a thick plot and a character with a lot of depth, I didn't find it exciting.  The focal point of this movie is the creator's vision of a future world after a disaster.  One particular scene that stands out is when a herd of deer are going through the city.  Other than that, not much else stands out.