Movie Review of the Week: "I Am Legend"

One of the nice things about Christmas is that we get to spend time with loved ones we don't often see. The hours with them always seem to fly by like minutes as stories are shared and lost time together is made up for. After a while though, the conversation does eventually slow, and loved ones start dropping off; some disappear to the bathroom, while others begin to snoop around the host loved one's kitchen for snacks. The TV inevitably goes on and people enter into the early stages of napping.

Precious holiday moments intended to be savored with loved ones are suddenly threatening to diminish into boredom, naps and TV. This is when the host should suggest that everyone go out to see a movie.

The question now becomes, "Which movie to see?". To which, the answer is, "Huh?". And the question is now rephrased more properly, "What movie should we go see?". To help answer this question, I have screened a movie for review.

The movie is "I Am Legend". It has been quite a winner at the box office and when you think about it, this should be no surprise because "I Am Legend" combines two crucial ingredients for quality cinema:

A: Will Smith

B: A professional acting German Shepherd

The premise of the movie is that a virus swept the earth and turned 90% of the population into what I will call rabid zombies. The zombies' favorite pastime is attacking the remaining 10%. Will Smith is immune to the virus, and suspects that he is the only one left on earth after years of zombie attacks. He fills his days searching for survivors and also attempting to develop a cure to zombie rabies. Disappointingly, at no point does he consider organizing a 5k Fun Run for zombie rabies awareness.

This is a violent, suspenseful movie, so do not attend if you are expecting a heart-warming holiday classic for the whole family. I myself was reeled in by the promising trailer for "I Am Legend" in which viewers are flashed an image of a German Shepherd running alongside Will Smith on a treadmill. Intriguing behavior from a German Shepherd; if the dog can run on a treadmill, they could certainly train it to accompany Will Smith rapping during the closing credits, and so it is safe to say that the preview left me wanting more.

"I Am Legend" doesn't disappoint, with regards to canine content. The German Shepherd "Sam", played by "Abbey", has a key role in this one, and is magnificent. She has earned herself a "Best Actress" nomination this year, or at least some Beggin' Strips or Pupperoni.

This may seem premature, but my review is drawing near an end. Most of my notes from the movie pertain to Sam, I'm afraid. Seems I was a little preoccupied with the fact that there was a doggy onscreen, and a lot of the finer points of the film may have escaped me. As best as I can recall, "I Am Legend" was a pretty good movie though, dog or no dog. I give it two stars.