Legendary?

So...I saw "I Am Legend" yesterday and, since I enjoy reviewing movies--especially good, thought-provoking movies....

I really only initially wanted to see this because of a) Will Smith and b) explosions...which I was expecting more of on account of the trailer...so maybe this just goes to show that going to a movie with absurdly low expectations makes it that much better.

Anyway, I'd heard good things about the portrayal of New York City--and these were all confirmed beyond a doubt. The hours of computer work that must have gone into making the largest city in America look abandoned and in the process of being reclaimed by nature are unimaginable; while some of the CG is fairly evident, the scenery looked very believable (really, the obvious things were those that were moving; I think it was something about the textures and shadows that were off, but I'm a bit hyperattentive to these things). As for the 'darkseekers'--those vampire thingies Will Smith gets to fight off--the theatrical elements were a bit overdone to my scientifically biased mind, but there were certain believable aspects, especially behaviorally, that were fun to analyze.

Cinematography aside, the concepts and--if you're into that--emotions were well-played. While the movie drags at points, overall the humor, drama, and overwhelming sense of aloneness are timed very perfectly. There's food for thought, a bit of fanservice, action, amusing (and sometimes mildly disturbing) moments...overall, this movie is one of the more complete movies that seem to have come out this year.