I found the 1971 Charlton Heston film, The Omega Man, a bit silly but not quite bad enough to be considered camp. It was based on Richard Matheson's novel I Am Legend and left much to be desired. In 2007, the film was remade for an impressive budget estimated to be $150 million; it did very well at the box office, earning worldwide well over double its reported budget. It’s a far more sophisticated reimaging of the novel; Akiva Goldsman (who also produced) and Mark Protosevich are credited with the satisfying screenplay that has only a few glaring plot holes.

The film opens in a way that should be familiar to those who know The Omega Man. Robert Neville (Will Smith) tools along the deserted streets of Manhattan (rather than Los Angeles) in a muscle car, a bright red Shelby Mustang. In the passenger seat is his faithful companion, Sam, a German Sheppard. The dog has been his only company for the last three years; mankind is essentially gone.

Several years before, Dr. Alice Krippin (Emma Thompson in a cameo) manipulated the measles virus and created a strain that had the miraculous property of curing cancer with a 100% success rate. Alas, like many viruses, this one mutated and became something quite different: an plague that quickly spread internationally by our modern mobility. Almost all infected people die. A small minority of the world’s population is immune, but almost all of them rapidly become victims of another effect of the virus. The infected that survive are transformed into subhuman monsters who crave the flesh of the immune. These Dark Seekers have a weakness; like legendary vampires, they are vulnerable to ultraviolet, so they can only survive in the dark and venture forth at night. But unlike the zombie-like creatures of The Omega Man, these deadly monsters have lost the ability to communicate and are unusually swift and agile adversaries.

The immune Neville stayed behind as New York City was isolated from the rest of the country; a virologist, he was determined to research and implement a cure, using his own blood as the source of a curative. To survive, he systematically scours the city by day for food, supplies, and DVDs. (What, no Blu-ray Discs?) He’s well armed with a semi-automatic assault rifle complete with a telescopic sight and a high intensity light for conflicts in the dark. The weapon is also helpful for hunting the deer that now roam the city, but the dark is something he very much wants to avoid.

He’s an army ex-colonel and highly disciplined. Each day he sets his wrist alarm to give him adequate warning of imminent sunset. He races back to his secret lair, unknown to the Dark Seekers and across from Washington Square Park, where he has electric generators and all the comforts of a well appointed fortress. He’s set up a recording that loops indefinitely through an A.M. radio transmitter, inviting any uninfected to seek him out at a particular wharf each day at noon. And when that transmission attracts the unexpected, his life is transformed.

I was very impressed with the production’s portrayal of a deserted New York. Weeds protrude from cracks in sidewalks and streets. Animals have escaped from the zoos; predators hunt game in the middle of Times Square. The abandonment of the city is shown in flashback and it’s an emotionally wrenching sequence, replete with the destruction of bridges and, presumably, tunnels. Neville’s isolation and his slow mental deterioration are convincing. Director Francis Lawrence takes his time, drawing the audience into Neville’s increasingly hopeless situation.

Smith is exceptional in his challenging role, conveying much without dialog, no wise cracks to relieve the tension. Even his interactions with manikins are a symptom of a deteriorating mental state. Unfortunately, the third act deviates from the tone of the rest of the film, and an attack by the Dark Seekers is neither as subtle nor as persuasive as the first two acts. And I was distracted by an aspect of the story line that contradicted the draconian methods used years before to isolate Manhattan. I can reveal no more without spoiling the plot’s twists and turns.

I will mention that I watched the extended cut. With only three minutes and twenty-three seconds more material, I’m not sure how significant the differences might be, but I am aware that the endings are quite different in each (there aren’t enough hours in the day for me to have watched both, sorry). This is an entertaining and compelling film that let me down a bit. Regardless, the film is well worth your while.
 
The Video: How Does The Disc Look?

The film’s theatrical aspect ratio of 2.40:1 is presented in a fine high definition transfer compressed with the VC-1 video CODEC. This is a very film-like presentation that is sure to please, even if it isn’t state of the art. Some scenes are needle sharp, like a close-up of Smith’s face in repose; every pore is visible. But close-ups are deceptive; it’s the long shots that reveal the quality of the detail. I’ve seen many nighttime aerial shots of cities in high definition, all aglow with thousands of points of light. And it’s in such a sequence – during the city’s evacuation – that it becomes clear that detail isn’t quite as sharp as it could be. The individual pinpricks of lights are a tad thicker than they should be. Small object detail and finely grained textures satisfy without being truly impressive. Color rendition is excellent. The Cobra’s bright red paintjob is vivid and convincing. Flesh tones are very natural. The video dynamic range is also commendable, with nary a hint of crush. Shadow detail is quite good, with only those scenes in which the director wanted to obscure threats in shadow do the black areas turn to featureless blobs. Blacks are deep, but not quite as dark as the letterbox bars on my properly calibrated display. I’m hoping that Warner will switch over to the AVC CODEC and takes full advantage of Blu-ray’s bit rate and storage capacity; then we’ll see some truly impressive transfers from that studio.

The Audio: How Does The Disc Sound?

A lossless Dolby TrueHD 5.1 track supports each cut of the film; each is effective without being bombastic. I only heard the extended cut all the way through. For a science fiction action flick, I found the track to be on the conservative side. Timbre and fidelity are excellent, from the subtle clacks of deer hooves on city streets, to the growl of the Cobra’s engine, to the roar of lions, to the natural sound of voices. Surround effects are not as aggressive as I would have expected; there are some nice pans and discrete sounds but this is not a highly enveloping track. Deep bass is present; I’m always pleased when my subwoofer manages to move my pants legs. But dynamic range seems limited; gunshots don’t have that visceral punch that impresses. James Newton Howard’s orchestral score is spread across a broad soundstage and has admirable fidelity. I was pleased, but I expected a demo quality track.

The alternate tracks are in English Dolby Digital 5.1 (both cuts), French Dolby Digital 5.1 (alternate), Dutch Dolby Digital 5.1 (alternate), and Italian Dolby Digital 5.1 (alternate). Optional subtitles are in English SDH, French, Dutch, Italian, Danish, Norwegian, Swedish, and Finnish.

The Supplements: What Goodies Are There?

The supplements are spread across two discs. We begin with a very disturbing but fascinating featurette about viruses. With the exception of the film’s premise, this has little to do with the production. Cautionary Tale: The Science of I Am Legend (20:41, 1.78:1. 1080p) is an examination of the nature of viruses. We’re ushered into the Center for Disease Control to learn about viral research. Experts describe the biology and life cycles of viruses. The history and effectiveness of vaccines is discussed. The descriptions of killer viruses and pandemics will upset hypochondriacs and more aloof viewers as well. There is considerable discussion of HIV and its ability to permanently infiltrate a host. Avian Flu and the threat of over fourteen billion fowl in China are also described. It seems that most viruses have their origins in animals and mutate to cross the species boundary to infect humans. Scary stuff.

Next is a documentary called Creating I Am Legend (51:58, 1.78:1, HD). This is a very comprehensive, behind-the-scenes look at the production. To list all the topics wouldn’t do the documentary justice, but I’ll give you a feel for what to expect: location shooting in NYC; closing city streets down on Sunday morning; cast and crew describing their experiences; descriptions of major plot elements, like the general concept and the nature of the Dark Seekers; creating Neville’s four-story abode in a New York armory including hydraulics for an explosion effect; stunt people in gray leotards decorated with red dots to be replaced with CGI Dark Seekers; a discussion of the origins of the script; car stunts; animal training and the three dogs that shared the role of Sam; dressing the city for a return to nature; Neville’s attempts to preserve his sanity and humanity; behind the scenes during the evacuation sequence; the weapons and military vehicles; the cooperation of government and military; and, a love letter to Will Smith. This is not fluff or EPK; this is substantive, informative, and entertaining. Well done. My only quibble is that the topics are not in the sequence of the film.

Enable them and at random times Focus Points puts up a golden disc in the top left of the screen. Press select or return on the remote when visible and the disc will seamlessly branch to an interesting 1.78:1 high definition vignette relevant to the content.

Animated Comics (21:50, 1.78:1, 1080p) is an odd little extra. There are four short films; the animation is quite limited and each style is quite different. Each takes us to a different geographical location during the initial outbreak of the virus that decimates the world of I Am Legend: China; Colorado; Central America; and, India. Since, with rare exceptions, I have long ago given up on going to the motion picture theater, I can’t know for sure, but these could have been imaginative trailers for the film. Each ends with a white-on- black placard announcing the feature film and listing credits, just like a trailer would end.

On both disc one and two is a commentary by director Francis Lawrence and producer- screenwriter Akiva Goldsman. Sorry, I simply didn’t have the time to sit through two hours or four hours of audio material. But based on the commentary I heard while watching the deleted scenes, I’d expect it to be informative and lively.

The last supplement on disc one is the film’s theatrical trailer (2:46, 2.35:1, HD).

Moving on to disc two, we find a featurette titled The Making of I Am Legend (25:57, 1.78:1, SD). Director, screenwriter, and star all talk about their interests in the film. The author is occasionally seen, addressing this new reimagining. Dressing NYC is described and demonstrated. Previz is shown as the director explains how the shoot was planned. Highlighted is the Go-Mobile, a rigged Cobra that allows a stunt driver to control the car while Will Smith is behind the wheel. We learn about the differences between the animatics and the final cut. And so on. This is a reasonable compliment to the other supplements.

I Am Legend: The Making of Shots (26:04, 2.40:1, HD) highlights five of the film’s visual effects shots. Each segment begins deceptively with the sequence as found in the feature film, perhaps leading the viewer to think that an audio option or special viewing mode had not been enabled. Be patient; the completed sequence is followed by a narrated explanation of the progression of the shot’s development, from blue screen work to modeling the environment to compositing the images. The five sequences are Visual Effects Highlights, Alpha Male, Times Square Hunt, Seaport Evacuation, and Alternate Ending.

Next is a collection of twelve deleted scenes (19:45, 2.40:1, SD) with optional commentary by Francis Lawrence and Akiva Goldsman. The sequences overwhelmingly elaborate on the transforming plot device in the third act that I’d prefer not to describe to you. The commentators agree that these are quality scenes, but that for reasons of pace, runtime, and tone, they had to be sacrificed.

The third disc in this set is a Digital Copy DVD.

The film is organized into twenty-seven chapters.

The discs are packaged in a folding case, which is housed within a large box along with a few other goodies. You’ll find a half-dozen collectable cards, a slick book full of pictures, including some before and after shots, and a lenticular image of Will Smith in action mounted within a Plexiglas paperweight.

Final Thoughts

Vastly superior to The Omega Man, this retelling of Richard Matheson's novel is visually compelling, but has a third act with inconsistencies that had me scratching my head. Regardless, Smith’s work is very fine, and the story intrigues. The presentation is film-like without being truly impressive, and the supplements are excellent.