"I Am Legend"... Will the fittest survive or the smartest survive?

2 days ago

In 2007, the movie "I Am Legend" was released, starring Will Smith, and since then it has been one of the movies that many people consider iconic in post-apocalyptic movies. The movie tells the story of a world destroyed by a virus, and there is only one survivor trying to live in an empty city, but is he really alone?

The movie begins after a devastating virus, which was supposed to cure cancer, turns into a disaster and nearly wipes out humanity. Those who survived the virus either died or turned into nocturnal monsters called Darkseekers. In the midst of this devastation, Robert Neville (Will Smith) lives alone in New York, with only his loyal dog Sam. Life for him has become a daily routine: trying to find food, sending radio signals to any survivors, and also working on finding a cure for the virus.

The most distinctive thing about the movie is that it relies almost entirely on Will Smith's performance. Imagine being alone in an empty city, with no one to talk to except your dog, and trying to survive every day without losing your mind. The way he dealt with the situation, and that he talked to the shop dolls as if he was dealing with real people, was very touching and shows how much loneliness can affect a person.

Despite the calm during the day, things change completely at night, because the Darkseers go out looking for prey. Here the movie puts you in an atmosphere of horror and high tension, especially when Neville begins to notice that these monsters are not just stupid creatures, no, they have intelligence, and learn from him. One of the most powerful moments in the movie is when he falls into the same trap he used to hunt them, as if they were watching him and learning from him!

The ending of the movie was shocking, but the interesting thing is that there are two versions of the ending! In the version that was shown in cinemas, Neville sacrifices himself to save the cure he discovered, and leaves it to the survivors so that humanity can start over. But in the second version (the original), the movie takes a completely different turn, and shows us that monsters had feelings and relationships like humans, and that what Neville did was wrong because he was kidnapping them and experimenting on them! This ending made people rethink the whole story, and that it is not necessary for the sole survivor to be the hero, he could be the real monster in the eyes of the other creatures.