If you haven't seen some kind of marketing for I Am Legend, then you need to open your eyes. It's everywhere. Why shouldn't it be? It's a holiday release with one of the most bankable Hollywood actors ever.  Will Smith only seems to get better with every movie and it's no different here. In a movie that requires someone to carry a movie all by him or herself, Will Smith seemed the perfect choice. Without him I can't imagine this movie being half as good as it was. He turned a horror movie into a legitimate film about survival and the psychosis it brings with it.

The storyline is simple: Robert Neville (Will Smith) is the last person alive, as far as he knows, on Earth. His connection to the cause of the disaster is clear and important. As one of the military doctors trying to cure the disease that wiped mankind out, it is his blood that carries the cure. Therefore, he can't become infected. But that doesn't mean he can't be killed. That's where the movie steps in. Day 1001.

Something I loved about the movie was its ability to make you feel like you've already seen the first 1000 days and still portray it in an explanatory fashion. Instead of telling, it shows. All the facets of his life have become scheduled in order for him to keep his sanity, which clearly is slipping as the movie progresses. Neville has a sort of calm, yet still insane manner about him. As you'll see numerous times, he's not right in the head, but finds a way to keep calm. Those parts add some much needed humor to an otherwise all-too-serious movie. The dog is a huge factor in that. His best and only friend, Neville dedicates himself to protecting the dog's life just as much his own. Survival, like in Tom Hanks' Cast Away, is the main component and it is portrayed flawlessly.

But what makes the movie so great? It's ability merge real issues of survival with a horror flick. The scariest parts are truly seat-jumpers. You can prepare for it, but there are always a couple times that will make you flinch, at the least. The "dark seekers," which come off as part-zombie, part-alien, are a frightful entity in their own way. The power and speed they possess is terrifying. But most of all, their ability to think. To plan an attack. To follow a "leader." It makes them all too human, even though they are clearly past that stage. The most memorable scene is by far a pivotal moment. I won't give it away. It involves dogs, a sunset, and a boundary that quickly is falling apart. It's as intense as any scene and you can't help but root for the good guys.

But there are, of course, minor flaws. Some scenes tend to drag, such as the opening deer hunt. But it has its purpose. These drawn out sequences allow the audience to feel like they are part of this experience. It makes you almost annoyed at how boring life would be with nobody else around. But that's the beauty of the film. Even the parts that seem to drag on do so with a purpose. So, not exactly a flaw.

There are so many little things that the director gives you to notice on your own. Intricacies that the closer you look, the more information about the fictional 2010 you'll find. My favorites were in the beginning. Look carefully at the bottom line during the opening scene and you'll see  "Shaquille O'Neal will retire in 2010." Let's hope it's not that long. As the movie opens up on Times Square you see a poster for the long overdue "Superman/Batman" movie everybody keeps hoping will be created. It may never come around, but the poster is cool. Let's not forget this is a Warner Bros. film, the same company that controls those two franchises right now. Product placement??

Anyway, I definitely enjoyed the movie. I have a fondness for dark movies. Especially given the plot, the darker this movie got, the better it became. Although the ending is kind of soft for the film's style, it was sufficient enough and I didn't complain. See this movie at the least to enjoy Will Smith's scary good, yet always improving, abilities as an actor. Also, be your own judge as to whether he takes steroids. How can a 40 year old have that body without taking something? Why don't they write a Mitchell Report about the state of steroids in movies? I doubt you'll find a lack of information.