I Am Legend

So many attempts to get it right, but now 50 years after the fact, it's beginning to seem as if Richard Matheson's landmark 1954 novella may simply be unfilmable. Sure, the long-in-development I Am Legend is a serviceable action horror flick when all is said and done, but the reality is that fans hoping for a faithful adaptation -- as the title would suggest -- will have to put their expectations on hold if they hope to enjoy this dodgy but passable take on the oft-told tale. Truth is that a large part of the story is deeply psychological as it hones in on the gradual mental breakdown of a man left completely alone in the world, a concept that few would deny is better suited to the written page than the silver screen. No doubt Will Smith does a commendable job of conveying the scientist-turned-vampire slayer's inner torment as he chats up mannequins like they're old friends and goads his dog on to eat vegetables, but it's when the film starts to stray from its origins that it becomes a bit generic and uninvolved. On the one hand, there isn't as much action here as there is in The Omega Man, but on the other, it doesn't come anywhere near to rivaling the brooding quality of The Last Man on Earth -- rendering it more of a tantalizing, middle-of-the-road misfire than an outright failure.