STUDIO: Warner Brothers
RELEASE DATE: March 18, 2008
STARRING: Will Smith, Alice Braga, and Dash Mihok
WRITTEN BY: Mark Protosevich and Akiva Goldsman
DIRECTED BY: Francis Lawrence
FEATURES: 4 Awesome Animated Comics - "Death as a Gift", "Isolation", "Sacrificing the Few for the Many", and "Shelter"
DVD-ROM PC Weblink
Alternate Theatrical Version

The number of alternate endings that actually improved on the theatrical ending can be counted on one hand. A few weeks ago, the original ending for I Am Legend hit the net and it literally exploded in a wave of consensus that the short list of "better alternate endings" needed another entry. Do a search for "best alternate endings" and you'll find dozens of blogs, message boards, and postings talking about I Am Legend. Now you can see what all the buzz is about on the two-disc special edition, which doesn't just include the radically different conclusion that was changed to something totally ridiculous in theaters but includes a seamlessly cut version of the film where that version is the only one you'll see. It's highly likely, especially considering the popular response to the leaking of the alternate ending, that this will come to be the only final chapter that is recognized as the "actual" ending to I Am Legend, in much the same way that it's nearly impossible to find a hardcore Blade Runner fan who recognizes the theatrical ending to that film as valid in any way. It's that much better.

But maybe we're getting ahead of ourselves. Based on the massively influential book by Richard Matheson, I Am Legend is essentially a one-man show with Will Smith playing Dr. Robert Neville, the last man on Earth...or so he thinks. Neville may be the last human he's seen in months, but there's something else in the dark streets of Manhattan. The island has been locked off after a horrible plague that killed most people and turned the others into vampire/zombie/cartoons, for lack of a better phrase. Neville spends his days hunting for food and looking for company and his nights hiding with only his loyal dog as a companion. He's trying to find a cure for the monsters that have taken over the Big Apple without them really knowing he's there. So, he kidnaps one at a time, experiments for a cure, and usually fails. But things may be about to change.

Even with the vastly superior new ending and one of the better video/audio treatments that the standard definition DVD market has ever seen, I Am Legend is still a frustrating film. The movie refuses to be as dark and heartbreaking as it should, turning the story into a CGI blockbuster instead of focusing on Neville's lonely plight of trying to save a race that just wants to eat him. In the end, director Francis Lawrence makes a few too many mistakes, barely off-setting the elements of I Am Legend that do work, including a very good performance from Will Smith. Even one of the better mainstream actors alive can't save a film with creature design this weak and a screenplay that chooses countless overhead shots of an empty NYC instead of the claustrophobic paranoia that the story demands.

With all of that said, I Am Legend works significantly better on DVD than it did in theaters, so considering most people seemed to like the film on the big screen, they're probably going to love it at home. The anamorphic widescreen picture on both the original and alternate versions is stunning. A lot of I Am Legend, particularly the final reel, takes place in almost total darkness, which demands a video transfer that doesn't get grainy or lose its line clarity and I Am Legend never does. And the surround sound track is perfectly tuned for a film that needs to be a sensory experience to have any hope of working. There are also some brief, animated comics that flesh out some of the world of I Am Legend and a weblink that will take you to the more standard, EPK-style bonus material you usually see in a package like this one.

Once again, the real draw is the new ending. We couldn't sleep at night if we gave it away here, so you need to see it for yourself. All we'll say is that it feels significantly more in tune with the notes of depression that Smith hits through the rest of the film. It's sad, bittersweet, and actually moving, as opposed to the theatrical ending, which doesn't really make a lot of sense if you think about it. The 'new' ending is so much better that it almost makes the conspiracy nuts at The Deadbolt wonder if this wasn't the plan all along. They knew the movie was good enough for theaters and that it would be a monster hit with ANY ending (and it was). Now, they can release what they knew was a better conclusion all along and get everyone who's already seen the movie to see it again. Very clever, Mr. Smith.