I Am Legend

In 2007, writer Richard Matheson's dystopian novella of the same name was adapted by director Francis Lawrence into the sci-fi thriller I Am Legend. The story takes place in the ruins of post-apocalyptic New York City, where Robert Neville (played by Will Smith), a scientist, is the last human survivor of a deadly virus that wipes out nearly all of humanity. The film begins with a sweeping shot of Manhattan, showcasing the once-great city now in shambles, eerily quiet, and seemingly void of human life. We see glimpses of people falling ill, as they succumb to the mysterious and highly contagious disease that slowly transforms its host into one of the ravenous and zombie-like creatures. Neville, a military scientist, had been working on a cure for the so-called 'Krippin Virus,' but unfortunately, his efforts came too late. As the years have passed, Neville, once a confident and determined individual, has become increasingly isolated, now leading a solitary life in his heavily fortified apartment. The building itself has taken on the protective qualities of a safe haven. In addition to preparing for potential 'Creatures,' Neville's primary occupation is finding ways to safeguard against them. He uses a powerful crossbow and hunting gear to hunt down the creatures in an attempt to understand their behavior and composition. Meanwhile, the isolation started to wear down Robert Neville's mental state, severely playing on his emotional resilience. Frustrated by the absence of any feedback or responses to his past daily messages, Neville starts to hallucinate and crack due to loneliness and desperation. Still, amidst the doom and desperation that surrounds him, Neville tends to preserve optimism, retaining any remaining possibilities that there may be survivors elsewhere. As Neville discovers, the infected creatures, known as 'Darkseekers,' are highly reactive to light, human emotion, and their surrounding environment, feeding off of their predators and feeding on human remains. Using these basic traits, scientists hope to figure out how to treat or neutralize the disease successfully in the long run. Neville attempts to understand why the Darkseekers never come to him at night when it's light outside the building, just one clue toward understanding their behavior. He hypothesizes that they possibly struggle under lighting conditions, and when he begins to create a local source of high-intensity light, using fluorescent lights inside of three dumpsters, Neville determines they most assuredly get attracted to intense luminosity. As Neville tests the light, we see ominous Darkseeker swarms gathering right outside his doorstep. Although Neville has, to some degree, developed a tolerance for the noise that comes with daylight, this time makes even him feel on edge. In one scene where Robert escapes accidentally when following infected inside the house at dusk, this becomes an intense flash of confrontation that showcases Neville's determination to survive but also reveal the psychological state he sustained under the crushing weight of desolation. Ultimately, Neville meets a deer on the street, and with no resistance from the animal, the scientists believe a possibility exists that cure may indeed exist from animals immune to the virus. An intense, seemingly inexplicable scene shows Robert receiving vaccination – which brings him into recovery – and upon hearing all the people have managed to return back due to the unique immunity in animals, Robert undergoes clinical disintegration, dying a hero. With new hope rising from one cure, Neville's final hope comes to fruition.