 If you like movies, then you know that Will Smith is a presence on the screen who makes acting look like breathing. And you also know that it is difficult for any actor to carry the majority of a film in isolation without the support of other human characters. Tom Hanks pulled it off in Cast Away and earned an Academy Award nomination. Mr. Smith will follow him and be known as the second actor to be brave and talented enough to carry a film without supporting actors. In, I am Legend, Will Smith plays the brilliant scientist, Dr. Robert Neville, who is the sole survivor on earth living in the desolate wilderness of New York City. While watching this film, I was struck by the eeriness of what a post-apocalyptic New York City would look like with its weeds poking up in the streets, piles of rusting cars on its boulevards and avenues and the quite emptiness of abandoned buildings. The film drives home the fact the more people try to control the world with science, the more out of control the world becomes. In the case of the film, the smallpox virus is engineered to be a miracle cure for cancer, but instead whines up destroying the human race. Finally, the film ponders our need for human contact. Dr. Neville’s methodical execution of his daily routines of exercise, hunting, meal preparation, and radio broadcasts, in an effort to maintain his sanity, serves as a reminder that we should never take our fellow human beings for granted including the cashier at the local grocery store. Recommendation: Highly recommended Warning: This film contains close-ups of vicious looking rodents. Film URL: http://iamlegend.warnerbros.com/ Author’s Note: There were two previews shown on television to promote the film. In the first preview, the viewer hears the main character introduce himself as, “Dr. Robert Neville,” and in the second preview, the main character identifies himself as simply, “Robert Neville.” After a week or so, the second preview (without the doctor title), was the only preview aired. Broadcasting the preview that does not include the doctor title appears to be a very subtle way of minimizing the fact that an African American man can be a doctor. Being a doctor implies a certain level of education and intellect and by not using the title when introducing the character, the implication will not be drawn by the viewer. I cannot help but wonder if this depiction is intentional because the actor playing the doctor is African American? Would the same preview without the doctor title have been aired if Tom Cruise had gotten the part instead of Mr. Smith? Food for thought! -by Bernadette Steele
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