I love vampire movies. They’re almost always a lot of fun and full of good action and adventure. Will Smith has also proven himself to be a pretty darn good action movie star over the years, though he’ll always be the Fresh Prince of Bel-Air to me! So here Smith has found himself in a movie that kept trying to get off the ground. Ridley Scott was working on it back in the late 90’s with Arnold Schwarzenegger in mind. Then Rob Bowman gave it a whirl with a low budget in mind a few years later. But it was Francis Lawrence (director of Constantine) that finally got it off the ground.

Don’t be fooled though, this isn’t going to the be the first big screen adaptation of the novel. I’d be wrong if I told you it would even be the second. In fact, I Am Legend will be the third time around for this particular novel, but it is the first to use the actual novel title. In 1964 Vincent Price starred as Dr. Robert Morgan (instead of Neville) in a version that was so far from the original the author, Matheson, wanted his name off the credits. A few years later in 1971 the cult classic, The Omega Man (as in The Last Man) was made starring Charlton Heston. This time around it was even further from the book by removing all elements of vampires.

This new version looks pretty cool to me and I’m certainly looking forward to seeing it come December. I’m hoping it’ll be one of those “no expense spared” kind of action movies where the effects are awesome. Let’s see if they can pull it off and make another great vampire movie.

I Am Legend - Plot:

Based on the 1954 fiction novel by Richard Matheson, I Am Legend stars Will Smith as Robert Neville, the last survivor of an apocalypse. He busies himself each day by preparing for a nightly attack from the rest of the world, all of which have transformed into blood-thirsty vampires.

I Am Legend - Details:
Release Date: December 14, 2007
Genre: Action / Drama / Sci-Fi
Starring: Will Smith, Salli Richardson
Expected Rating: R based on the subject matter (vampires, death, and destruction)

I Am Legend - Movie Trailer: