Was anyone really clamoring for an “Ultimate Collector’s Edition” DVD of I Am Legend? I’m sure there are hundreds, or even thousands, of super-fans. But I’ve never met one. I know millions of people flocked to the film, yet any rabid reaction one way or the other must have been under the radar. The film opened, made tons of cash based on Will Smith starring, and then simply evaporated from memory. So the fact that this heavy (literally) DVD set exists and that the Internet is buzzing with prequel/sequel talk for I Am Legendary (my clever title suggestion since every website appears to be rolling one out) amazes me — okay maybe the latter part doesn’t since the movie made more than $250 million domestically.
However, I Am Legend isn’t a bad film (overall, I do like it); it’s just a disappointing one. The first hour of the film is solid if not occasionally brilliant between Will Smith’s empathetic performance, haunting visuals of an abandoned New York City, and Francis Lawrence’s stylistic, yet not derivative, direction. But those last 40 or so minutes (beginning exactly when the atrociously annoying Alice Braga and a little brat enter the story) are pure stink, stank, stunk. The film morphs into a rote, silly monster film, in which the climax and denouement pivots upon the type of maudlin, contrived bullshit that only a lazy Hollywood screenwriter could imagine. So it’s no surprise that hackmeister Akiva Goldsman co-wrote and produced the film.
Goldsman is responsible for writing cinematic nerve-gas attacks such as Batman and Robin, Lost in Space, Practical Magic, and The Da Vinci Code (and his producing record includes abortions such as Mindhunters and Poseidon among others). However, the guy does own an Oscar for scripting the excellent A Beautiful Mind. Yet, despite his occasional decent film, Goldsman’s cliche-ridden, mawkish, and downright toothless sensibilities encapsulate everything wrong with Hollywood screenwriting (and his influence definitely softened I Am Legend‘s grim core). He’s a punching bag for movie geeks, and rightfully so.
Yet, from listening to the DVD commentary, it’s apparent the abuse doesn’t bother Goldsman all that much. Throughout the track, second-time feature director Lawrence takes a rather defensive stand against several complaints critics launched at his film, whiIe Goldsman attempts to sooth Lawrence with a pleasant oh-well-that’s-the-way-it-is attitude. The commentary provides an interesting dynamic between an old pro who knows and accepts the game between critics and filmmakers and one who hasn’t quite come to terms with it yet.
It’s also nice how Goldsman and Lawrence — and the DVD as a whole — are rather open about the last minute reshoots for the film’s ending. The “Ultimate Collector’s Edition” does contain a different version of the film with the original “controversial ending.” I’m not sure why it’s controversial, it’s just as lame as the theatrical cut’s conclusion. The only difference, other than a major character survives, is that Will Smith learns flesh-eating, rabies-infected mutants can love too. Oh, and everyone loves butterflies. When it comes to watching which version of the film, flip a coin. The last 40 minutes still suck regardless.
As for the additional bonus material on the 3-disc set, it’s not overwhelming, but it’s not a complete rip-off either. The longest featurette, inventively titled “The Creation of I Am Legend,” is actually a compilation of smaller docs that range from the film’s opening “joy ride” through Manhattan to working with the dog. I only have two major gripes. Even though Richard Matheson, the author of the film’s source material, was interviewed, he’s reduced to 3-second snippets. The original book is a very influential piece of science-fiction, and it would have been beneficial to devote some running time to the adaptation process. My other complaint is that the doc barely touches on the pre-production design of the mutants, in which disastrous decisions were made that forced the filmmakers to move from humans in makeup to the much maligned, rubber-jawed CGI creatures. The DVD does includes a really boring (so dull I fast-forwarded most of it) exploration of the visual-effects, but it doesn’t touch on this issue. Since this DVD edition doesn’t conceal the issues involving the alternate ending, I figured we’d get more than 30 seconds on the other important problem the filmmakers faced.
However much of the main featurette (and the redundant “The Making of I Am Legend” featurette) focus on location shooting and how post-apocalyptic New York City was created. Say what you will about the movie, but you have to admire the amount of effort that went into shooting it. Not satisfied with blue-screen sound stages, the filmmakers went out and shut down parts of New York City to film, and from the evidence shown, it was a massive undertaking. However, the most fascinating, and barely discussed, aspect is that much of the on-location footage (including a couple of scenes around St. Patrick’s Cathedral) wound up on the cutting room floor. And after viewing the 20 minutes of cut scenes (most involving Braga’s pointless character and the even more pointless kid), most were chopped for good reason. However, I’d love to know how much money it cost to shoot those terrible scenes.
The DVD set also contains a better than expected documentary on infectious diseases. It’s entertaining an a classroom sort of way — cheap looking title cards — but it does a great job of trying to scare the shit out of you. SARS is gonna get yah! Wait no. The bird flu is gonna get yah! Wait no, maybe. Whatever, some kind of virus is gonna get yah.
Additional bonus material revolves around motion comic books (the latest fad in DVD extras apparently) that showcase short stories from around the world involving the spread of I Am Legend‘s disease. Think of them as possible jumping off points for a Will Smith-less sequel. Some are nifty and really bloody (such as the tale from India where a woman devours her family) while others are incredibly flat (such as the Tokyo comic where a woman writes a note and jumps off a bridge and that’s it).
If you are one of the mysterious super-fans of I Am Legend, then you probably own the “Special Edition,” which already included the animated comics, alternate version of the film and perhaps a few of the featurettes that show up here (I don’t own the disc so I’m not 100% certain what’s double-dipped material). So 50 bucks is a steep price for a somewhat superficial “Ultimate Collector’s Edition.” Yet, at the very least, the “Ultimate Collector’s Edition” comes in some sexy packaging. And as an added plus you get a swanky book of pre-production art, a lenticular showing Smith colliding into a mutant like they’re playing football and six shiny 5-by-7 pieces of art depicting major cities around the world in various states of ruin — just what you want to put on your cubicle wall at work. All in all, this is a DVD set for only the most rabid of fans, if they even exist.
