(Dir: Francis Laurence. Warner Bros)
A troubled project from the start, this big budget sci-fi/horror pushes Will Smith's ability to entertain to the limit – but, fortunately, not the audience. 

The film, based on Richard Matheson's novel of the same name, has been ping-ponging throughout Hollywood for years, with many a director – Ridley Scott included – enticed by its last-man-standing theme.

After the release of 28 Days Later, it seemed I am Legend had missed the boat. However, it took the apt combination of music video director Francis Laurence and the all-in-one media machine Mr Will Smith to get the project off the ground.

The plot focuses on a bacterial infection (like an evil version of Yakult) which, if contracted, results in vampire-like tendencies such as rage, photosensitivity and a taste for fresh (Prince) meat. Smith plays US Army virologist Robert Neville, whom, finding he is immune to the evil man flu, makes it his mission to cure the virus, reclaim NYC and generally save the world. And that's pretty much the plot – not in nutshell but in full.

Much of the media hype surrounding the film's December release was buried in the Christmas mayhem, and this appears to have worked in its favour. Cinema-goers over the holiday period simply put their trust in a comfortable movie star; not  expecting to end up in the lap of the complete stranger next to them.

Because beneath Smith's solid – if somewhat lacklustre – performance, and aside from the fact that it contains the most expensive scene in movie history, what really makes I Am Legend enjoyable is the fact that the baddies scare you shitless. Involuntarily shrieking in a room full of people trying to hide the fact that they are doing exactly the same is fun. So although you may not walk away from the film with a profound new understanding of the fragility of the human race, you will feel you got enough bang for your buck. (Lotte Mahon)