I Am Legend

Today, we looked at a film called 'I Am Legend'. The plot was based upon a post-apocalyptic storyline which included features which were conventional in this type of genre. The opening scene consisted of a TV screen and two people talking; this was very similar to the opening of the modern film 'Romeo & Juliet'. We see a TV presenter and a doctor in the opening scene; the doctor is called Dr. Alice Krippin. The use of the surname 'Krippin' could relate to the Doctor Crippin, who was a criminal in America, and this leaves the audience wondering if any influence was taken from this and put into the film. In the film, we see that the doctor is very hesitant, whilst she explains that she has found a cure for cancer, and this has an impact on the audience as they may think that she is lying.

Additionally, there were many similarities in this film to 'The Book of Eli'. The use of establishing shots in the beginning of the films gives the audience a clearer understanding of where the events are going to take place. Moreover, in both films, animals are seen as a source of food; the main character (Will Smith) in the film 'I Am Legend' tries to shoot deer, but is unsuccessful. This is similar to 'The Book of Eli' where we see a masked man who has shot a cat. From this, we can learn that food is scarce and their only way to survive is to find and shoot animals.

Both of the opening scenes have very similar elements which are intense and leave the audience on edge.