I Am Legend

In I Am Legend, Will Smith stars as the last man on earth, the world’s only healthy survivor of a biological attack.  Everyone else in the world is now a zombie-like mutant, sleeping by day and hunting Smith by night. While the sun shines, Smith hunts for food and waits in one spot for any other survivors to show up.  But, at night, he holes up in his home as a zombie mob presses in after him.

The film feels like two movies.  It starts out as an apocalyptic, sci-fi study of human pathology.  But, halfway through, it descends into a mere horror movie, losing its psychological strength.  That’s not necessarily bad, though, as the wild ride keeps your heart racing.

What is bad is the CGI zombies, which look like they’re from a video game.  That’s where you’ll need to focus most of your suspension of disbelief strength, looking past the poor visual effects and concentrating on the thrill of the film.

I Am Legend is rated PG-13.

Alvin and the Chipmunks

Someone had the nutty idea to update and revive the classic cartoon characters created by his father, which brings Alvin and the Chipmunks to the big screen, by way of CGI.

Jason Lee stars as Dave Seville, an unsuccessful songwriter who finds his big break when he unknowingly brings home a trio of talking chipmunks.  Turns out, they also sing.  And, if they sing Dave’s songs, they can live with him.

Of course, Alvin, Simon and Theodore don’t just sing Dave’s songs.  They also sing some of today’s popular songs in their fast forward voices.

David Cross plays a record label executive and may be the only one most people in the audience find funny.

While there is the cuteness factor and a lot of energy to the film, the major thing going against this movie is Tim Hill, the director, who also directed Garfield Deux.  It also feels like it’s a short idea stretched into a film that feels too long.  And, just as in Garfield, Hill prefers low-brow slapstick and poop jokes to anything clever.

Alvin and the Chipmunks is rated PG