By Katey Rich
All the movie blogs are in a tizzy today over the new U.S. trailer for I Am Legend, which was somewhat melodramatically released at midnight last night on MySpace (I don't pay a lot of attention to these things, but does this usually happen?) I kind of underestimated both the Internet's and my own interest in this film until I spent half an hour this morning trying to figure out exactly which was the new trailer; having seen what is apparently every trailer available, I'm downright excited. I'm a bit of a sucker for futuristic films in a recognizable setting (I blame it on Back to the Future II), so the shots of Times Square overgrown with weeds or the Brooklyn Bridge in tatters are pretty thrilling (also, imagine! Times Square filled with plants instead of tourists!) The concept is foolproof and spooky: Robert Neville(Will Smith) is the only survivor of a virus that transformed the entire human race into zombie-vampire people (or something like that). During the day he has the run of the city, but at night he and his German shepherd cower in the bathtub, hiding from the mutated people. Neville is immune to the virus, and wants to use that immunity to cure the disease, but it seems that the zombie vampires have other things in mind.
I spent so long figuring out which one was the new trailer because it seems the international version and U.S. version leaked within hours of each other. Below is (I hope!) the actual U.S. version.
I like the way this one sets up the atmosphere Neville lives in long before we see the beasties who come out at night. This is something you always see in films, spending time with a character and getting into his head before the real business begins, but to see it in a trailer is remarkably effective. Also they're showing off their set-pieces--the abandoned South Street Seaport, the stunning shots of a desolate New York City--without tipping their hand. It all makes me think is how excited I am to get a proper look at these.
After the jump is the international trailer, with some discussion.
It's a little odd how we get so much more plot explanation in this one-- the fact that Neville is immune, the way he's trying to solve the epidemic--even though it's intended for an international, not entirely English-speaking audience. It's obviously a lot more action-oriented-- big-budget explosions being America's greatest export, of course-- and more ass-kicking Will Smith, who, as described in this New York Times article from earlier this year, is one of few black stars who can perform well overseas.
Really, I like the way the two trailers play together. If each of the elements laid out here-- pensive atmospherics, adrenaline-laced action-- come together in the film, you can see how it is expected to play well smack-dab in the middle of December, surrounded by big-budget kid pictures (Golden Compass, Mr. Magorium's Wonder Emporium) and the middle of the prestige film season. Looking at its release date of Dec. 14, though, it's almost comical how little is opening against it-- Alvin and the Chipmunks (God save our souls), Juno (sure to be a hit in its limited bow, but still, limited), Youth Without Youth (exclusively in New York and L.A.), The Perfect Holiday (coming out two weeks after This Christmas, and I cannot tell the different between these films whastoever). Basically, it's Will Smith's party, and he'll kill zombie vampires if he wants to.
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