On Thursday a bunch of us caught I Am Legend at Vivocity’s GVMax theatre.

This isn’t a review, though without explaining too lengthily why, I’d give it 3.5 out of 5 stars. I don’t think it’s an entertaining film where you leave your brain at the theatre doors; rather, it’s one that makes you think. However, the final act of the film is a letdown -  yes there’s lots of Hollywood action schlock, yadda yadda plus a convenient ending that will no doubt appeal to the mainstream moviegoing audiences at large.. but the first two acts makes it worth watching, especially if you’re a sci-fi buff.

Warren Ellis once quoted from Frederik Pohl who said, “Science fiction is way of thinking about things”.

If you look at the history of sci-fi you will realise how the technology imagined within the stories have now become a reality.. so the suspension of disbelief necessary for the premise of I Am Legend becomes a way of thinking, “What If?” and not quite so far from the world at present.

Interestingly enough, there was a trailer of Stephen King’s The Mist played before the film, which was basically about a group of people trapped in a store because of a mysterious ‘mist’ of killer insects. I first came to know of this story when I read an interview with comics writer Mark Millar or Brian Michael Bendis, I can’t quite recall; but what struck me was how he shared about how he was similarly inspired by Stephen King’s ‘method’ when it came to crafting a tale: taking an ordinary event, such as going to the grocery store and coming up with random events that turn it into something out of the ordinary. In this case, King asked, “What if all the people who went into the store were trapped in it by an attack of killer insects?”, thus giving birth to the idea for The Mist.

While the horror film genre has largely descended into pandering to the appetites of the mainstream film audience, I always felt that the best kind of spine-chilling horror would be clever and witty – through which it reveals that the real horrifying stuff is contained within the human condition. All the supernatural gaggle that accompanies it are just useful plot devices or metaphors.

The heart of I Am Legend deals with isolation, whether imposed or chosen, and explores its terrifying consequences. Will Smith is excellent in expressing Dr Robert Neville’s mental unhinging as the toll of his guilt and obsession wears down his resolve and humanity. Having lost his family as a result of his actions, he has no emotional anchor. Without fellow human beings, he loses sense of who he is at the core of his being.

It is a stark reminder of our own mortality and existence. It just simply reminds me of how much I need Jesus as my anchor. How much I need the Word to define who I am in Christ. How important are the brothers and sisters around me who sharpen me and allow me to learn.