I Am Legend

717 Words2 Pages

Director Francis Lawrence’s 2007 film adaption of author Richard Matheson’s I Am Legend is the perfect selection for the FYS 175 class film. Academy award winner Will Smith plays the role of legendary Robert Neville. Robert Neville’s character is a somewhat messianic figure in the apocalyptic story. Robert’s dog Samantha is the perfect loyal companion. Towards the end of the movie, Anna and Ethan Montez appear and help to further Robert’s legend. The movie portrays a dystopic period of the world, while still delivering a sense of hope. It is this sense of hope carried in I Am Legend that allows the movie to be a perfect fit for this course.
The FYS 175 class film is a movie that depicts apocalyptic and eschatological meaning. It is important that the end times Oscar winning film paints a picture of hope towards the ending, as I Am Legend does. Hope is a major theme throughout the courses’ eschatological readings. Each reading consist paints the story of a group of people living in a gloomy state, all the while hoping to be delivered into utopia. The plot of I Am Legend is identical to this common theme of flourishing hope. The main character Robert Neville possesses the same hope and determination as the people of the cargo cults and the children of Fatima.
The film lacks the theme of millennialism while heavily placing its emphasis on apocalyptic and eschatological meaning. I Am Legend presents an interesting theory of the end of the world that was not directly discussed in FYS 175. I Am Legend presents the idea of the world ending due to medical advancements. Although this theory was not discussed directly within the course, the theory of the apocalypse occurring because of overall human advancements was preval...

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...of a man living a solitary lifestyle and suggests to the viewer what it would be like to be the only man living. The special effects used in the film creates the image of somewhat demonic apocalyptic characters. The director chose to use computer-generated imagery in order to make the zombies appear real. The computer-generated imagery allowed the zombies to constantly hyperventilate and appear to be highly infected by the virus.
I Am Legend is certainly qualified to be the End Times Oscar Winning Film, because of its apocalyptic, eschatological, and hopeful meaning. Robert sacrifices his life to cure the human race, which is symbolic to the death of Jesus Christ. Although life ends has ended for Robert, his legend allows a new and hopefully better society to be born. It is this utopic ending that proves that I Am Legend should be the FYS 175 class film.

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