3. I Am Legend (2007)
You know what? Let’s get it out in the open. I Am Legend kind of sucked. Yes, it’s Will Smith and yes, it’s a pretty cool apocalypse story. Yes, there’s a cute dog.
The worst part is that the film made so many changes to the source material that most people didn’t even know it was based on a book. Richard Matheson’s original novel is still in the Smith-led film somewhere, but it’s been melted down into the sort of drivel that Hollywood considers more palatable. Many of Matheson’s ideas about the Darkseekers are gpone, and instead of obviously sentient creatures they’re presented as feral and largely inhuman.
The changes the film made effectively ruin the original story as a result. The whole point of the book is the moral dilemma: is Neville right to kill the vampires, or is he the monster? The film basically just asserts that he’s a good man and does its best not to raise any questions on the matter. Not Hollywood’s finest moment, that’s for sure.