THEMATIC Film Review: I AM LEGEND & THE LOST BOYS: The Tribe

I had the pleasure of watching the premiere of HBO's new vampire series True Blood starring Anna Paquin (XMEN FILMS)and I became nostalgic for vampire cinema. As a part time monster aficionado, I will admit I love the myth and lore surrounding the vampire very much.

I decided to rent two films I had yet seen that were in the vein of that horror genre.

First, I shall review 2007s I AM LEGEND starring Will Smith. I will admit I was against seeing this film because I love the Richard Matheson novel too much. I did not think that Will Smith could do the main character any justice. I was wrong.

The story opens with a news program interviewing a specialist (played by Emma Thompson) who announces a rather radical cure for cancer. The cure is a virus that has been altered to attack the cancer. What the miracle cure does is turn its hosts into sunlight abhorring flesh eating vampires, or zombies, if you will.

I realize vampires are not zombies, but this movie is based on one of the most highly noted vampire novels of our time so, I let that slide.

Anyway, Robert Neville (Will Smith) is seemingly the lone survivor of this world wide catastrophe. Alone in New York City, he fights to survive and find a cure to the virus that he is apparently immune to with his only company being a dog named Samantha.

It is a bleak and hopeless existence for Robert, but like the tag line says "The Last man on Earth is not alone." He is found by survivors Anna and Ethan while on a suicide mission to avenge the death of Samantha, his dog.

In an interesting twist, the writers of the film decided to inject the idea of faith into the story line. Anna tells Robert that God lead her to him and he retorts that there is no God. The exchange between these two characters shows us alot about what the last 3 years in isolation had done to Robert Neville. It had crippled him spiritually, emotionally, and then finally mentally. In the face a real hope and the chance to start life anew, Robert couldn't let go of the past and his duty: to stay at his post and find a cure.

By the climatic ending, where he is screaming "let me save you" at the human monsters, I shed a tear. Yes, I actually cried during a sci fi/horror movie. I guess I was so far into it, I forgot to be critical. I have to say that this movie is worth seeing again and that Will Smith (sick as I may be of him trying to save the world) is a damn fine actor who can carry a film on his own.
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THE LOST BOYS: The Tribe also had a nostalgic flair for me. And no, I did not want to see this one either. Without Keifer Sutherland, I knew it just would not be the same. His performance is what I loved about the first movie. I relished his sexiness and his edge that he brought to that movie.

But, you can't always get what you want. And what I wanted was to see more of Corey Feldman and more of Corey Haim together in this film. What I got of that was two seconds. And what of the other Frog brother. Well, he is dead. or rather undead if you view the deleted scenes (alternate endings) you know what I am talking about.

Anyway, the story of the TRIBE begins with brother and sister Chris and Nicole Emerson moving to Luna Bay to start a new life after their parents die. Nicole meets and falls in love with Shane Powers (played by Angus Sutherland, Keifer's half brother). At a party, she drinks his blood. Enter Edgar Frog (Corey Feldman), vampire slayer, who informs her brother that his sister is a suck monkey and they are going to half to kill the head vampire in order to save her immortal soul.

I was not as assumed as I was with the first film. The Tribe is just not that funny. With the exception of Corey Feldman, I didn't really care about the characters that much. But I stayed for the end and it was worth it.

I won't go into the whole Freudian\psuedo sexual angles (of which there are many) of this picture. I will say I was mildly entertained. THE LOST BOYS: THE TRIBE is a nice throw back to my youth. Would I pay to see it again? Maybe.

I mean, why not. Ok, I would. I love vampires too much, not too. I just wish they had made a better picture.