I Am Legend
Cast: Will Smith
Dr. Alice Krippin's viral cure for cancer, (with a 100 per cent success rate), is hailed as the best thing to have happened in a very long time. But by 2012, three years after the breakthrough, when we are given a tour of a deserted New York, we realise that Pandora's box has been opened.
We see a few birds on the wing, grass growing on the streets, and only one human being. That's Armyman Dr Robert Neville (Will Smith) who drives a GT 500 like... a driven man. For company he has a dog, Samantha.
Then we get to see lions and deer. And in flashbacks, we get to know of the outbreak of KV, the Krippin Virus, which leads to the island being quarantined and safe passage to the outside world for those who test negative. The city had
a population of 6 million, but now it is home to the infected, the darkseekers who stay hidden by day to avoid the deadly rays of the sun.
Neville is one of the 1 per cent of people who are immune to KV and he's stayed back to find an antidote and reverse the spread of the virus. But the doctor has to endure more than 1,000 maddening days isolated from the outside world before it appears that a cure is possible.
The 2-set DVD set presents two movies: if you don't like the original ending, watch the other one. Special features include Cautionary Tale: The Science of I am Legend. This documentary explains why the movie is not that farfetched to fall into the realm of science fiction. It looks at recent pandemics and their impact on history and life. We also learn that now virologists are staying ahead of the game by eavesdropping on 'viral chatter'. Very interesting. We've always been thinking that humans are on top of the food chain. No, viruses have the upper hand.
Rating: 15.
American Gangster
Cast: Russell Crowe, Denzel Washington
Ruthless Harlem gangleader Bumpy Johnson dies unexpectedly without naming a successor. So, Frank (Washington) who is Bumpy’s driver, bodyguard and collector quickly steps in to fill the void.
The good guy of the piece is Richie (Crowe), an honest cop who can’t be tempted by even a million dollars. But he has a big personal problem.
Meanwhile the market is flooded with Pure No. 4 heroin which is twice as good as that in the market, and available at half the going rate. Richie’s task is to unmask the ganglord behind this.
The settings, subplots, character portrayals and the nuances that Washington and Crowe manage to convey make this an intriguing movie.
Inspired by a true story, the movie ends with a statement that three-fourths of the police force was convicted for colluding with drug dealers. Now, that’s not meant to be a surprise ending.
Rating: 18
Stardust
Cast: Charlie Cox, Claire Danes, Michelle Pfeiffer, Robert De Niro
Once upon a time (… sorry, that should be 150 years ago), there was a village called Wall that was cut off from the other side by … a wall. The barrier had a hole that had been under 24-hour watch (for hundreds of years, it seems. Maybe the village didn't have a mason). Which is well and good, for the hole was a portal to the magical kingdom of Stormhold.
Every fairytale has to have a hero. For this, we have a curious Wall countryboy who goes to the other side, where he has a brief liaison with a shackled princess. The visitor returns to Wall and nine months later the postman delivers an unexpected souvenir: a baby boy who 18 years later turns out to be our hero, Tristan (Cox).
Now we need the princess. No, it's not Victoria (Sienna Miller) who Tristan tries to woo. It's the fallen star Yvaine (Danes). As we progress we meet other good guys and the bad, including the king of Stormhold who is on his deathbed, his sons who are eyeing the crown, three witches one of whom is played by Pfeiffer and captain Shakespeare (De Niro) who commands a pirate (air)ship.
Stardust is a feelgood movie, it's fun and it introduces you to vistas that can only exist in your imagination.
Rating: PG.
