Valentina Laketa
Professor Hudson Moura
CPOL128
07/12/2020
I Am Legend Response Paper
After watching the movie I am Legend there were many common relations that it has with the current global pandemic going on known as the “coronavirus”.While engaging in this movie many scenes displayed alienation, survival, and independence which is currently what the reality of the world is at the moment. The main character known as Robert which is being played by the famous Will Smith is left all alone to face a mutating virus that has annihilated the human population. Leaving only him to fight off the mutant zombies and animals. In his strong attempt to find a cure for this virus he goes through many hardships where his strengths are put to the test emotionally, physically, and mentally.
Once analyzing the movie as a whole I assumed that I am Legend was a film designed in a way to state a warning regarding the global pandemic that is currently happening. The movie begins by showing Robert being all by himself with his dog Sam waking up in the morning and completing their daily routines with no one in sight. Not only that but he and his canine walk around new york city highly protected and aware that there is a virus roaming around. This is an example of independence. Robert displays how independence plays a role throughout the whole movie from making himself breakfast to making sure he has all the utilities he needs to survive. He does everything solely on his own because he has no one to turn too. When reflecting the Coronavirus it mimics how a lot of individuals have to solely rely upon themselves. Due to the strict measure that was happening around the world such as quarantines and having social distancing in place. Humankind had to realize how to rely on themselves in ways that they didn’t have to before. It limited the movement that we are used to having. An example is having more than one person go into the grocery store with you to only being able to see the people that live in the same household as you. By completing tasks on our own we are shown independence worldwide.
As the movie continues Robert faces the mutated monsters who have been infected with this virus. He is forced to go into survival mode which is the second theme covered in the film. He essentially turns his house into a fortress with extra metal door barriers and a lab that has a safe spot in the basement. He only goes out during the day to collect the necessary items such as food,medicine, and weapons. Robert also attempts to kill the mutated humans to bring them back to his laboratory and figure out a cure for this disease. By being by himself he is forced to make a daily routine and stick to it if he was going to survive to be alone in New York. This relates to the global pandemic that we are currently faced as everyone in the world is aiming to survive. There are many aspects when you look at survival as a whole. I can relate to it as currently, I am protecting myself against the coronavirus which means staying inside and focusing on following protocols such as limiting my exposure to interactions with others and not going to any indoor places where there is a dense population. Another way that the human population is currently fighting for survival is through the financial aspect of life. A Lot of people have lost their jobs or have had their weekly hours reduced making it hard to afford to live. This will make survival hard as everything costs money and with no income, you are more prone to be left without shelter and exposed to the virus.
The last theme that I am Legend covered throughout the entire movie was sacrifice. One scene that stood out to me was when Robert and his dog Sam were up against a group of the mutated human zombies. Robert was in danger to the point where his life was at risk and that’s when Sam jumped in and sacrificed his own life to save Robert’s. Another scene where a huge sacrifice was made in the final moments of the movie, Robert himself sacrificed his own life to help pass on the cure to Anna who was able to spread it to humankind.Anna was the only person who followed Roberts’s voice through the radio to seek him out and succeed in her mission to reach safety. As a result, the cure was safe and sound which was used to help people and prevent the spread of the virus from a further infection rate. With the current pandemic going on in the world there have been numerous amounts of sacrifices starting from people’s lives. In some parts of the world, there was a lack of hospital space and supplies, it came down to it that some people’s lives were sacrificed to save others. This usually had a lot to do with age and a pre-existing medical condition which was related to a lot of our elderly people. The world as a whole sacrificed their freedom such as going to stores, visiting family, and even certain jobs. Adults and Children had to sacrifice their schooling as well because there were no in-person classes, many high school students did not end up graduating or receiving the mark they wanted because they couldn’t get the in-person help they needed. The theme correlates between the movie in the real world but in just different ways, the movie has more of a fiction aspect as its meant to be engaging for the audience by having mutated human beings attacking the only man in the city. As appose to the real world where the disease is life-threatening but it does not turn people in zombies.
Overall the movie does a magnificent job by initiating a warning of the global pandemic that we are currently fighting worldwide. The movie I am legend portrays alienation, survival, and sacrifice which are common themes that go hand and hand with our current global pandemic. The movie gave an insight of what obstacles we will face as humans and how it would influence us on many levels.
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