Everybody's gone? Even DJ Jazzy Jeff?: "I Am Legend"

Ah ... the Fresh Prince jokes never get old.

My Radiant Moonbeam and I made a deal last weekend, swapping baby-watching duties so each of us could see a movie at different times Sunday. She went with "Juno," a perfectly respectable independent movie. I opted for "I Am Legend," which may not have won rave reviews but was supposed to look cool on the big screen. It did.

Some of you may remember an earlier version of the Richard Matheson book about the so-called last (non-vampire) man on earth. "The Omega Man" starred that great line-chewer, Charlton Heston, and while I used to think that movie wasn't bad, it also isn't very good. "I Am Legend," with Will Smith in the lead role, is an improvement but still not as good as a movie version of that book could be.

In the near future, a virus meant to cure cancer has instead wiped out most of the world's population. Left in a largely abandoned Manhattan is Big Willy Style -- the only known person immune to the virus -- and a bunch of "people" whom the virus turned into blood-craving subhumans who can't stand the sunlight. So yeah, it's probably a good idea for our man Will to keep those moonlight walks to a minimum.

Smith is hanging out in the former New Amsterdam because -- as a military scientist -- he thinks he can find a cure for the virus. Three years after almost everyone died, it's not going well. On the plus side, he can get any DVD he wants at the video store, and road traffic is light.

The extended setup of Smith's plight -- which comes right after the start of the movie -- is pretty cool. Through a combination of closed roads and CGI, we see a Manhattan left for dead and slowly returning to the wild. Cars are stacked up on some roads, while other have weeds sprouting from cracks. Central Park is overgrown, and deer roam Midtown streets. Most amazing of all: Nobody in line at the TKTS booth! Hell, I never thought I'd see that.

So yeah, that's neat stuff, and the whole psychological thing with Smith having only his dog for company is well done, too. The dog's a little more engaged than Tom Hanks' volleyball in "Cast Away" -- "Wilson!" -- although that makes for more warm-and-fuzzy than we really need. Smith, meanwhile, is his usual likable self, just with a hint more seriousness. Watching everyone die and dealing with bloodthristy wackos will do that to you.

After a few isolated action scenes amid the great emptiness -- physical and emotional -- the melodrama amps up a bit, with Smith busting out some "For Your Consideration"-type acting before getting a big surprise. That brings a new level of tension -- as well as some "Is there a God?" debate -- before the big finish. It's not faithful to the book, but it's better than "The Omega Man." And bonus points for not changing the title to "I Am Legynd."