EDITOR’S NOTE: Cinefantastique invited a handful of its favorite websites and blogs to render their opinions on which science-fiction, fantasy, and horror films were worthy of Oscar consideration. We presents excerpts from their comments, with links so that you can read the complete articles…
By John W. Morehead of Theofantastique
As the 80th Annual Academy Awards draws near on February 28th, some of us wonder what films and what actors might have been contenders if only their genres and subject matter had been more “mainstream.”
The film that stands out in my thinking is I AM LEGEND. This film surprised me in a number of positive ways, not least of which was Will Smith’s strong performance. Most of my exposure to Smith’s acting over the years has been from his early television work. Smith’s prior work in science fiction, such as INDEPENDENCE DAY (1996), MEN IN BLACK I (1997) and II (2002), and even less so but to a certain extent in I, ROBOT (2004), represented good acting, but in my view his performance still emphasized his background in comedy rather than drama, and certainly did not rise to the level of serious drama as showcased in LEGEND. Smith’s performance in this film is especially striking when we consider that for the most part the film is a one-man show, and the story’s initial and ongoing credibility is either sustained or lost through his acting ability. I believe it would be difficult for any viewer not to suspend disbelief and to enter into LEGEND’s story as Smith’s character slowly unravels emotionally while delaing with the ongoing challenges of being (in his mind) the only survivor of a human-made apocalypse that has impacted the globe. For these reasons I would argue that Smith should have been considered for the Best Actor category.
Read the complete article at Theofantastique.
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