Craig Daily Press

Craig — Imagine if when Tom Hanks appeared in “Cast Away,” he and Wilson the Volleyball were constrained to save all of humanity. Transport him to Manhattan, and you have the movie “I Am Legend.”

In 2012, the world’s population has been almost completely eliminated by a virus released three years earlier.

The majority of the survivors of the disease have been turned into nocturnal mutants thirsty for blood.

Lt. Col. Robert Neville (Will Smith), a former Army scientist, is the single uninfected inhabitant of New York City.

He spends his days hoarding supplies and searching for any other healthy humans. By night, he huddles with his dog Sam, trying to block out the terrifying sounds coming from outside.

The two of them must live according to a strict regimen in order to minimize contact with the diseased monsters that lurk in the darkness. All the while, Neville is coming closer and closer to finding a cure for their condition, using his own immune blood to test on any subjects he can capture.

However, the lack of human contact takes its toll more and more, and the infected beasts are waiting for him to make a mistake.

Smith steps into the shoes once worn by both Vincent Price and Charlton Heston in “The Last Man on Earth” and “The Omega Man,” respectively.

His everyman/action hero image works well enough, particularly in scenes where he flashes back to his painful parting from his wife (Salli Richardson) and daughter (Smith’s own daughter Willow) during an evacuation of New York.

Indeed, his maturation as an actor is quite apparent when compared to his cockiness in sci-fi action movies such as “Independence Day” and “Men in Black.” He is more than watchable as just about the only discernable actor onscreen for a good part of the movie’s running time.

This new interpretation of Richard Matheson’s novel has been a long time coming, and has been touted as a revolutionary film.

Although it is above average, “Legend” is not quite the life-changing flick promised. This may be because the subject matter is almost true to life.

The earlier versions of the story were portrayed in such an extreme manner (unexplainable vampire syndrome/biological warfare holocaust), and what with all the horrors of today’s life, a rampant manmade disease seems almost like business as usual.

Emma Thompson’s brief appearance in the first few minutes as a scientific researcher who has created a cure for cancer (which goes horribly wrong) lets us know that this is a tale in which man’s best intentions get the worst results.

Neville’s noble strides to help the mindless fiends who only want to tear him asunder never cease, but the overall “message” is not as inspiring as it should be, in part because of a conclusion that bolts to the finish line.

“I Am Legend” has plenty of chills, and Smith is mesmeric as usual. Even if it tries and fails to be defined as a horror movie and a testament to humanity, it is a must-see for thrill seekers.

Now playing at the West Theater.