What I Am Legend Looks Like Without Special Effects

This might not come as a huge surprise if you’ve seen the movie lately, or could claim a discerning eye for CGI back in 2007. One of the more noticeable bits of visual rendering, especially watching «I Am Legend» today, must be the animals. Even though humanity is all but wiped out, a number of animals continue to live in nature. 

The film’s deer, in particular, look like CGI animals… because they are. In one early sequence that accentuates the problem, we watch them run in a large pack. Seeing many of the same animal, and not just one, tends to bring out the «uncanny valley» effect in «I Am Legend.» 

The one exception to this rule: Neville’s dog Sam, played by canine actors named Abbey and Kona. The rest of the movie’s infected dogs in the movie were added in digitally, although for scenes where Smith interacted with them, a puppet helped elicit a physical reaction from him. More on that later.