I Am Legend

Reception

Jonathan Broxton of Movie Music UK wrote "what's here is solid enough, and kudos to the film for being willing to go score-less." Thomas Glorieux of Maintitles wrote "It is strange that the entire score on disc is a wonderful collection of elegiac emotional soaring cues. While this release is nothing like a representation nor recommendation of the effect in the movie, it's strange to consider that both work very well when separated. In the film the non musical scenes are effective and heavy. On disc the unused music serves up another Newton Howard winner. Together I Am Legend is simply wonderful." Thomas Simpson of Soundtrack.Net wrote "This album has the ability to play with your emotions long after you hear it [...] It's everything a film could want for a closer, bringing everything back into a nice little package, making a full circle from where it started."

Christian Clemmensen of Filmtracks wrote "It's a compelling score without a true home, and it's difficult to figure why Howard and Lawrence could not have better planned the score to take advantage of the sound effects and sequences of silence from the start. Perhaps the two will get a chance to better plan the employment of music in the announced prequel to I Am Legend that was put into early production not long after the fiscal success of the concept's resurrection." James Leonard of AllMusic wrote "[Howard's] music evokes and enhances the film's terror and loneliness as well as its central character's ultimate sacrifice with tremendous success. But, more than that, in some cues [Howard's] score does stand on its own as music, creating the same emotional effects as the film but without needing the film to explain them. The aching tone of the Epilogue, for instance, combined with distinctive harmonies, conjures a tangible sense of stoic heroism."

Kirk Honeycutt of The Hollywood Reporter wrote "James Newton Howard's magisterial score, create a New York City that is a literally an urban jungle." Scott Renshaw of Charleston City Paper wrote "the film as a whole stays fairly quiet, including spare use of James Newton Howard's score." Todd McCarthy of Variety and Jenna Wortham of Wired "ethereal" and "exciting". Glen Chapman of Den of Geek wrote "There are, of course, action themes here too, which are incredibly well handled and elevate the material, and overall, this counts as one of Howard's very best scores to date."

Additional music

The film also features four Bob Marley songs: "Redemption Song", "Three Little Birds", "Buffalo Soldier" and "Stir It Up".

Personnel

Credits adapted from liner notes: