If you loved Will Smith’s movies like I Am Legend you remember how precisely it balanced sci-fi horror, near-future virology, dog-led companionship and quiet city dread inside a huge, emptied New York. It is a survival story but also a researcher’s tragedy, with a man trying to atone for humanity’s mistakes while talking to mannequins and timing every foraging run before nightfall. The genre is a hybrid of thriller and drama, its tone is mournful rather than gleefully violent, its story engine is day-to-day routine punctuated by experiments, its stakes are extinction-level because a workable serum is in the room, its key relationship is between a lonely scientist and the only creature that makes him human, and its signature moments are sacrificial, fluorescent and heartbreaking.
For this guide we defined movies like I Am Legend as films that replicate at least three of those pillars: an outbreak or science-triggered fall, a single or tiny-circle protagonist carrying the emotional load, a city or landscape shown as abandoned, and an ending that points to rebuilding, not just dying slower. We also privileged stories that, like Neville’s, see the infected as sad transformations rather than faceless enemies, so the horror stays tragic. Titles were ranked by five axes and we made room for one or two gentler companion pieces for people who mainly loved the dog. Everything below can sit in the same watchlist without tonal whiplash.
Jump to: Top picks | Darker options | Lighthearted picks
Methodology (5 axes of similarity)
1) Tone: must sustain end-of-days melancholy, not just chaos. 2) Narrative engine: must be survival or cure-seeking. 3) Themes: loss, responsibility, rebuilding. 4) Character dynamics: lone hero, caretaker bond or makeshift family. 5) Stakes: planetary or at least species-adjacent. We also forced an era and region mix so you get 1970s source-material takes, UK viral outbreak thriller flavours and 2010s American high-budget entries inside the same frame.
How movies like I Am Legend balance horror and hope
1) The Omega Man (1971)
- Runtime: 98 min
- Starring: Charlton Heston, Anthony Zerbe and Rosalind Cash
- Director: Boris Sagal
- Genre: Sci-fi / Post-apocalyptic
- IMDb Rating: 6.5/10
- Why it’s similar: Earlier big-screen version of the same last-man, cure-seeking premise.
This is the clearest ancestor among movies like I Am Legend for obvious reasons. Charlton Heston plays an immune scientist living alone after a plague turns the population into light-hating zealots. The tone slides between 70s swagger and hushed loneliness so the city never stops feeling haunted. His wary, guilty exchanges with the infected echo Neville’s complex view of his enemies. Los Angeles is pure urban desolation, with shops, cars and stadiums frozen mid-life. The emotional motor is a science-gone-wrong story that demands personal repayment. Viewers who liked watching Neville keep standards in a dead city will click with it. It proves the template works even without modern effects.
2) 28 Days Later (2002)
- Runtime: 113 min
- Starring: Cillian Murphy, Naomie Harris and Brendan Gleeson
- Director: Danny Boyle
- Genre: Horror / Outbreak
- IMDb Rating: 7.6/10
- Why it’s similar: Viral infection empties a capital city and forces fragile alliances.
Boyle’s landmark viral outbreak thriller is the modern pulse that movies like I Am Legend picked up. A bike courier wakes to find London abandoned after a rage virus destroys society in days. The tone is raw, handheld and urgent but still full of pauses for grief. His slow attachment to fellow survivors mirrors Neville’s need for found family. London’s tourist centre shot at dawn scratches the exact same eerie-city itch. Emotionally it offers the relief of a small, survivable future rather than a total reset. People who admired I Am Legend’s blend of scientific cause and human consequence will love this. It is the grittier British chord of the same song.
3) World War Z (2013)
- Runtime: 116 min
- Starring: Brad Pitt, Mireille Enos and Daniella Kertesz
- Director: Marc Forster
- Genre: Action / Pandemic thriller
- IMDb Rating: 7.0/10
- Why it’s similar: Global-scale infection, science-minded solution, family-driven stakes.
This is what happens when movies like I Am Legend go worldwide and refuse to stay in one city. Pitt’s ex-UN investigator jumps from Philadelphia to Jerusalem to Wales tracking the outbreak’s weakness. The tone is bigger and more kinetic but still organised around problem-solving. His desire to protect his family is a warmer mirror to Neville’s grief for his own. Each city is its own collapsing playground so the apocalypse never looks the same twice. The emotional payoff is clever rather than merely violent because the cure is a workaround. Fans of the lab, blood and UV sequences will enjoy the medical-detective flavour. It says that brains and heart both matter when the species is on a clock.
4) The Road (2009)
- Runtime: 111 min
- Starring: Viggo Mortensen, Kodi Smit-McPhee and Charlize Theron
- Director: John Hillcoat
- Genre: Drama / Post-apocalyptic
- IMDb Rating: 7.2/10
- Why it’s similar: Father keeps a child alive in a dead world through ruthless love.
This is the hushed, literary corner of movies like I Am Legend where monsters are replaced by hunger. A father and son walk through a burned America after an unspecified collapse, a pure post-apocalyptic survival march. The tone is grey, patient and uncompromising, matching Neville’s quieter daytime scenes. Their bond is the clearest analogue to Neville and his dog because the boy gives the father reason to move. There is no Manhattan skyline but the emptiness is even heavier. The emotional release is tiny acts of goodness and the idea that stories can be carried forward. Anyone who loved the film’s sadness more than its action will find this devastating. It shows that sometimes the cure is simply kindness.
5) A Quiet Place (2018)
- Runtime: 90 min
- Starring: Emily Blunt, John Krasinski and Millicent Simmonds
- Director: John Krasinski
- Genre: Horror / Sci-fi
- IMDb Rating: 7.5/10
- Why it’s similar: Family follows strict survival rules under lethal creatures.
This is the domestic, creature-siege horror answer to movies like I Am Legend. A family lives in silence because sound-hunting aliens wiped out most people. The tone stands on tension, not gore, so the dread stays human. Parents and children rely on each other exactly like Neville relied on Sam. The farm replaces the city but the sense of one wrong move ending everything is the same. Emotion comes from sacrifice and from parents planning for a future they may not see. People who enjoyed the practical survival details in Neville’s routine will adore the sand paths and sign language. It proves method can be as thrilling as mayhem.
6) Children of Men (2006)
- Runtime: 109 min
- Starring: Clive Owen, Clare-Hope Ashitey and Julianne Moore
- Director: Alfonso Cuarón
- Genre: Dystopian thriller
- IMDb Rating: 7.9/10
- Why it’s similar: One fragile life could restart a dying human race.
This might be the most elegant of all movies like I Am Legend because it shares the same moral weight. In a future where people stopped having children, a cynical ex-activist must smuggle the first pregnant woman in years to safety. The tone is documentary-real, handheld and exhausted, like a world that has run out of awe. His reluctant protector arc mirrors Neville’s reluctant saviour arc. Cities are still packed but spiritually empty, which is just another angle on loss. The emotional peak is in the birth sequence and the soldiers’ stunned silence. Viewers who prized the film’s hope-after-collapse energy will eat this up. It is the humane side of dystopia.
7) The Book of Eli (2010)
- Runtime: 118 min
- Starring: Denzel Washington, Mila Kunis and Gary Oldman
- Director: Albert Hughes and Allen Hughes
- Genre: Action / Post-apocalyptic
- IMDb Rating: 6.8/10
- Why it’s similar: Lone wanderer protects the one thing that could rebuild society.
This is the dust-road, faith-soaked branch of movies like I Am Legend, a true lone-hero drama. Eli walks through a ruined America carrying a book everyone wants to control. The tone balances meditative walks with sword-quick fights. His mentoring of a younger survivor copies Neville’s need to teach someone else how to stay alive. Towns and highways stand in for a dead metropolis but scarcity still bites. The emotional payoff is in his certainty that doing the right thing matters even unseen. People who loved the film’s theme of mission-before-self will recognise the rhythm. It is purpose as armour after the fall.
Darker movies like I Am Legend for when you want to stay in the nightmare
8) Daybreakers (2009)
- Runtime: 98 min
- Starring: Ethan Hawke, Willem Dafoe and Sam Neill
- Director: Michael Spierig and Peter Spierig
- Genre: Sci-fi / Vampire thriller
- IMDb Rating: 6.4/10
- Why it’s similar: Scientist hunts a cure before the transformed majority collapses.
This flips movies like I Am Legend on their head by making the monsters the dominant class. A vampire-run society is running out of human blood so an ethical researcher looks for a fix. The tone is sleek and corporate but edged with body horror. His alliance with human holdouts echoes Neville teaming with Anna. Cities are still lit but spiritually vacant, a kind of neon ruin. The emotional release comes when a cure appears that is violent but real. If you liked the hard science and test subjects in Neville’s basement, this scratches that itch. It is corporate apocalypse with teeth.
9) Carriers (2009)
- Runtime: 84 min
- Starring: Chris Pine, Piper Perabo and Lou Taylor Pucci
- Director: Àlex Pastor and David Pastor
- Genre: Drama / Outbreak
- IMDb Rating: 6.0/10
- Why it’s similar: Survivors enforce cold rules against a lingering virus.
This is the intimate road version of movies like I Am Legend, stripped of heroics. Four friends drive through plague America following strict protocols to stay uninfected. The tone is sad, sunlit and low-budget real. Their sibling bond stands where Neville’s dog stood, as the thing you cannot lose. Abandoned gas stations and small towns keep the world believably emptied. The emotional punch is in choosing between compassion and survival. Viewers who respected Neville for risking himself to save Sam will understand every hard choice here. It asks what good survival is without mercy.
10) The Girl With All the Gifts (2016)
- Runtime: 110 min
- Starring: Sennia Nanua, Gemma Arterton and Paddy Considine
- Director: Colm McCarthy
- Genre: Horror / Sci-fi
- IMDb Rating: 6.6/10
- Why it’s similar: Infected child may represent the future of humankind.
This UK entry takes the moral dilemma inside movies like I Am Legend and makes it literal. A second-generation “hungry” girl is bright, affectionate and possibly the key to reversing a fungus apocalypse. The tone is militarised and tense but threaded with teacher-student tenderness. Her bond with her guardian mirrors Neville needing someone to talk to. London and the countryside are overgrown, still dangerous and very much worth saving. The emotional payoff is a hope-after-collapse choice that won’t please everyone. If you admired how Neville’s death bought a future, this will fascinate you. It is the British, fungal, teaching version of the same beat.
11) I Am Mother (2019)
- Runtime: 113 min
- Starring: Clara Rugaard, Rose Byrne and Hilary Swank
- Director: Grant Sputore
- Genre: Sci-fi / Thriller
- IMDb Rating: 6.7/10
- Why it’s similar: Artificial caretaker preserves humanity after extinction event.
This is the bunker-bound, suspicious branch of movies like I Am Legend. A robot raises a girl underground after humanity’s wipeout claiming it is repairing the species. The tone is clinical, white and slow-burn threatening. Their parent-child dynamic mirrors Neville creating routine to stay sane. Outside is toxic and deserted so every step is a mission. The emotional jolt is in discovering who really caused what. Fans of the film’s science responsibility angle will enjoy this chamber piece. It is humanity rebuilt by logic not faith.
Companion-led and hopeful movies like I Am Legend for balance
12) Love and Monsters (2020)
- Runtime: 109 min
- Starring: Dylan O’Brien, Jessica Henwick and Michael Rooker
- Director: Michael Matthews
- Genre: Adventure / Monster apocalypse
- IMDb Rating: 7.0/10
- Why it’s similar: Solo trek through overgrown world to reach someone worth living for.
This is the bright, funny corner of movies like I Am Legend, a genuine companion-led journey. A shy survivor leaves his bunker years after monsters took over to find the girl he loved before the fall. The tone is playful but danger stays real so stakes never deflate. His bond with a dog is a direct echo of Neville and Sam. Cities and suburbs are swallowed by nature which keeps that “humans are gone” image fresh. Emotional reward is in finding out that connection matters more than fantasy romance. People who needed a break from the constant night-hunt dread will adore this. It shows the apocalypse can still be charming.
13) Finch (2021)
- Runtime: 115 min
- Starring: Tom Hanks, Caleb Landry Jones and Skeet Ulrich
- Director: Miguel Sapochnik
- Genre: Sci-fi / Drama
- IMDb Rating: 6.9/10
- Why it’s similar: Dying man teaches his robot to care for his dog after he’s gone.
This is the warmest tribute to movies like I Am Legend because it understands the dog is the heart. A terminal engineer in a solar-flare world builds an android so his pet will not be alone. The tone is wistful road-movie, not horror. The three-way relationship of man, dog and robot is a gentler riff on Neville, Sam and the mannequins. Ruined cities and weather threats keep the setting properly apocalyptic. The emotional payoff is in watching the robot learn empathy. People who cried at Neville’s final sacrifice will cry again here. It is love taught on a deadline.
14) Warm Bodies (2013)
- Runtime: 98 min
- Starring: Nicholas Hoult, Teresa Palmer and Rob Corddry
- Director: Jonathan Levine
- Genre: Romantic horror comedy
- IMDb Rating: 6.8/10
- Why it’s similar: Infection is tragic and love becomes the cure.
This is the cheeky, counter-programming pick among movies like I Am Legend. A zombie boy falls for a human girl and slowly recovers his humanity. The tone is narrated, young and hopeful without erasing danger. Their growing bond is another way of saying people need people to stay human. The airport, walls and human enclaves keep it in recognisably post-event spaces. Emotional release is literal resurrection through connection. Viewers who wanted a less tragic answer to “can the infected come back” will enjoy it. It is the rom-com inversion of the same idea.
15) Monsters (2010)
- Runtime: 94 min
- Starring: Scoot McNairy and Whitney Able
- Director: Gareth Edwards
- Genre: Sci-fi / Road movie
- IMDb Rating: 6.4/10
- Why it’s similar: Travel through quarantined territories where danger flickers at the edges.
This is the quietest entry but it still speaks the language of movies like I Am Legend. Two people must cross an infected zone in Mexico years after alien creatures arrived. The tone is dreamy, observational and romantic. Their relationship grows out of necessity the way Neville tried to grow one out of absence. Towns, borders and military fences show a world that adapted to catastrophe. The emotional centre is in finding beauty in a place meant to scare you. People who like apocalypses that leave room for wonder will prefer this. It is the soft landing for the list.
Conclusion: mapping movies like I Am Legend across tone and era
What these movies like I Am Legend prove is that the formula is flexible enough to be grim with The Road and Daybreakers, procedural with World War Z, spiritually charged with Children of Men and openly affectionate with Finch and Love and Monsters without losing the core thrill of one fragile human holding the future. The darker branch serves you creature danger, ruthless rules and no second chances. The hopeful branch leans on dogs, young survivors and imperfect robots. If you want to go deeper into how British cinema has pictured dystopia and societal breakdown, browse the resources at the British Film Institute. For canon-minded, craft-forward looks at American survival, sci-fi and thriller storytelling, explore the American Film Institute. Both sit naturally beside this list. Together they show how long we have been telling the same story about being the last one left.
