By Eraj Rizwan

Hollywood Sci-Fi vs. Reality: Could “I am Legend” Actually Happen?

Disclaimer- This blog contains spoilers (obviously)

Imagine a world without crowds, no queues, no traffic, no hustle and bustle- basically no other humans except you and your dog (and occasional a herd of deer, and lions).

It is not as great as it sounds, ask Dr. Robert Neville about that!

A lightning-paced ride through a post-apocalyptic world where all the human beings except Robert Neville (Will Smith), an ex-military virologist, have been killed by a virus called Krippin virus or transformed into angry cannibalistic species called Darkseekers, who emerge at night, hunt anything that moves, and cannot be relied upon for civilized conversation.

Between a highly regimented schedule hunting deer with his dog, Sam, and driving to the rental store and chatting with mannequins, Neville tries to find a way to reverse the virus using his own immune blood. He has not had much luck in three long, lonely years and all of his less-than-willing subjects have died. Nevertheless, he continues amidst traps set by the Darkseekers.

How much is such a scenario likely to happen? Let’s try to determine how much of this movie is actually facts and how much is fiction?

How likely is the Krippin Virus?

Humans Evolve, So Can Viruses~

At the beginning of the movie, with a modest smile, Dr. Alice Krippin confirms to a TV interviewer that she has genetically engineered the measles virus as a cure for cancer- harnessing the measles virus and pointing it in a beneficent direction.

Although Krippen’s test subjects remained cancer-free, unfortunately, about half of them came down with rabies-like symptoms. It was bad enough that the victims of these attacks became infected themselves, but it wasn’t until a new, airborne strain of the Krippin Virus emerged that things took a turn and it became a pandemic. 90% of the people that were infected- about 5.4 billion people- completely dropped days after the infection. About 9.8% of the population appeared to have some resistance to the disease and became Darkseekers- this means there were about 588 million dark seekers. Only 0.2% of the population were completely immune or may have just been carrier status. This left only about 12 million normal human beings who were presumably hunted and became food for the Darkseekers. This small group would likely have been extremely scattered and very unaware of any other survivors, much like Robert was.

These stats are pretty scary, man!

Dr. Ian Lipkin, virologists and director of the Laboratory for Infectious Diseases at Columbia University Medical Center, is not in favor of this scenario represented in the movie:

"It sounds pretty far-fetched, viruses don't mutate and become airborne. They typically fall into a couple of different categories-respiratory, STDs and vector-borne like insects, ticks and mosquitoes. They don't change from tick-borne to pneumonic. They just don't do that."

It is very important to note here that current methods of genetic engineering have been made safe for humans, so most likely we can rest assured that there will be no berserk outbreaks.

The idea of the immune 0.2% of the population, including Robert Neville, also seems far-fetched as Dr. Ian explains:

"There are people who are resistant to retroviruses because they have mutations in receptors, but that's a mutation that people have from the get-go. If someone had been exposed to a related virus and was immune to it, then they would carry that immunity, and that would be something that would occur over the course of their lifespan. But how this guy (Robert Neville) would have come into contact with such a virus is unclear, and certainly wouldn't be explained in that way."

Similarly, a virologist and cancer biologist- Dr. Patrick Lee made it clear that there is no potential threat that a virus for cancer-cure could run this insane.

“I thought the movie was very entertaining but the scenario it presents is highly unlikely, almost impossible. Scientists don’t like to deal in absolutes, but in this case, I would say absolutely impossible.”

So, the verdict? I think it is safe to say that cancer-cure using a virus is possible but it causing such overseen side-effects and turning into a deadly pandemic is highly unlikely.

How likely is the vaccine for the Krippin virus?

Not All Viruses Can Be Prevented With a Vaccine~

Dr. Robert Neville tries to find a way to reverse the virus using his own immune blood in the lab in his basement.

What a nice lab he has!

The fact is that you cannot use the blood of someone who is immune, as a vaccine requires an immune response by the host when he is infected with a weakened form of the virus. The host body produces antibodies to fight the virus and our immune system remembers it. Basically, to produce a vaccine from someone’s blood a person needs to have the correct antibodies in their system, which know how to fight the infection. Robert is naturally immune, so he will never have had an immune response to the virus or antibodies for the Krippin virus in his blood.

This was clearly a slight mistake from the side of the movie director!

Oops?

Anyhow, even if we did get a Krippin Pandemic (God Forbid)- is a cure possible for those who have already been infected?

Dr. Anne Gershon, a pediatric infectious disease specialist at Columbia University in New York and president of the Infectious Disease Society of America, says:

“Some viral diseases stay in the person who is infected and do not transfer to others. And other viruses, such as the cold, can be treated solely through the body's immune response. More frequently, you get over these things on your own and develop immunity and never get it again. So while there might not be a special pill or injection that can reverse a viral infection, like in the case of "I am Legend," at times the body's defense system can be the best treatment.”

Is “Robert Neville” even possible?

The man, the myth, the legend- Will Smith holds up to all characters he plays~

One man who apparently survived a pandemic that wiped out all (almost?) humanity- Dr. Robert Neville was a warrior, a bodybuilder, and also a genius scientist??…well, that was a bit of a long stretch.

What a hero (unlikely, fictitious, and dreamy)!

He's Robert Neville - decorated colonel (seems a bit too young for it?), brilliant scientist, fortification specialist, booby trap whiz, moneybags, babe magnet, art collector, dog lover, hunter, gatherer, officer, gentleman, you name it!

Another unlikely fact? Being ex-military, surviving 1000+ days by keeping safe from being hunted by the Darkseekers, so to better protect yourself and your home- shouldn’t you build a good-sized electric fence to keep them out? Or have your roof welded up like you did your windows? ~~This could have protected him way better when the Darkseekers attacked.~~

His complex personality and how he is showing signs of chronic loneliness are also apparent in this movie, which is very much likely to happen to anyone who loses all human contact for an extended period. At least that part is likely!

Nevertheless, Will Smith is pretty damn good in this movie. When you actually think about it, it is not easy to carry a movie when you are the only character most of the time. This Will Smith-fronted tale is all about heroism, selfless sacrifice, and final redemption, and I recommend it to those looking for a sci-fi horror night amidst a pandemic! To end here, have a look at this cute gif of Sam looking out Neville's classic Mustang!

References:

Blogs by the students of Bio-movies at Habib University