Will Smith walks the streets alone, the last of an almost-extinct breed. This sounds like the synopsis of Smith’s new movie, I Am Legend, but it is also relevant to the actor’s status in Hollywood these days. Often called our generation’s James Stewart, Will Smith is almost the last real movie star standing, a rare actor who can still be depended to bring moviegoers to theaters, no matter what the movie. The only other male movie star with such old fashioned movie star distinction is Tom Hanks. But is it problematic to put so much weight on one person? Is it true that we will watch Smith in literally anything? I know it’s true for me; I’d probably sit through Alvin and the Chipmunks this weekend if it starred Will Smith instead of Jason Lee. And a lot of others would probably do the same.

Regardless of what the critics think of it (and so far they seem to be mixed), I Am Legend is going to be a huge hit. That is pretty much a guarantee — so much so that Smith has acquired this dual role as both a savior of Earth in and a savior of Hollywood with many of the action movies in which he appears. This holiday season, according to a Reuters article, box office is down 7% from last year, and of course Smith is looked to for rescue.

Not that there’s any chance of I Am Legend not earning at least $50 million this weekend, but is anyone in Hollywood wise to think Smith is the answer to all their prayers? After all, the “Big Slump of ‘05″ came despite the success of Hitch in the Spring of that year, and it turned back around in 2006, way before the release of Smith’s next movie, The Pursuit of Happyness, that winter. I guess like with his movies, it’s easy to believe anything if it involves Will Smith.