The gripping score by James Newton Howard is being described as one of the composer's finest. James Newton Howard's score is minimalist and subdued, with tender piano passages underscoring much of the emotional beats, and some high octane percussion during a few action sequences. But there is a lot of silence in the film - which goes a long way in selling Neville's isolation in the former city that "never sleeps", and it's the mood that is created that makes I Am Legend an effective thriller.