I Am Legend

[Howard Allan]

I don't know about you, But This movie seems to be just a remake of Omega Man to me. Seems to have the same plot just updated.

[sheets]

I don't know about you, But This movie seems to be just a remake of Omega Man to me. Seems to have the same plot just updated.

Well, it is a remake of The Omega Man, which was in turn a remake of The Last Man on Earth. The movies are all based on a book: I Am Legend, by Richard Matheson.

[Toku King]

I really want to see it.

[Tobias March]

Akiva Goldsman writing. Will Smith starring. And the guy who directed Constantine. Based on my favourite horror novel.

I'm out.

[Toku King]

Akiva Goldsman writing. Will Smith starring. And the guy who directed Constantine. Based on my favourite horror novel.

That gives me enough reason alone to watch it.

[estee]

I wonder if they'll give Will a white girl to fall in love with?

Considering Charlton Heston got down with a black woman this stand to reason. I mean that was pretty risque way back in the day. ;)

The one thing that concerns me, and this comes after only seeing the trailers, is that the plague makes people into some kind of zombie.

In Omega Man, the survivors were still essentially human, they were just mutated. They still had emotions, their intellect and such they were just really pissed at being mutated. So you could actually feel sorry for them, have some empathy for their plight.

But now, if they're just zombies there is no way to have sympathy and the movie simply becomes a CGI slaughter-fest. Just speculating. I could be wrong.
;)

[Ramiel]

I wonder if they'll give Will a white girl to fall in love with?

Considering Charlton Heston got down with a black woman this stand to reason. I mean that was pretty risque way back in the day. ;)

The one thing that concerns me, and this comes after only seeing the trailers, is that the plague makes people into some kind of zombie.

In Omega Man, the survivors were still essentially human, they were just mutated. They still had emotions, their intellect and such they were just really pissed at being mutated. So you could actually feel sorry for them, have some empathy for their plight.

But now, if they're just zombies there is no way to have sympathy and the movie simply becomes a CGI slaughter-fest. Just speculating. I could be wrong.
;)

Vampires, in the book and Last Man they were vampires, just clearing that up. Anywho, from everything I've been reading about this movie is that it is more based around Omega Man, which is a little disappointing to me personally. I loved the book and I really, really loved the Last Man adaption and I was hoping this would be more like that adaption. Though, Omega Man wasn't bad or anything, but we'll see I guess.

[rick]

Akiva Goldsman writing. Will Smith starring. And the guy who directed Constantine. Based on my favourite horror novel.

I'm out.


I have more or less, the same problem that you do, although I do like Smith.

But it's I Am Legend, I can't not see it.

I'm just afraid that they will find some way to spin a happy ending out of it.

[Scorpion13]

Or a sad ending too.

The ending in the book was great. No need to change it.

*coughthemistcough*

[DDM]

In the book, the vampires are not real vampires either; however, the plague gives the victims a need for blood or raw flesh, they can only come out in the darkness of night, & they torment the last man on Earth because he has an immunity against this strange virus. The monsters are not mindless like zombies. But they want him dead. The virus also effects the brain of the victim too making him or her irrational to an extent, but not irrational like a mindless zombie.

I hope the movie has more in common with the book. Richard Matheson did not like The Last Man On Earth since he believed Vincent Price was wrong for the role.

[Scorpion13]

In the book, the vampires are not real vampires either; however, the plague gives the victims a need for blood or raw flesh, they can only come out in the darkness of night, & they torment the last man on Earth because he has an immunity against this strange virus. The monsters are not mindless like zombies. But they want him dead. The virus also effects the brain of the victim too making him or her irrational to an extent, but not irrational like a mindless zombie.

I hope the movie has more in common with the book. Richard Matheson did not like The Last Man On Earth since he believed Vincent Price was wrong for the role.

I never read the book (only the synopsis on Wikipedia), so I cant agree with him or not. But I can say, however, that you sure as hell could have done alot worse than Vincent Price.

[rick]

I hope the movie has more in common with the book. Richard Matheson did not like The Last Man On Earth since he believed Vincent Price was wrong for the role.


I have a great deal of respect for Matheson, and I understand why he is a better judge on this subject then I am.

But personally, I think that Price put in once of his very best performances in that film.

[Subotai]

Smith is a good actor.

[rick]

I never read the book (only the synopsis on Wikipedia), so I cant agree with him or not. But I can say, however, that you sure as hell could have done alot worse than Vincent Price.


Proving that I am the worlds most twisted parent, when my oldest daughters were around 8, I read them the entire novel I Am Legend over a period a few days as their bedtime story.

We're all going to see it together while were down at my daughters college graduation on the 15th.

[Scorpion13]

Proving that I am the worlds most twisted parent, when my oldest daughters were around 8, I read them the entire novel I Am Legend over a period a few days as their bedtime story.

We're all going to see it together while were down at my daughters college graduation on the 15th.

That is so sweet.

I think Ill read my kids Salems Lot when theyre little.

Id read them IT, but Im not a monster.

[rick]

That is so sweet.

I think Ill read my kids Salems Lot when theyre little.

Id read them IT, but Im not a monster.


I didn't read them Salem's Lot until they were about 10, and even then we just did a "good parts" version.

I skipped It, but we did take about a month a do the complete Stand, although by that time all three of us took turns reading chapters out loud.

Reading to your kids is a good thing.

[Karl J Barnes]

I didn't read them Salem's Lot until they were about 10, and even then we just did a "good parts" version.

I skipped It, but we did take about a month a do the complete Stand, although by that time all three of us took turns reading chapters out loud.

Reading to your kids is a good thing.

And scaring the crap out of them is just an added bonus.;)

[blackdragon6]

someone told me this movie already leaked like the american gangster film did.i might look for it just to say i saw it before everyone else.

[rick]

And scaring the crap out of them is just an added bonus.;)


Damm straight. :evilsmile

[Royal]

That gives me enough reason alone to watch it.

You amuse too easy

[Tobias March]

Damm straight. :evilsmile

Isn't that what Alan Moore did to his kids? He read them Ray Bradburry books like Something Wicked This Way Comes...

[rick]

Isn't that what Alan Moore did to his kids? He read them Ray Bradburry books like Something Wicked This Way Comes...

I probably read my girls quite a few of the same books.

Something Wicked was definitely one of them, and so was Podkayne of Mars, A Wrinkle in Time and The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde.

Of course we also read Alice,Oz, The Baby-Sitters Cluband a whole bunch of other books to.

But then we read to each other most every night from the time they were tiny to sometime in their mid-teens, which left lots of time for different titles.

And as I now have highly literate grown kids who love to read, I can't recommend it enough.

[Scorpion13]

Isn't that what Alan Moore did to his kids? He read them Ray Bradburry books like Something Wicked This Way Comes...

Stephen King wrote a book for his kids.

But its ok. It wasnt Tommyknockers or some other shit.

[Spidey-kid1]

Smith is a good actor.

I agree. I already wanted to see this movie. When I realized he the main (and only character) in it, I just wanted to see it even more.

[Ramiel]

In the book, the vampires are not real vampires either; however, the plague gives the victims a need for blood or raw flesh, they can only come out in the darkness of night, & they torment the last man on Earth because he has an immunity against this strange virus. The monsters are not mindless like zombies. But they want him dead. The virus also effects the brain of the victim too making him or her irrational to an extent, but not irrational like a mindless zombie.

I hope the movie has more in common with the book. Richard Matheson did not like The Last Man On Earth since he believed Vincent Price was wrong for the role.

1. What you described are vampires, stupid vampires but still vampires. The book also names them as vampires, it ties in to the whole point of the ending and the title.

2. Where did you hear this about Matheson disliking Last Man?

[DDM]

1. What you described are vampires, stupid vampires but still vampires. The book also names them as vampires, it ties in to the whole point of the ending and the title.

Except they are not vampires. The plague mimics vampirism, but just because something mimics something else does not make it so.

2. Where did you hear this about Matheson disliking Last Man?

Internet page with Matheson quoted about The Last Man on Earth. I forgot the URL. It's been awhile since I read it.

[Ramiel]

Except they are not vampires. The plague mimics vampirism, but just because something mimics something else does not make it so.



Internet page with Matheson quoted about The Last Man on Earth. I forgot the URL. It's been awhile since I read it.

Except you know, the fact that they are vampires directly effects the meaning behind the ending. As the book basically points out, these are vampires without the superstitious legends behind it. Have you actually read the book?

If you say so, this is the first I've heard of it.

[bert]

Or a sad ending too.

The ending in the book was great. No need to change it.

*coughthemistcough*

the ending in the novella "the Mist" was right up there on the screen.

did it continue past the end of the novella to give the film a more downbeat ending?

yep. . . but we don't know what happened in the book. . they drive off, past the huge creature w/ the legs that go up into the mist and disappear. . as is shown in the film.

and King has said that if he thought of what Darabont did, he would have written it that way himself.

[Donald M.]

I don't know about you, But This movie seems to be just a remake of Omega Man to me. Seems to have the same plot just updated.

Please tell me you're joking.

[rick]

and King has said that if he thought of what Darabont did, he would have written it that way himself.


Yeah but it's not like King hasn't had trouble coming up with a good ending before is it?

[bert]

Yeah but it's not like King hasn't had trouble coming up with a good ending before is it?

True, but at least in the 90's he got out of the habit of killing off all his characters in every book :)

and I LOVED the ending to "the Mist". . I thought it fit the tone of everything that had gone before quite well. . .

although I think the Military, and the woman who had left the market to get her kids shouldn't have been IMMEDIATELY after. . I think a passage of time w/ him sitting outside the car waiting to die would have worked a little better.

[Nikita]

I like Will Smith but he has a knack for ruining movies sometimes if he's too "Will-ish".

But this does look good. I'll go see it. It is nice to see a black actor as the main character in a movie of this type for once.

[mattx110]

I like Will Smith but he has a knack for ruining movies sometimes if he's too "Will-ish".

But this does look good. I'll go see it. It is nice to see a black actor as the main character in a movie of this type for once.
Don't worry. Just cause a black guy was the last one left, doesn't mean another wasn't the first to go!;)

[Scorpion13]

I like Will Smith but he has a knack for ruining movies sometimes if he's too "Will-ish".

But this does look good. I'll go see it. It is nice to see a black actor as the main character in a movie of this type for once.

Well, Im pretty sure we dont have to worry about him breaking out his Fresh Prince of Bel Aire persona.


I think...


I hope....

please jesus no...

[Scorpion13]

*facepalm*

Things look promising so far, judging by the trailers. Haven't seen any "aww hell nahh"s from Will.

But it could happen at any time. Any time at all.

[the goddamn batman]

I hope Jazzy Jeff is one of the 'vampires/zombies'.

[hugh45]

Someone told Will is suppose star in another ID4, can someone confirm
this?

[Ramiel]

I like Will Smith but he has a knack for ruining movies sometimes if he's too "Will-ish".

I actually feel the reverse, I think he's a good actor but he ends up in crappy movies more often then not

Someone told Will is suppose star in another ID4, can someone confirm
this?

ID what now?

[Nikita]

Well, Im pretty sure we dont have to worry about him breaking out his Fresh Prince of Bel Aire persona.


I think...


I hope....

please jesus no...


My example of his "Will-ishness" ruining a movie is something like his role in I, Robot. For a while, he was kind of playing the same character in every single one of his movies. Every once in a while he does something brilliant, but I've been kind of disappointed overall with his acting chops over the years.


I actually feel the reverse, I think he's a good actor but he ends up in crappy movies more often then not



ID what now?




I think he's an ok actor, and occasionally he pulls off a brilliant performance, but sometimes, he makes me cringe with his "Will-isms". They used to be kind of charming, but it's worn kind of thin over the years.




But I will go see this, just for the fact that it's a cool story.

[rick]

Hoped some of you Will Smith fans might want to know about this.

If you click here (http://wwws.warnerbros.co.uk/iamlegend/meetwillsmith/) and enter the comp you’ll have a chance to meet Will Smith at the premiere for his new movie - I Am Legend - in London on December the 19th.

If you sign up… good luck!

http://wwws.warnerbros.co.uk/iamlegend/meetwillsmith/images/IAL_banner.gif


What do you think we are, a bunch of 13 yeart old girls?

Tell me Mister Adbot, why in the Hell would any of us care about meeting Will Smith?

[Agent Helix]

Because he's so dreamy?

[Rabid Trekkie]

Bought the book just so I could read it before the movie came out. Loved the story. I've never seen Omega Man but have seen The Last Man on Earth. If Smith does half as good as Vincent Price did the movie will be worth it.

As for Matheson not liking Last Man on Earth, I read he didn't like it because the studio took his screenplay and changed it, then tried sticking his name on it anyway. So he did something to get the title changed from I Am Legend to Last Man on Earth.

Not sure if I want the movie to have the ending from the book or LME. Both were great, though since this one shares the same name as the book it would be nice for it to go that way.

[mattx110]

What do you think we are, a bunch of 13 yeart old girls?

Tell me Mister Adbot, why in the Hell would any of us care about meeting Will Smith?
Dude... speak for yourself. He's one of the brightest and most talented actors of his generation. And he's also given us such gems as "I'm the slickest there is, I'm quickest there is, did i mention I'm the slickest there is?" And "Good guys dress in black, remember that, just in case we meet face to face and make contact."

I'm not being sarcastic!

[kalorama]

My example of his "Will-ishness" ruining a movie is something like his role in I, Robot.

Smith's performance was the least of I, Robot's problems.

[Agent Helix]

Smith's performance was the least of I, Robot's problems.

No shit. He could've been doing a terrible rap throughout the entire film, and he still probably would've been the best part of that incoherent pile.

[Donald M.]

You will also get to see the film a week in advance!

Maybe I should have made that part clear...

Wow, a whole week?

Maybe you should've highlighted the trip to London. That someone might care about.

[mattx110]

Wow, a whole week?

Maybe you should've highlighted the trip to London. That someone might care about.
Again I have to do this,

Dude... speak for yourself! I'm going to London the end of this month.


:D I feel like Legend is speaking directly to me and only me.

[Agent Helix]

I just noticed : "In Cinemas... BOXING DAY", and that makes me laugh for some reason.

[Tobias March]

I just see this as another vehicle for Akiva Goldsman and Will Smith. I don't dislike Smith, I still have some nostalgic fondness for him, but I tend not to watch his movies.

Goldsman's scripts I actively dislike.

[DDM]

Dude... speak for yourself. He's one of the brightest and most talented actors of his generation. And he's also given us such gems as "I'm the slickest there is, I'm quickest there is, did i mention I'm the slickest there is?" And "Good guys dress in black, remember that, just in case we meet face to face and make contact."

I'm not being sarcastic!

I'm not thrilled about Will Smith becoming one of the Living Dead Scientologists. And it is probably this reason I won't see I Am Legend.

[Ramiel]

Not sure if I want the movie to have the ending from the book or LME. Both were great, though since this one shares the same name as the book it would be nice for it to go that way.

I really hope they keep the ending from the book, now LME was good and kept the same meaning as the book, but the books was so well done it left a huge impression.

[Rabid Trekkie]

I really hope they keep the ending from the book, now LME was good and kept the same meaning as the book, but the books was so well done it left a huge impression.

If they're having Smith narrate his thoughts during the film I think they could pull off the ending of the book. However if they decide to have Smith say "I am legend." at the end I'm worried it may come off as corny. Course they could surprise me and pull it off perfectly, maybe even do it without having to say anything like how it really happened in the book.

[Tyr]

Though, Omega Man wasn't bad or anything, but we'll see I guess.

For some reason I couldn't finish the Omega Man, I got about halfway through it then got bored, though I liked the beginning.

[Ramiel]

If they're having Smith narrate his thoughts during the film I think they could pull off the ending of the book. However if they decide to have Smith say "I am legend." at the end I'm worried it may come off as corny. Course they could surprise me and pull it off perfectly, maybe even do it without having to say anything like how it really happened in the book.

Oh, yeah, he'd need to narrate his thoughts and explain it and all, but I don't think it'd be a big deal or anything. It's just such a perfect ending to me, but if they decide to go with LME ending, it'd be good as well just not as impactful to me I guess

[Toku King]

What do you think we are, a bunch of 13 yeart old girls?

Tell me Mister Adbot, why in the Hell would any of us care about meeting Will Smith?

Speak for yourself! I'm a super Smith fan!
And I'll be away that day! NOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!

[Nikita]

Smith's performance was the least of I, Robot's problems.



True, but it didn't help.

[Toku King]

True, but it didn't help.

Actually, I loved his performance.

[Ramiel]

Actually, I loved his performance.

Same here, I thought he did very well in I, Robot, it's just the rest of the movie was pretty terrible

[Toku King]

Same here, I thought he did very well in I, Robot, it's just the rest of the movie was pretty terrible

Once again, I disagree. I found it to be very fun and exciting.

[the goddamn batman]

Fun and exciting? Maybe. But it had no business being called I, Robot.


I'm probably going to see I Am Legend... I'm not expecting much, but Imax and hopefully the Joker prologue thing... it might be fun and exciting. I'd be happy if it were at least that.

[Toku King]

Fun and exciting? Maybe. But it had no business being called I, Robot.

Doesn't mean it's a bad movie.

[the goddamn batman]

It does set itself up for failure and ridicule when it's really nothing like the book it's named after.

But no, those factors alone don't make it bad. Being shit makes it bad. I watched it the other night on tv,a nd it just isn't a good film. In any sense, really.

I thought Sunny looked ok though.

[Toku King]

It does set itself up for failure and ridicule when it's really nothing like the book it's named after.

Yet "Lawnmower Man" is considered to be a great movie.

But no, those factors alone don't make it bad. Being shit makes it bad. I watched it the other night on tv,a nd it just isn't a good film. In any sense, really.

I thought Sunny looked ok though.

No. Sonny looked fantastic, the action was solid, the acting was great, and so on.

[the goddamn batman]

You know what? You LOVED I, Robot, and I didn't. End of story. I'm not going to argue with you about opinions.;)

[Toku King]

You know what? You LOVED I, Robot, and I didn't. End of story. I'm not going to argue with you about opinions.;)

Not LOVED, but I did like it.

[the goddamn batman]

I won't argue with you about that either.:D

[Donald M.]

Yet "Lawnmower Man" is considered to be a great movie.


A "great" movie?

By who?

And sorry, "By me," is not an acceptable answer.

It was a decently entertaining movie. Nothing wrong with that. Some of my favorite movies are, at best, decently entertaining. Words like "great" tend to get thrown around until they lose all meaning.

Anyway, there was no book in that case, just a short story. A movie actually based on it would be a weird movie. There was one moment in the film that was taken more or less directly from the original story.

On the same subject, the Running Man was also completely different from the book. A faithful adaptation could be great, especially now with the popularity of reality television, though they'd never get away with the book's ending after 9/11.

Seriously though, if you base a film on a book you should try to make some effort to actually base it on the book, I think. Does anyone actually believe I, Robot would have made less money if it had been called something else?

The main selling point there for the average moviegoer was Will Smith, not Isaac Asimov.

[Donald M.]

It does set itself up for failure and ridicule when it's really nothing like the book it's named after.


Ridicule from fans. Failure only in the eyes of those who care, which is, sadly, few.

[The Xenos]

I saw I, Robot twice in two days. One day my roomate had rented it and I watched it with him. It was terrible. The next day we take a bus to New York. the movie playing? I, Robot. Ugh.

And here we have yet another Will Smith and Akiva Goldsman movie. Oh and we have the director from Constantine and a Briney Spears video at the helm. Wonderful.

The review over at Comics2Film (where I also have a blog, full disclosure) said they used too much crappy CGI in the film. They're damn modern-zombie-like infected monsters. Why the hell do you need CGI? I haven't read the book, but a friend who loves it told me a bunch. They didn't sound like they needed CGI.

They closed down parts of the city of New York for this? What a waste of money. It didn't even take place in New York. It was more suburban or maybe even rural.

Screw this. I'll save my money and read the book. Might even read the comic adaptation by Steve Niles. Plus that friend also had a collection of shorts by Matheson that sounded interesting.

[reta-winter soldier]

Just for a great amount of nostalgia I'll watch it. I mean when I was about 4 or 5 i saw the Omega man in one of those upn afternoon movie segments. i never knew it was the omega man or who charlton heston was i just remember the movie. I mean i would dream with scenes from the movie, i would remember the black chick in it, it was really eerie. THen like a month ago i had the dream again and out of nowhere the Vincent Price movie played on TMC, all of a sudden I kind of remembered the plot. I wiki searched vincentr price and found his vampire movie and then saw the link to the omega man. I dont know it's just really wierd the nostalgia i have with it. Oh and Smith is in it so better

[stealthwise]

I saw I, Robot twice in two days. One day my roomate had rented it and I watched it with him. It was terrible. The next day we take a bus to New York. the movie playing? I, Robot. Ugh.

And here we have yet another Will Smith and Akiva Goldsman movie. Oh and we have the director from Constantine and a Briney Spears video at the helm. Wonderful.

The review over at Comics2Film (where I also have a blog, full disclosure) said they used too much crappy CGI in the film. They're damn modern-zombie-like infected monsters. Why the hell do you need CGI? I haven't read the book, but a friend who loves it told me a bunch. They didn't sound like they needed CGI.

They closed down parts of the city of New York for this? What a waste of money. It didn't even take place in New York. It was more suburban or maybe even rural.

Screw this. I'll save my money and read the book. Might even read the comic adaptation by Steve Niles. Plus that friend also had a collection of shorts by Matheson that sounded interesting.

I agree with all of the above, except for the part about reading a Steve Niles comic.

[Tobias March]

I agree with all of the above, except for the part about reading a Steve Niles comic.

Ditto - Matheson is all you need. Feck that hack.

[rick]

Yet "Lawnmower Man" is considered to be a great movie.



It is?

By who?

[Ramiel]

I saw I, Robot twice in two days. One day my roomate had rented it and I watched it with him. It was terrible. The next day we take a bus to New York. the movie playing? I, Robot. Ugh.

And here we have yet another Will Smith and Akiva Goldsman movie. Oh and we have the director from Constantine and a Briney Spears video at the helm. Wonderful.

The review over at Comics2Film (where I also have a blog, full disclosure) said they used too much crappy CGI in the film. They're damn modern-zombie-like infected monsters. Why the hell do you need CGI? I haven't read the book, but a friend who loves it told me a bunch. They didn't sound like they needed CGI.

They closed down parts of the city of New York for this? What a waste of money. It didn't even take place in New York. It was more suburban or maybe even rural.

Screw this. I'll save my money and read the book. Might even read the comic adaptation by Steve Niles. Plus that friend also had a collection of shorts by Matheson that sounded interesting.

This movie is more of a remake of Omega Man, which was a very, very loose adaption of I Am Legend. It did, in turn, take place in a larger city I believe. Hell, they're not even vampires in Omega Man, just mutants. And, no, they did not need to CGI the monsters.

[rick]

The original story takes place in Los Angeles, and both of the earlier films take place there.

Granted that's not New York, but I wouldn't consider it to be suburban or rural.


Oh and it always hits me as weird in the Price picture to watch the outdoor shots of Rome substituting for LA.

[Ramiel]

The original story takes place in Los Angeles, and both of the earlier films take place there.

Granted that's not New York, but I wouldn't consider it to be suburban or rural.


Oh and it always hits me as weird in the Price picture to watch the outdoor shots of Rome substituting for LA.

It wasn't in the city if I remember correctly, it was in a much more rural area. In fact, I believe he had to drive out to the city to get supplies throughout the book.

[rick]

It wasn't in the city if I remember correctly, it was in a much more rural area. In fact, I believe he had to drive out to the city to get supplies throughout the book.


So I pulled out my tattered copy of the book, because I remembered that on the second page, Matheson actually tells us what street Neville lived on.

And sure enough, there it is.

Robert Neville’s house was on Cimarron Street in LA.

And according to Google Earth, Cimarron street is just south of Culver City & Hollywood, right in the middle of the city.

And that would have been true back in the 1950’s too.

So, nope, Neville lived right in the center of town.

[Ramiel]

So I pulled out my tattered copy of the book, because I remembered that on the second page, Matheson actually tells us what street Neville lived on.

And sure enough, there it is.

Robert Neville’s house was on Cimarron Street in LA.

And according to Google Earth, Cimarron street is just south of Culver City & Hollywood, right in the middle of the city.

And that would have been true back in the 1950’s too.

So, nope, Neville lived right in the center of town.

Well, I guess it is true it never told how far he actually drove. Not much detail was really given in that aspect if I remember right. Plus, I do remember he chased that chick through a field and usually I think of only rural areas with fields.

[Tobias March]

Footage of I Am Legend posted on yahoo (http://movies.yahoo.com/movie/1809768369/video/5453908)*

*source aintitcool.com

[jemurr]

I've hated movies this year and any other year I never would have seen this. I never bothered seeing I Robot and hated Independence Day, and assumed this would suck when I heard Will Smith was in it. However, given how bad movies were this year I decided to go see just how bad this would be as well, and honestly, I thought it was pretty decent. I read the book and saw The Omega Man and part of the Vincent Price one.

This is basically an updated/modern retelling of the story, hence the location change and why the monsters were just mindless CGI zombies, as many movie monsters are these days. I'd say the movie is generally scary, and Smith does play the part well. His solution at the end to me seemed to come out of nowhere, and the people who've posted here probrably really won't like how the phrase I Am Legend is used. Still, I'd honestly say it was suprisingly good.

Oh, according to this movie in the future WB actually makes a Batman/Superman movie. Just thought I'd share that.

Regarding the author not liking Price, this is strictly my opinion, but the lead character in the book is a tough guy character. Price was the man and all, but he wasn't meant to play a tough guy. Picture that accent of his saying "OOOH I'm the last man on EARTH!! Another day to stay ALIVE!!!" That's why I couldn't bear watching that whole movie, and maybe why the author didn't like it.

Just my humble opinion.

[SensorBoy]

Did...

Anyone else catch the posters all over NYC (in the movie) for the live-action Superman/Batman, Green Lantern and Teen Titans movies?

[Phil Clark]

Can someone who sees the movie post (in spoiler tags for those who don't want to know) if his dog dies? I need to know before I can take my wife to see this. That or PM me with the info. Thanks.

[Ramiel]

Can someone who sees the movie post (in spoiler tags for those who don't want to know) if his dog dies? I need to know before I can take my wife to see this. That or PM me with the info. Thanks.

The dog dies.

I just got back from it and I was pretty impressed myself, Will Smith was really at the top of his game I personally think and overall it did a good job of setting up environment and mood. I still like the book better and Last Man On Earth better, but I think I'd put this above Omega Man (I know I'm probably in the minority with that I'm sure). There were some moments I felt kind of bleh about (basically all that Shrek crap, but that's just my personal dislike for Shrek) and there was hints at some stuff that never seemed to materialize, too.

Overall, this was a pretty good movie, may give it a buy whenever it hits DVD.

[Ben Morgan]

Did anyone catch the Superman-Batman thing?

[Ramiel]

Did anyone catch the Superman-Batman thing?

Yeah, makes me wonder if maybe they were just putting it up for the hell of it to the fans or if maybe it was a tease at a possible actual project

[Ben Morgan]

Yeah, makes me wonder if maybe they were just putting it up for the hell of it to the fans or if maybe it was a tease at a possible actual projectWell it did give a date for it

[Ramiel]

Well it did give a date for it

Really, I didn't notice that

[Ben Morgan]

Really, I didn't notice that

Yeah, it said "5.15.10" on the billboard

[Ramiel]

Yeah, it said "5.15.10" on the billboard

Hmm, well, I don't know maybe it's something that may come tumbling about, but either way it was good little reference.

[Dreadstar]

After seeing the movie I have only one question (phrased 2 ways):

Why try to "improve" on an already perfect story? Why try to change the ending so that it "fits the title" rather than than having the title derived from the poetic ending, like the book?

I guess downbeat endings don't track well in the focus groups.

All in all, a very nice movie, with a very strong performance. Smith really got across the despair and the "edge of sanity" so necessary for the story. The loneliness and isolation projected was crushing.

But the "semi-upbeat" ending wasn't the way to go.

[Julusnc]

Will Smith did a very good job portraying Neville but the creatures did not look amazing enough considering the budget. The creatures should have been only seen in the shadows like the circle in one scene...........Reminded me to much of Dawn of the Dead.

[HomerJay]

I just got back from it and I was pretty impressed myself, Will Smith was really at the top of his game I personally think and overall it did a good job of setting up environment and mood. I still like the book better and Last Man On Earth better, but I think I'd put this above Omega Man (I know I'm probably in the minority with that I'm sure). There were some moments I felt kind of bleh about (basically all that Shrek crap, but that's just my personal dislike for Shrek) and there was hints at some stuff that never seemed to materialize, too.

Overall, this was a pretty good movie, may give it a buy whenever it hits DVD.
I'm a HUGE fan of the original story and this version was about 10,000 times better than I thought it would be. It was VERY true to at least the tone of the original story. The only part that flirted with cheesiness was Neville's Bob Marley speech.
Thank GOD we saw "serious actor" Will Smith here instead of "sassy urban action hero" Will Smith.
Yeah, makes me wonder if maybe they were just putting it up for the hell of it to the fans or if maybe it was a tease at a possible actual project
They've said: just for hell of it to excite the geeks.

[Lord of Denial]

I thought the movie was really good and Will Smith is turning into one of our finest actors. His scene in the video store and his crushing need for some form of contact was really amazing.


I do have a question however.

Spoiler below



















Did Neville set the trap he got caught in?

Was in just a way of showing his mind was starting to slip?

[GRANT!]

I thought the movie was really good and Will Smith is turning into one of our finest actors. His scene in the video store and his crushing need for some form of contact was really amazing.


I do have a question however.

Spoiler below



















Did Neville set the trap he got caught in?

Was in just a way of showing his mind was starting to slip?

Could be. I thought the head monster set the trap because it seemed like they were getting smarter (he even sent the infected dogs after him). But then again he was still breaking through a wall of glass with his head. So who knows. Maybe it was left ambigous on purpose.

[Lord of Denial]

Could be. I thought the head monster set the trap because it seemed like they were getting smarter (he even sent the infected dogs after him). But then again he was still breaking through a wall of glass with his head. So who knows. Maybe it was left ambigous on purpose.

Well it was almost exactly like the trap he set earlier so I figured he set it and forgot about it.

[elheffe]

Well it was almost exactly like the trap he set earlier so I figured he set it and forgot about it.

No, the monsters set the trap. Neville didn't move that mannequin in front of the trap. That's why Neville stopped, because 'Fred' moved from in front of the video store.

[SnowTrooper]

No, the monsters set the trap. Neville didn't move that mannequin in front of the trap. That's why Neville stopped, because 'Fred' moved from in front of the video store.

The monsters moved the mannequin to that spot so Neville will fall into his own trap.

[Lord of Denial]

The monsters moved the mannequin to that spot so Neville will fall into his own trap.

So it was a bit of both.

[malephoenix]

So it was a bit of both.

I thought it was pretty clear that the monster set the trap. The intelligence he showed when he was holding the dogs back and then releasing them was above the "no human capacity" concept that Neville recorded earlier, and that seemed to be part of what they were trying to convey: that the infected were capable of growth.

[Lord of Denial]

I thought it was pretty clear that the monster set the trap. The intelligence he showed when he was holding the dogs back and then releasing them was above the "no human capacity" concept that Neville recorded earlier, and that seemed to be part of what they were trying to convey: that the infected were capable of growth.

So they knew all about Frank and then set a very elaborate trap that used some solid engineering principles yet when it came time to break a glass door he uses his head as a battering ram.

He is both the smartest and dumbest Vampire/Zombie ever.

[The Xenos]

After seeing the movie I have only one question (phrased 2 ways):

Why try to "improve" on an already perfect story? Why try to change the ending so that it "fits the title" rather than than having the title derived from the poetic ending, like the book?

I guess downbeat endings don't track well in the focus groups.

All in all, a very nice movie, with a very strong performance. Smith really got across the despair and the "edge of sanity" so necessary for the story. The loneliness and isolation projected was crushing.

But the "semi-upbeat" ending wasn't the way to go.

Yeah, I read the changes to the ending as well as the lack of meaning in the title. I am totally bullshit over that. Typical bad Hollywood tinkering.

Well, at least they didn't introduce a deus ex Mary Sue like they did in the Resident Evil films. When cheesy Capcom games make better movies than a Hollywood film, you really have to wonder what's going on in Hollywood and how they treat their writers. No wondering they're on strike.

Oh, according to this movie in the future WB actually makes a Batman/Superman movie. Just thought I'd share that.

Considering this movie is written by one of the murderers of the Batman franchise and by the director of Constantine, I rather find it insulting rather than cute.

[SnowTrooper]

I thought that the giant Worlds Finest poster was very ironic. Once the movie finally gets made, theres nobody around to see it.

[kalorama]

I like this movie quite a bit, certainly more than i was expecting to. Smith did a nice job with his performance. I sometimes think he relies too much on his innate charm and not enough on his acting chops, but this was one instance where, even toned down, the charm factor was important. As the only human character for much of the film, if he can't make the audience like and empathize with him, the movie is sunk. He did a good job.

I'm not, as a general rule, crazy about CGI people having upfront roles in films, and I wasn't crazy about it here. i can see why they'd use CGI for some of the wilder action bits, but for the up close and personal stuff they'd have been better served with real people (esp. the final confrontation scene in the lab).

Did Neville set the trap he got caught in?

Was in just a way of showing his mind was starting to slip?

As others have said, I think the movie was pretty clear that the trap was set for him by the infectees (as indicated by the fact that they moved the mannequin from in front of the video store to where he found it, to lure him in). In fact, I think the failure to explore the issues surrounding that scene was one of the movie's biggest weaknesses.

After he trapped the infected woman to use a test subject for the vaccine, he says in his video log that the male infectee who stepped out in the sun after her had been so addled by the virus that his survival instinct was gone, and that the infectees had lost all vestiges of human social order. But as the movie went on, it seemed that that wasn't the case. The filmmakers hinted at the infectees having a level of intellect and cunning that went beyond sheer animal instinct to feed, but they didn't really do much with it. Having Neville recognize and acknowledge it could have added a whole level of subtext to Neville's sense of obligation and duty as he sought the cure.

[Lord of Denial]

I like this movie quite a bit, certainly more than i was expecting to. Smith did a nice job with his performance. I sometimes think he relies too much on his innate charm and not enough on his acting chops, but this was one instance where, even toned down, the charm factor was important. As the only human character for much of the film, if he can't make the audience like and empathize with him, the movie is sunk. He did a good job.

I'm not, as a general rule, crazy about CGI people having upfront roles in films, and I wasn't crazy about it here. i can see why they'd use CGI for some of the wilder action bits, but for the up close and personal stuff they'd have been better served with real people (esp. the final confrontation scene in the lab).



As others have said, I think the movie was pretty clear that the trap was set for him by the infectees (as indicated by the fact that they moved the mannequin from in front of the video store to where he found it, to lure him in). In fact, I think the failure to explore the issues surrounding that scene was one of the movie's biggest weaknesses.

After he trapped the infected woman to use a test subject for the vaccine, he says in his video log that the male infectee who stepped out in the sun after her had been so addled by the virus that his survival instinct was gone, and that the infectees had lost all vestiges of human social order. But as the movie went on, it seemed that that wasn't the case. The filmmakers hinted at the infectees having a level of intellect and cunning that went beyond sheer animal instinct to feed, but they didn't really do much with it. Having Neville recognize and acknowledge it could have added a whole level of subtext to Neville's sense of obligation and duty as he sought the cure.

That trap used sound engineering principals and had to be set in the dark by the infectees so that is what made me think Neville did it as it seem much to hard a task to accomplish for a devolved human acting on base instincts.

[kalorama]

That trap used sound engineering principals and had to be set in the dark by the infectees so that is what made me think Neville did it as it seem much to hard a task to accomplish for a devolved human acting on base instincts.

As I mentioned in my previous post, there were a number of indications throughout the film that pointed to the infectees operating at a level of intellect and intent well beyond base instincts.

[blackdragon6]

i liked the film alot (although its not exactly how i thought it would be), but i'm kinda torn about the ending though.

[Ramiel]

Yeah, I read the changes to the ending as well as the lack of meaning in the title. I am totally bullshit over that. Typical bad Hollywood tinkering.

They actually tied in the title in the end, which I thought was ok I guess. I enjoyed the book ending was far better, but since this was more based on The Omega Man anyway I assumed we'd see an ending closer to that version.


As I mentioned in my previous post, there were a number of indications throughout the film that pointed to the infectees operating at a level of intellect and intent well beyond base instincts.

That was one thing that bothered me about the movie.
They hinted a lot that the mutants were 'evolving' in the same way some of the vampires int the book 'mutated', but it seemed half way through the movie that completely abandoned the subplot

[ImpulseUCF]

In fact, I think the failure to explore the issues surrounding that scene was one of the movie's biggest weaknesses.

....The filmmakers hinted at the infectees having a level of intellect and cunning that went beyond sheer animal instinct to feed, but they didn't really do much with it. Having Neville recognize and acknowledge it could have added a whole level of subtext to Neville's sense of obligation and duty as he sought the cure.I completely agree. I haven't read the book, but it felt like the script, as written, was about 25 - 35% longer and they snipped haphazardly throughout the second half just to reduce screen time. The implications that the infectees were more intelligent than starving animals and were learning and socializing was one of the more fascinating parts of the movie, and it's a shame they didn't expand on it more. Did anyone else get the impression that the captured female was the mate of the lead one?

Also, the ending felt tacked on and rushed to me. They introduced the girl (I forgot her name) far too late in the movie for me to have enough time to care about her and to symbolically pass the torch to her from Neville.

I guess I hope there's an extended director's cut with the missing half hour or so that I think should be there. Otherwise, I don't think I'll really need to see this again.

[malephoenix]

That trap used sound engineering principals and had to be set in the dark by the infectees so that is what made me think Neville did it as it seem much to hard a task to accomplish for a devolved human acting on base instincts.

That was part of the purpose of the scene. To show that Neville's assessment was wrong concerning their humanity and social functioning being completely gone. Yes, it was a very technical trap, but having lead zombie construct it didn't show that he could build simple machines, but rather than he could observe the one Neville built and do the same thing. Not "build" per se, but "copy."

(Besides, why would the good doctor create that trap and leave it there? He only goes out in the daytime. So if he captured one of the infected at night, then their body would be reduced to a smoking crisp by the time he got back to it in the day. It was clear that when he caught one, he was careful to see it covered in the tarp so that they wouldn't be harmed by the UV rays. And he couldn't have been trapping them just to trap them; he wanted to save them. He had the gun as self defense, but never intentionally went out in search of hurting one until they took away the only being he had.)


Did anyone else get the impression that the captured female was the mate of the lead one?

Color me surprised that they didn't delve into that at least a little. At least a throw-away one-liner somewhere. It seemed to me that this was the very reason the leader was so intent on getting at Neville; because when they were human, this male was in a relationship with this female that was captured. That's WHY Neville was incorrect in his assessment. When Zombie Man stuck his face out into the sun and held it there, Smith's character took it to mean that there wasn't even a part of the infected man that was interested in self-preservation. It didn't oocur to Smith's character that the reason was actually because the male was so upset by the capture of the female that he was willing to face the pain of the sun.




What was the chemical Doc Bobbert used to keep the infected away? I didn't catch that. Me and my best friend thought it was vinegar.

[Lord of Denial]

As I mentioned in my previous post, there were a number of indications throughout the film that pointed to the infectees operating at a level of intellect and intent well beyond base instincts.


I get what you are saying and I agree. I was just stating my reasons for thinking it was Neville.

[hugh45]

I just want to know one thing.....
does Will get himself a white woman in this movie? ;)

[Lord of Denial]

Nope!

But he gets Charlize Theron in his next movie Hancock.

[I Must Break U]

I have never read the book, so i thought the mvoie was good. But someone correct me if i am wrong but isnt this a remake of omega man which is a remake of the book?

[kalorama]

Did anyone else get the impression that the captured female was the mate of the lead one?

I definitely did. That was the thing that first clued me in that Neville's assessment of their cognitive level was off the mark. As soon as they revealed that the captured one was female, it was pretty obvious to me that infectee who stepped out into the light did so in pursuit of her. From there it was pretty obvious that everything else he did after that wasn't about hunting Neville down for food, but it was an act of revenge against Neville for "stealing" his woman.

Besides, why would the good doctor create that trap and leave it there? He only goes out in the daytime. So if he captured one of the infected at night, then their body would be reduced to a smoking crisp by the time he got back to it in the day. It was clear that when he caught one, he was careful to see it covered in the tarp so that they wouldn't be harmed by the UV rays. And he couldn't have been trapping them just to trap them; he wanted to save them. He had the gun as self defense, but never intentionally went out in search of hurting one until they took away the only being he had.

That was my thinking. It seemed pretty clear they'd set the trap for Neville, rather than it being one he set and forgot. A trap like that would have served no practical purpose for Neville.

[SensorBoy]

The reaallly funny part is that
the "cure" couldn't actually work, as it is described in the movie by Neville. The plague was a retrovirus, so neutralizing the virus (as Neville describes the "compound" doing) would not reverse the transformation (photophobia, allopecia, etc).
If the virus itself was causing inflammatory responses in the CNS, resulting in the aggression and poor abstract thought, neutralizing it might cure those symptoms, but the rest would require a reversal of the initial transformation. Which could only be done with another retrovirus (or similar Gene Therapy protocol). Which Neville wasn't doing.
So we end up with a population of bald photophobes, who may or may not be insane and aggressive anymore (depending on if the virus itself was causing the mental effects, or the physical transformation was doing it), and a much smaller population of baseline normals.

[mattx110]

Your sense of humor is mean...

[ImpulseUCF]

Neville's assessment of their cognitive level was off the mark. As soon as they revealed that the captured one was female, it was pretty obvious to me that infectee who stepped out into the light did so in pursuit of her. From there it was pretty obvious that everything else he did after that wasn't about hunting Neville down for food, but it was an act of revenge against Neville for "stealing" his woman.I thought that was pretty much the intent of the whole exchange. The concept of them being more developed than he initially thought seemed like it was going to be the next major theme and direction of the movie, and very interesting at that. It's a shame they chose not to explore that route at all to instead focus on blowing up cars.
That was my thinking. It seemed pretty clear they'd set the trap for Neville, rather than it being one he set and forgot. A trap like that would have served no practical purpose for Neville.Yeah, I thought it was crystal clear that the lead monster had copied him. It doesn't make any kind of sense that he would have set a trap for himself and forgotten about it, an d it went along with the theme that the monsters were smarter than he initially thought.

It was a shame the way they rushed through the rest of the movie right up until after the attack on Sam.

[kalorama]

It was a shame the way they rushed through the rest of the movie right up until after the attack on Sam.

This was a rare instance of a film that I thought could have benefited from running a bit longer. At about 100 minutes, they could have added another 20 minutes or so of character exploration and still have had a pretty tight narrative.

[EZMOHR]

It just seemed like a movie that was gonna bring up some deeper meanings...and then just forgot about them to show more infectees beat up some stuff and do more infectee stuff. They hinted at doing something more deep with Emma Thompson tinkering with a virus, and then nothing. They hinted at the "head" infectee being clever enough to set a trap not just for some person, but specifically Neville, then nothing.

kalorama's got it right, this is a movie that should have been longer. It wasn't bad, it wasn't great, I just wish it could've been, man I don't know, it just was missing something. And I though Will Smith did great. So did the dog:)

[ImpulseUCF]

You said it. It was missing the deeper meanings that would have made it eerily interesting and added a whole new level of depth. It felt like it was written to have that content based on the earlier clues. Hard to say if it was cut out or never there to begin with, but it was noticeably absent.

[kalorama]

On the upside, as far as sci-fi movies that take interesting premises and squander them in favvor of mindless action ... it was still head-and-shoulders better than The Island.

[Black Atom]

Can someone who sees the movie post (in spoiler tags for those who don't want to know) if his dog dies? I need to know before I can take my wife to see this. That or PM me with the info. Thanks.

I find it funny you'd ask about the dog and not the main character. In a movie where 6.2 billion humans die.

[EZMOHR]

I find it funny you'd ask about the dog and not the main character. In a movie where 6.2 billion humans die.

In a movie that featured two humans with more than 1 minute of screen time or a speaking part, the dog outshone all but one of them.

[Ramiel]

I find it funny you'd ask about the dog and not the main character. In a movie where 6.2 billion humans die.

Over at the imdb forums I swear for the month or so before the movie was released they're were so many posts about that damn dog. People talking about animal cruelty and how they would boycott the movie if the dog bite it.

[Tish-the-Scorpion]

Over at the imdb forums I swear for the month or so before the movie was released they're were so many posts about that damn dog. People talking about animal cruelty and how they would boycott the movie if the dog bite it.you should see the Michael Vick boards lol

as far as the movie goes I'll just go on and say it, the PG-13 horror doesn't do the concept justice. also will smith's performance was great but the rest of the film was kinda just ok. i enjoyed it over all i just wasn't blown away by it. i guess i just expected more from this film. having said that i still prefer the last man on earth version.

[SnowTrooper]

I liked the movie but there were two things that bugged me.

1. Neville knows how strong the mutants are but yet he lives in a 2 story wooden house instead of a huge concrete building or a skyscraper.

2. Why wouldnt Neville set up set up a bunch of UV Lights (from tanning beds or something) around his house for extra protection in case the mutants found him? I know he had a few lights outside his house but they didnt look like UV lights, and I would have had way more than 3 or 4 lights outside.

[Superbeast]

I liked the movie but there were two things that bugged me.

1. Neville knows how strong the mutants are but yet he lives in a 2 story wooden house instead of a huge concrete building or a skyscraper.

2. Why wouldnt Neville set up set up a bunch of UV Lights (from tanning beds or something) around his house for extra protection in case the mutants found him? I know he had a few lights outside his house but they didnt look like UV lights, and I would have had way more than 3 or 4 lights outside.

There's lot of logical gaps because they deviated from the source material, [spoil/]like how NY was apparently sealed off by air strikes but somehow Anna and her kid made it there and how everone in Vermont were ahead of the curve in building defenses, however their best idea was a wall when the Dark Seekers seemed to be savage unrelenting killing machines with only basic intelligence[spoil/].

While Omega Man and Last Man On Earth deviated from the book, at least they changed the title to show it wasn't a direct interpretation. This was just disappointing and deceptive. It over-complicated a simple and interesting story with moral overtones, religious references and biblical allusions while it's subplots made little sense logically.

[Ramiel]

I liked the movie but there were two things that bugged me.

1. Neville knows how strong the mutants are but yet he lives in a 2 story wooden house instead of a huge concrete building or a skyscraper.

2. Why wouldnt Neville set up set up a bunch of UV Lights (from tanning beds or something) around his house for extra protection in case the mutants found him? I know he had a few lights outside his house but they didnt look like UV lights, and I would have had way more than 3 or 4 lights outside.

1. Well, they didn't know where he was and by closing up the place and hiding he assumed he'd be ok since the city was so huge to begin with. Plus, he'd have to power up the entire building during the time of day and make sure it was completely sealed off so no mutants could get in through some way during the night, that's a lot of work, probably way more then one days worth. Also, all his work and research was there at his house, he'd have to move all that

2. He had way more then just 3 or 4 lights, not to mention the massive amount of explosives he had.

While Omega Man and Last Man On Earth deviated from the book, at least they changed the title to show it wasn't a direct interpretation. This was just disappointing and deceptive. It over-complicated a simple and interesting story with moral overtones, religious references and biblical allusions while it's subplots made little sense logically.

But, in the end, they did tie in the title. No, it was not as good as the book or as meaningful and/or impactful, either but still they did tie it in with the title so the title wasn't completely deceptive. Though, all those other things, yeah, no arguing there, but lets not forget, this movie was based more on The Omega Man then the original book, so it followed that more. It probably would've been better to entitle it Omega Man as well, but meh, what can you do?

[bfrank]

1. Neville knows how strong the mutants are but yet he lives in a 2 story wooden house instead of a huge concrete building or a skyscraper.



YES, YES, YES.....or at the very least, have a second location to escape too, should things go bad......

[Ramiel]

YES, YES, YES.....or at the very least, have a second location to escape too, should things go bad......

1. Well, they didn't know where he was and by closing up the place and hiding he assumed he'd be ok since the city was so huge to begin with. Plus, he'd have to power up the entire building during the time of day and make sure it was completely sealed off so no mutants could get in through some way during the night, that's a lot of work, probably way more then one days worth. Also, all his work and research was there at his house, he'd have to move all that

As far as a second place to go to, we don't know that he didn't have that, he could have, but he kind of exploded before he had the chance to get there you know.

[SnowTrooper]

Im just saying that if I was the last man on earth and it was up to me to save humanity, I'd be shacking up in a bank with heavy doors and a vault to escape into. He could eat and do his experiments somewhere else during the day, but at night I'd be sleeping somewhere alot safer.

Shit, Neville could have atleast put UV lights on the ceiling of his lab in case of an emergency, but a scientist apparently isnt that smart.

[Ramiel]

Im just saying that if I was the last man on earth and it was up to me to save humanity, I'd be shacking up in a bank with heavy doors and a vault to escape into. He could eat and do his experiments somewhere else during the day, but at night I'd be sleeping somewhere alot safer.

Shit, Neville could have atleast put UV lights on the ceiling of his lab in case of an emergency, but a scientist apparently isnt that smart.

Well, he'd have to have some working knowledge of a safe or he may end up locking himself up in it or something. Also, the bank itself may be in a dark area, so when he awoke and did in fact know how to get out he could run right into some mutants while hiding.

Plus, he'd get considerably less work done by doing that, since he experimented at night.

[kmeyers]

Well, he'd have to have some working knowledge of a safe or he may end up locking himself up in it or something. Also, the bank itself may be in a dark area, so when he awoke and did in fact know how to get out he could run right into some mutants while hiding.

Plus, he'd get considerably less work done by doing that, since he experimented at night.

Also, aren't safes airtight? I could totally be wrong about that, but setting up some sort of ventalation system in a safe, seems to me would be a very large/time consuming order. Even if he has limited construction knowledge and experience, that would take a very long time to build by yourself.

I thought where he was seemed pretty fortified, and the lab could have been better secured, but I thought this was a pretty cool movie, not having read the book.

[the goddamn batman]

Ok, show of hands; who actually thought this would be a good movie?

[kmeyers]

Ok, show of hands; who actually thought this would be a good movie?

I honestly had no idea either way what to expect, but I did enjoy the movie.

I do like Bob Marley a lot, though.

[EZMOHR]

raises hand.


Listen, I had high hopes for this movie. It wasn't awful, it is just too short, and most likely, chopped to hell.

[kalorama]

1. Neville knows how strong the mutants are but yet he lives in a 2 story wooden house instead of a huge concrete building or a skyscraper.

I wondered about that at first, too. But after giving it some thought I came to the same conclusion as Ramiel. Lighting, power, and securing a huge structure like that would have been an enormous undertaking, well beyond the capabilities of one man. Also, during the day, the infectees took refuge in big abandoned buildings with dark spaces. If Neville took refuge in a high rise he would have had to make sure every interior corridor and room was exposed to sunlight during the day or risk it becoming a crash pad for mutant vampires.

Ok, show of hands; who actually thought this would be a good movie?

Depends on what you mean by good. I was expecting, at best, a good popcorn experience. Despite my complaints about missed opportunities, however, in terms of substance and quality, it actually exceeded my expectations somewhat.

Well, he'd have to have some working knowledge of a safe or he may end up locking himself up in it or something. Also, the bank itself may be in a dark area, so when he awoke and did in fact know how to get out he could run right into some mutants while hiding.

In fact, weren't the group off mutants he ran into while chasing same hiding out in a bank? (As he was searching the interior with his scope, the light shined on what appeared to be a vault door.)

[Phil Clark]

Could someone spoil me and tell me exactly how the dog dies, please? If I know I might be able to get my wife to go see the movie.

Either here or over PM would be fine.

[Speed]

Could someone spoil me and tell me exactly how the dog dies, please? If I know I might be able to get my wife to go see the movie.

Either here or over PM would be fine. Spoilers:
Neville & the dog get into a fight with 3 infected dogs and one of them ends up infecting Sam (Neville's dog). Neville has no choice but to kill him

[jessecuster3]

There's lot of logical gaps because they deviated from the source material, like how NY was apparently sealed off by air strikes but somehow Anna and her kid made it there and how everone in Vermont were ahead of the curve in building defenses, however their best idea was a wall when the Dark Seekers seemed to be savage unrelenting killing machines with only basic intelligence.


Anna and the kid came by boat, they explained as much in the movie. She was on the emergency boat with 5 survivors and they were the only ones left. Her getting out to go to Vermont was what bugged me, but I am guessing they missed the tunnels. As far as the Vermonters, I was under the impression that it was still a relatively small community of survivors and not the whole state and that the walled structure, which was all stone, was already there and that's why they chose it.

[Dreadstar]

The tunnels were all flooded.

[Rabid Trekkie]

I have never read the book, so i thought the mvoie was good. But someone correct me if i am wrong but isnt this a remake of omega man which is a remake of the book?

Actually this movie is a remake of Omega Man, which was a remake of The Last Man On Earth, which was an adaption of the book. But from what has been said, this movie is more like the other movies than the book.

[HomerJay]

Can someone who sees the movie post (in spoiler tags for those who don't want to know) if his dog dies? I need to know before I can take my wife to see this. That or PM me with the info. Thanks.
Yes.
People talking about animal cruelty and how they would boycott the movie if the dog bite it.
At least the dog dies saving Neville.
Ok, show of hands; who actually thought this would be a good movie?
I had very low hopes for it and it turned being tons better than I expected.

[ImpulseUCF]

I just want the seemingly mysteriously absent 20-30 minutes of story diving into the true nature of the monster's social and intellectual capabilities.

[Dreadstar]

I just want the seemingly mysteriously absent 20-30 minutes of story diving into the true nature of the monster's social and intellectual capabilities.

Screw that. I wanted naked female vampires on Neville's lawn attempting to lure him out for a quickie.

[jessecuster3]

The tunnels were all flooded.

So then, how do you think she got to Vermont?

[Dreadstar]

So then, how do you think she got to Vermont?

Deus ex machina.

Honestly? Don't know. By then I was a bit miffed by the change in ending.


Had to be a boat, I guess. Maybe the same one she used to get to Manhatten.

[kalorama]

Deus ex machina.

Honestly? Don't know. By then I was a bit miffed by the change in ending.


Had to be a boat, I guess. Maybe the same one she used to get to Manhatten.

She most likely took one of the hundreds of abandoned boats tied up in the harbors and marinas ringing Manhattan and rowed/sailed/or motored to upstate NY via the Hudson River, where commandeered one of the many abandoned cars littering the roadways and drove to Vermont.

[Tobias March]

Screw that. I wanted naked female vampires on Neville's lawn attempting to lure him out for a quickie.

First time I dipped into the novel I happened to open it on that page.

It was something of a surprise to 12 year old me.

[HomerJay]

One of the things that helped me like the movie was that I went into it expecting VERY little similarity to the book.
The fact that the movie was extremely successful in reproducing the heartbreaking tone of the book really pleased me.

Unfortunately, the book's sociological theme of one society overtaking the other and establishing a new culture/legend was jettisoned in favor of a CASTAWAY meets DAWN OF THE DEAD plot. It made the book's original ending (one of my favorite of all-time) useless.

[Tish-the-Scorpion]

Listen, I had high hopes for this movie. It wasn't awful, it is just too short, and most likely, chopped to hell.my impression as well..

[EZMOHR]

my impression as well..

And I find this amazing, considering the type of draw Will Smith is for the movie going public. It's obvious the studios think we are stupid, and can't follow a plot above some 4th grade fan fiction.......but if anybody should be able to get a movie made that is little bit more in depth...it should be a movie featuring The Fresh Prince.

[kmeyers]

So, about the dog...


Didn't he try to cure the dog? If he didn't, why not? He knew it worked on animals(the lab rat)...and if he did try, why did the cure work on the rat and eventually the person, but not his dog?

He did inject her with something, I thought he was holding her waiting and hoping that it would work, but it didn't, so he had to kill her.

[EZMOHR]

So, about the dog...


Didn't he try to cure the dog? If he didn't, why not? He knew it worked on animals(the lab rat)...and if he did try, why did the cure work on the rat and eventually the person, but not his dog?

He did inject her with something, I thought he was holding her waiting and hoping that it would work, but it didn't, so he had to kill her.

Yeah that is exactly how it happened.

And I've got to say...maybe this movie did make a bigger impact on me than I thought. I usually think about a movie a little bit after it is over...but I'm still talking about this movie a day later....maybe it was a little better than I thought.

[PerfectBrak]

So, about the dog...


Didn't he try to cure the dog? If he didn't, why not? He knew it worked on animals(the lab rat)...and if he did try, why did the cure work on the rat and eventually the person, but not his dog?

He did inject her with something, I thought he was holding her waiting and hoping that it would work, but it didn't, so he had to kill her.

My thoughts:


It only partially worked on the rat. The reason it worked on the human was because he lowered the subject's body temperature. If he had put Sam on ice and injected her, I assume it would eventually have worked.

[Tish-the-Scorpion]

And I find this amazing, considering the type of draw Will Smith is for the movie going public. It's obvious the studios think we are stupid, and can't follow a plot above some 4th grade fan fiction.......but if anybody should be able to get a movie made that is little bit more in depth...it should be a movie featuring The Fresh Prince.i do think Hollywood was waay to safe with this movie. everything that made the book good was absent (besides the tone). its too short,and nothing really happens until the end. i think it was too kiddiefied. but having said that it wasn't out right trash either.......

[EZMOHR]

i do think Hollywood was waay to safe with this movie. everything that made the book good was absent (besides the tone). its too short,and nothing really happens until the end. i think it was too kiddiefied. but having said that it wasn't out right trash either.......

We are just in synch today. Not the boy band, but same opinion.

[Murrocko]

So I saw the movie tonight, in time square no less. And all I really have to say is that if I hadn't read the book already this movie would have been better.

I give it an 8 for what it was.

[pigkiller]

A couple of friends who work at my movie theater told me that there is an I Am Legend trailer that shows the "Dark Seekers" yelling at him, or having some sort of different encounter with him than they did in the film, leading them to believe the film originally had a different ending (much as I concluded, prior to hearing this rumor).

Does anyone else remember seeing this? Does anyone know where I can find this trailer online?

[Lord of Denial]

A couple of friends who work at my movie theater told me that there is an I Am Legend trailer that shows the "Dark Seekers" yelling at him, or having some sort of different encounter with him than they did in the film, leading them to believe the film originally had a different ending (much as I concluded, prior to hearing this rumor).

Does anyone else remember seeing this? Does anyone know where I can find this trailer online?

It is just one of those things almost all movies do. They have scenes in the trailer that are not in the movie because they are cool and can get people in the seats but do not end up in the film because either it did not fit with the story line as well as another scene or it changed the flow of the movie or it was cut for time.

[fly on the wall]

I wonder if they'll give Will a white girl to fall in love with?

Considering Charlton Heston got down with a black woman this stand to reason. I mean that was pretty risque way back in the day. ;)

The one thing that concerns me, and this comes after only seeing the trailers, is that the plague makes people into some kind of zombie.

In Omega Man, the survivors were still essentially human, they were just mutated. They still had emotions, their intellect and such they were just really pissed at being mutated. So you could actually feel sorry for them, have some empathy for their plight.

But now, if they're just zombies there is no way to have sympathy and the movie simply becomes a CGI slaughter-fest. Just speculating. I could be wrong.
;)

You got it right. The obnoxious super-powered CGI zombies really strained belief and were annoying and boring.

I liked Omega Man better due to the treatment of the infected.

Frankly I liked Vincent Price's cheesy Last Man On Earth best of all three of them because it had a better take on the infected and their relationship with the protagonist. Also I liked it's portrayal of Vincent Price's day in the life of the last man on Earth. Will Smith's busy day was to grim and depressing. They were afraid to show the good side of being the last man alive.

Really Romero's Dawn of the Dead was probably a better version of the same story.

The plot changes in I am Legend made the title meaningless and confusing.

Don't get me wrong, it's a well-made move but I am Legend was more harrowing than entertaining.

[Lord of Denial]

You got it right. The obnoxious super-powered CGI zombies really strained belief and were annoying and boring.

I liked Omega Man better due to the treatment of the infected.

Frankly I liked Vincent Price's cheesy Last Man On Earth best of all three of them because it had a better take on the infected and their relationship with the protagonist. Also I liked it's portrayal of Vincent Price's day in the life of the last man on Earth. Will Smith's busy day was to grim and depressing. They were afraid to show the good side of being the last man alive.

Really Romero's Dawn of the Dead was probably a better version of the same story.

The plot changes in I am Legend made the title meaningless and confusing.

Don't get me wrong, it's a well-made move but I am Legend was more harrowing than entertaining.

What exactly is the good side of being the last man on Earth?

[Dreadstar]

What exactly is the good side of being the last man on Earth?

You don't have to use deodorant if you don't want to.

[Lord of Denial]

You don't have to use deodorant if you don't want to.

Well shit, get out the party hats and bring out the keg!

[Dreadstar]

Well shit, get out the party hats and bring out the keg!

And that's ANOTHER thing! You can wear party hats EVERY DAY.

[Lord of Denial]

And that's ANOTHER thing! You can wear party hats EVERY DAY.

But then the sad realization sets in that you have no one to party with and no hope of ever having a drunken sex romp with an equally drunken chick ever again. :(

[Dreadstar]

But then the sad realization sets in that you have no one to party with and no hope of ever having a drunken sex romp with an equally drunken chick ever again. :(

Thank god for Real Dolls.

[blackdragon6]

You got it right. The obnoxious super-powered CGI zombies really strained belief and were annoying and boring.

I liked Omega Man better due to the treatment of the infected.

Frankly I liked Vincent Price's cheesy Last Man On Earth best of all three of them because it had a better take on the infected and their relationship with the protagonist. Also I liked it's portrayal of Vincent Price's day in the life of the last man on Earth. Will Smith's busy day was to grim and depressing. They were afraid to show the good side of being the last man alive.

Really Romero's Dawn of the Dead was probably a better version of the same story.

The plot changes in I am Legend made the title meaningless and confusing.

Don't get me wrong, it's a well-made move but I am Legend was more harrowing than entertaining.in my opinion thats what saved the movie from mediocrity...

[Dreadstar]

in my opinion thats what saved the movie from mediocrity...

I'm in agreement. They sacrificed a better story for a grim character study, but they nailed the character study.

[Phil Clark]

What exactly is the good side of being the last man on Earth?

Well, if you are the last man on earth, and there are like a hundred women left... then you get to... uhm... nevermind... :eek: :rolleyes:

[Lord of Denial]

Well, if you are the last man on earth, and there are like a hundred women left... then you get to... uhm... nevermind... :eek: :rolleyes:

I did not take last man on Earth as literal as that but way to look on the upside.

[SnowTrooper]

I think Homer Simpson showed us how much fun you can have when your the last man on earth. You get to dance in church naked while listening to War.

[Tish-the-Scorpion]

in my opinion thats what saved the movie from mediocrity...
co-sign...ideally i wanted the story and the grim character study.

[HomerJay]

They sacrificed a better story for a grim character study, but they nailed the character study.
Yup. Which is why it still worked for me. I thought Will Smith's performance was maybe the best he's ever given.*
The part when he finally talks to the female mannequin and begs her to talk was heartbreaking.

*And yes, I include ALI in that.

[Neal R]

Hmm, well, I don't know maybe it's something that may come tumbling about, but either way it was good little reference.

Yeah, I thought the reference was cute. This film HAD been in development in the past (and a script was actually produced, you may still be able to find it on the net) but it never got out of development hell. I recall reading somewhere that Akiva Goldsman (Co-writer and producer of this verison of I am Legend) was the one who put all those film posters up there in those shots.

Will we ever actually see it? Doubtful, but Hollywood has a really long memory.

[KenK]

Let's just remember, Arnold Schwarzenegger was supposed to play Neville at one point. Talk about dodging a bullet!!

[Neal R]

Let's just remember, Arnold Schwarzenegger was supposed to play Neville at one point. Talk about dodging a bullet!!

This was back in the 90's or so, I think. Ridley Scott was attached to this at one point and I believe this may have been John Logan's draft at the time.
Mark Protosevich's original script is a fascinating read, especially in comparison to what we actually got in this current release. Both that draft and Logan's version may still be online.

A quick peek at the IMDB trivia page for this movie also reveals two things that I find hilarious. The film was greenlit without a script. And Michael Bay was attached to direct this at one time before going off and making Bad Boys 2.

Guillermo Del Toro turned it down. DAMN!

[HomerJay]

Let's just remember, Arnold Schwarzenegger was supposed to play Neville at one point. Talk about dodging a bullet!!
That was back when the script was almost a total balls-out action movie. It was actually a good script (although it was nothing like the book) and could have been Arnold's best since T2. Picture the 3rd act of PREDATOR, and you'd be close.

[Alex]

I'm in agreement. They sacrificed a better story for a grim character study, but they nailed the character study.

I thought it sort of feel apart as a character study around the...2/3rds point of the movie.
It had it's moments, great moments from Smith in fact(who i don't hate).
But i got the feeling they wrote half the movie and said "Oh crap, this is a big budget flick, we need action, not this guy moping around going crazy."
Because it seemed like when he lost it, totaly lost it, it was sudden, and he rebounded from it fairly quick.

[Dreadstar]

I thought it sort of feel apart as a character study around the...2/3rds point of the movie.
It had it's moments, great moments from Smith in fact(who i don't hate).
But i got the feeling they wrote half the movie and said "Oh crap, this is a big budget flick, we need action, not this guy moping around going crazy."
Because it seemed like when he lost it, totaly lost it, it was sudden, and he rebounded from it fairly quick.

When did he "rebound?" Because the only time he didn't act bugfuck crazy was when the house got attacked with 15 minutes left in the movie.

[Alex]

When did he "rebound?" Because the only time he didn't act bugfuck crazy was when the house got attacked with 15 minutes left in the movie.

And he only went crazy 20 minutes before that.
He was just kinda eccentric before the bit with the dog.
And i still don't quote know how she saved him, they were afraid of headlights?
And the monsters looked retarded.
I dunno, i still like the book.

[Dreadstar]

And he only went crazy 20 minutes before that.

Ah, I see where you're coming from, but I believe that'd be incorrect.


Didn't he go to the video store and hit on a mannequin *after* the dog died? That would be during the day, right? Then the big melee on the pier. That was later that night? Didn't he wake up in his home during the day with his new "guests?" Nothing about his behavior at that time suggests sane. Unless I'm wrong about the order of the dog and the mannequin at the video store, that's at least a day and a half. If I'm wrong about that, it's still the batter part of a day, right?

But here's the kicker:

He was bugfuck crazy from BEFORE he fell in the trap the day before. Screaming and shooting at a mannequin isn't exactly healthy behavior.

See, the thing is, I think he's been crazy since before the movie started. That was kind of the point of the character study, that absolute isolation will drive you insane.

[HomerJay]

See, the thing is, I think he's been crazy since before the movie started. That was kind of the point of the character study, that absolute isolation will drive you insane.
You're absolutely correct about the timeline.
I think he was on thin ice mentally and the dog was what made him finally break through and give up.
Even after he was saved on the pier, he was still loopy reciting Shrek, freaking out about her cooking the bacon and flipping out in her face at the mere suggestion of other survivors existing.

I think he actually got on the crazy on-ramp after watching his daughter and wife presumably die in the helicopter. That's another big reason why he completely lost his shit when the dog died. It was the only living connection to, and member of, his family left.

[kalorama]

The part when he finally talks to the female mannequin and begs her to talk was heartbreaking.

Second that.

A quick peek at the IMDB trivia page for this movie also reveals two things that I find hilarious. The film was greenlit without a script. And Michael Bay was attached to direct this at one time before going off and making Bad Boys 2.

It's pretty common for films, particularly films in the action genre, to get OKed for production without a script. In fact, it's not exactly rare for them to actually start shooting before the script is finished.

[EZMOHR]

Yup. Which is why it still worked for me. I thought Will Smith's performance was maybe the best he's ever given.*
The part when he finally talks to the female mannequin and begs her to talk was heartbreaking.

*And yes, I include ALI in that.

Total agreement. And I was never earth shattered like some on his Ali performance either.

[Nate Grey]

JUST got back from seeing this movie. Loved everything about it. And I too think this is Will Smith's best performance to date.

What I thought was a great catharsis was when Nevilleshoulder-rushed the head mutant, timing it so he'd explode on contact and take that guy with him. Man I couldn't stand that guy.

[hoffmandu]

So wait a minute here? I knew I saw glimpses of intelligence in those bastards. Yet Doc still claims they have no human qualities and are socailly dead? Come on, that one guy was an obvious ringleader, and they were smart enough to leash dogs.............set traps. What gives..........

[Dreadstar]

So wait a minute here? I knew I saw glimpses of intelligence in those bastards. Yet Doc still claims they have no human qualities and are socailly dead? Come on, that one guy was an obvious ringleader, and they were smart enough to leash dogs.............set traps. What gives..........

What give is the director and scriptwriter wanted a specific "look" or feel from the infected and still wanted incorporate a few plot-points that tended to be in opposition to that feel. So rather than try to tie everything in a bow they just decided "screw it" the movie going public won't notice, we have a holiday blockbuster to film.

[Nate Grey]

So wait a minute here? I knew I saw glimpses of intelligence in those bastards. Yet Doc still claims they have no human qualities and are socailly dead? Come on, that one guy was an obvious ringleader, and they were smart enough to leash dogs.............set traps. What gives..........

Not sure if you're confusing events, but he took the ringleader appearing in daylight briefly when he captured the 18 year old as simply not caring about self preservation, that the only thing that remained with the "vampires" was the need to feed. The trap they set AFTER that obviously proved him WRONG, but he didn't amend his journal to add that note cause he was mourning the death of his dog and suicidal. He also obviously took this into account when he tried to reason with them at the very end ("I can save you!").

I guess he COULD have amended his journal, but that level of hand-holding for the audience shouldn't be necessary, plus it would have messed up the flow of what happened immediately afterwards.

[Black Atom]

As someone mentioned earlier in the thread, it seems like there was an excised subplot about the vampires possibly becoming more intelligent.

[Nate Grey]

As someone mentioned earlier in the thread, it seems like there was an excised subplot about the vampires possibly becoming more intelligent.

I'm not sure where it could have fit if that is the case. I would have liked to see maybe the vamp he captured slowly come to and talk to him, but even that would have took the steam out of the last minute revelation.

Also, again, why would that have been necessary? He made a hypthosis that was proven wrong. We see how smart they are represented through their leader. Any more, like speeches from the villain or whatever, would have been too much like its predecessors. I personally felt what we got was enough (especially since as its been pointed out, and I agree with, it was more about Neville's slow slip from sanity than about how humans and vampires relate to one another and how different yet the same the are).

[HomerJay]

Doc still claims they have no human qualities and are socailly dead?
... it was more about Neville's slow slip from sanity than about how humans and vampires relate to one another and how different yet the same the are).
I'm also pretty positive that Neville's video memo about how detached the mutant/zombie/vampires were becoming and how they have almost no humanity left was also meant as a mirror like he could have been talking about himself.

[Nate Grey]

I'm also pretty positive that Neville's video memo about how detached the mutant/zombie/vampires were becoming and how they have almost no humanity left was also meant as a mirror like he could have been talking about himself.

Which is very possible, but it was still about him not his/human's relationship with the mutants. So much so that the title came to mean something else entirely.

My point though was that Neville's observation about the mutants was wrong, but because he didn't verbally say so it seems this is taken as a contradiction in the storytelling. If its like you're saying, that he was really talking about himself, then the whole thing is moot cause that would mean he never really offered a hypothsis in the first place so nothing was "betrayed". Either is fine, but I prefer to think he was looking at the situation through cynical eyes, much like how he wouldn't even allow for the possibility that there could be survivors when talking to Anna.

[Taskmaster]

It wasn't horrible but it was nowhere near as awesome as the book and the killing of the dog made no sense, why wouldn't he just have put her in quarintine and at least TRIED the cure instead of murdering her, which means she would have been cured considering he found the cure the NEXT FREAKING DAY! Plus the ending sucked, the real ending is far superior, the whole 'He is legend' thing pales in comparison, damn Hollywood and their need for the Happy ending, the tie in with the butterfly was crap too

[Taskmaster]

JUST got back from seeing this movie. Loved everything about it. And I too think this is Will Smith's best performance to date.

What I thought was a great catharsis was when Nevilleshoulder-rushed the head mutant, timing it so he'd explode on contact and take that guy with him. Man I couldn't stand that guy.

Yeah, Big Willy hit the POUUUUUUNNNNNNNNCCCCCCCCCWEEEEEEEEEEEEE..........P ERIOD!

[rick]

Finally saw it yesterday and I really liked it.

Although I find it highly ironic that as we sat down I looked over at my wife and said.....


I just hope that the last shot of the movie isn't somebody opening a door and “SURPRISE”, a bunch of civilization was just hiding behind it.


It didn’t ruin the film for me, in fact it gave me a nice little laugh to lighten the ending, but still, talking about modern movie predictability. :rolleyes:

[Nate Grey]

Finally saw it yesterday and I really liked it.

Although I find it highly ironic that as we sat down I looked over at my wife and said.....


I just hope that the last shot of the movie isn't somebody opening a door and “SURPRISE”, a bunch of civilization was just hiding behind it.


It didn’t ruin the film for me, in fact it gave me a nice little laugh to lighten the ending, but still, talking about modern movie predictability. :rolleyes:

I firmly believe had it ended exactly or as close to as it did in the book/previous tellings, it wouldn't have made the money it did. 9 times out of 10, happy or "happy" endings = big box office. Bad endings = word of mouth = kill buzz. With that in mind, I neither hate nor love the ending, I just figure its the nature of the beast. Like I said before, though, the "final fate" of Neville (see my first post in this thread) simply made my day.

[The Xenos]

Eh. I still want all of humanity to be totally screwed. Is that too much to ask?

[Tobias March]

I don't get it...why doesn't Facebook have a 'I Hate Akiva Goldsman' group?

Ah well.

[marshal99]

If you don't like the will smith version , you can always go to the local video store and go for the .....

More action oriented low budget kung fu fighting version with Mark Dacascos. ;)
"I am Omega" (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pvW9G7ex3xA)

[Tobias March]

If you don't like the will smith version , you can always go to the local video store and go for the .....

More action oriented low budget kung fu fighting version with Mark Dacascos. ;)
"I am Omega" (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pvW9G7ex3xA)

Oh sweet lord, really? Never heard of that.

Watched The Quiet Earth last night. It's a New Zealand film from 1985, were a scientist wakes up to find everyone on earth has just vanished. He promptly goes mad from isolation (the assumption is that the experiment he was working on with his colleagues was responsible), but spectacularly so. He does far more than talk to a couple of mannequins :D

The Quiet Earth (http://youtube.com/watch?v=dB1tYT_iNkQ)

[Crenshaw]

So, in addidtion to the yummy treat of "The Dark Knight" preview in "I am Legend" did anyone catch the giant-sized batman symbol with the superman logo inside, a la "Superman/ Batman?" Civilization's crippled by 2009, 2010 at the latest. With the abundance of comic-book movies out or in production now, anyone think there's a chance there'll be a crossover film, even an avengers film, by then? Because i think that'd be rad.

[vazel]

I at first thought it was for the Justice League movie but most likely it was just a simple plug for two of their most popular franchises with no other meaning to it.

[Eclips0]

Theres also one for a Green Lantern film too.

[SensorBoy]

And a Teen Titans movie.

[Eclips0]

http://forums.comicbookresources.com/showthread.php?t=200044

[pitbull in a skirt]

I don't know, I'm just confused.

[Krypto67]

I didn't see any green lantern or teen titan movie posters, I was too caught up in the superman/batman emblem and the May 2010 release date to notice. When and where in the movie were they shown?

[Taskmaster]

I didn't see any green lantern or teen titan movie posters, I was too caught up in the superman/batman emblem and the May 2010 release date to notice. When and where in the movie were they shown?

It was kind of depressing considering that it never came out with the world ending in 2009 :(

[Ramiel]

It was kind of depressing considering that it never came out with the world ending in 2009 :(

Maybe it was WB's way of saying, 'If there ever is a plague that is rising at an alarming rate which could potentially nearly end the human race, we'll make the movie ;) "

[Titan76]

I just saw this movie today and thought is was horrible. Over 2 hours of nothing really happening and a bunch of cartoon looking....things that eat people and live in the dark. Just awful. I have never read the book and am glad I didn't.

Smith wasn't the problem as he did a really good job in the movie. This is one of those movies in where the actor makes a shitty movie a little to somewhat better then it should be.


I'm going into spoilers now and am not using spoiler tags since this has been out for over a week and it seems everybody who was going to watch it already has.
























The worst part of the movie for me was the suppose to be vampires looking like shit. The CGI they used for them was some of the worst I have seen in a movie, in fact its right there up with the Hulk movie. Not to mention there were so many plot holes and unanswered questions that needed answering that were left to the viewer to decided. Which made this even more worse because I shouldn't have to try and figure out why the vampires all of a sudden are not harm by the big ass lights Smith had around his house and how one them somehow became soo smart when compare to the others to set traps, track, and organize a mob to go after Smith.

That and dear god, why isn't in every mutation or virus movie somehow the hosts are given, no have to have unbelievable strength, speed, agility, etc. I mean from what someone told who read the book the suppose to be vampires had none of this. To me this is just one those things added on to the movie when it didn't need to be added on. I mean dear load not only were they able to break down that lab door of his which look pretty dam strong but it seems they were able to do it easier then when that leader was trying to break though that clear wall to get to Smith. Sure it took about 10 strikes but come on one person or thing hitting and breaking it all by him self? I know since they aren't humans we are just suppose to accepted it and move on but it just didn't feel right to have this in this movie for me.

I really wanted to like this movie going in and was hoping while I was watching it that something....anything was going to happen that would make it better and it never happen. This movie is up there with my so awful list that I wouldn't even consider to burn it in order to have a copy.

[Tobias March]

I have never read the book and am glad I didn't.


Okay, but now you really need to read the book.

[Titan76]

Okay, but now you really need to read the book.
That's the same thing my friend told me. I have also heard from others the book is excellent but like I told them I already have a bunch of Graphic Novels and other books that I'm ready and need to read right now. So it may be a while before I get a chance to read it.

[Tobias March]

That's the same thing my friend told me. I have also heard from others the book is excellent but like I told them I already have a bunch of Graphic Novels and other books that I'm ready and need to read right now. So it may be a while before I get a chance to read it.

Good stuff. Avoid the graphic novel by Steve Niles though :) Matheson is the man.

[jesse_custer]

Spoilers within:

Perhaps Will Smith gives his best dramatic performance in "I Am Legend." Or maybe he just seemed a better actor because he actually shut the hell up for a change. Regardless, Smith was the right choice for the role and is the only consistently good aspect about this movie.

The monsters--vombies or zampires or whatever--look realistic enough, although their design is rather derivative and uninventive. I had a tough time differentiating them from the monsters in "The Descent" and a couple of other recent movies. Their behavior was also rather familiar and predictable. Overall, the creatures needed more personality, more creativity, in order to separate them from many other similar monsters in recent films. You're not going to see anything like the Pale Man from "Pan's Labyrinth." Nothing daring or original in design.

The flashbacks in the first hour of the film create an interesting frame of reference but don't really provide any character development. You get the standard scene with Smith telling his family to get out of the city and how he must fix the problem, with a monster throwing itself against the car window for a cheap scare. The deaths of his wife and kid don't hit you in the gut like they should, mainly because you know so little about these people. The story would have benefited from more backstory and some engaging characterization.

The death of Smith's dog was supposed to be a sad, tragic moment, with the hero strangling his pet after it had become infected from bites. But the scene didn't seem as plausible as it should have. Smith raised this dog for three years by himself (the dog is seen as a puppy in Smith's arms during a flashback), the canine being his lone friend with whom to communicate. His character supposedly knew that the dog was immune to the airborne version of the virus but not to bites from infected creatures. Yet instead of ending the dog's life in a humane way, in a loving way, he decides to prolong the suffering and choke his best friend. (This choke scene reminded me of the heartless strangulation of a cop at the handcuffed hands of Javier Bardem in "No Country for Old Men.") If I'm supposed to buy this heartfelt strangulation, then the only way for the scene to truly make sense is if Smith kills himself afterward. Wife and kid dead, everyone else dead or infected, three years of frustration, now strangling your best friend, an innocent lifeform if one ever existed. Scientist or no, a suicide would make more sense than what happens in the film after this tragedy.

But really, the first hour or so of the movie is serviceable. The film keeps your attention, the direction especially strong during dark moments. But everything falls apart when two more human characters enter the mix.

I don't believe this woman and her son would have survived a trip out of their original location and into and around New York. I don't believe they are capable of saving Smith. But whatever. The point is that everything goes downhill when they arrive. Alice Braga gives the worst female supporting role of the year, with a dumb smirk plastered on her face despite any changes in mood from Smith. If anything, one can only assume that a separate virus infected her to render her a walking egg plant human. Her kid is also uninteresting, seemingly well-hinged despite the destruction all around him.

The plot worsens. For at least five minutes, the movie develops an infatuation with "Shrek," showing several glimpses of the computer animated film while Smith recites line after line of it. This allusion was used to illustrate the only film Smith had been able to watch for three years, a sentimental moving picture that helped the man cope through pain and desperation. The problem is that "Shrek" is hardly great art to refer to in your own work. Instead of taking the allusion seriously, I found myself wondering how the movies are connected via movie moguls and companies, imagining a deal between whispering faces to build hype for the recent "Shrek" 3 DVD. Again, I wouldn't focus so much on this point if the movie hadn't shoved the fucking reference down my esophagus, with enough product-placement lubricant to lather a room full of dried-out porno stars.

Soon, the three humans--Smith, his egg plant human lady friend, and her dull, stupid child--are attacked by a final swarm of vombies or zampires or whatever, and excitement builds reasonably. The survivors make their way to Smith's lab, where a former vombie or zampire female appears human on the lab table. Apparently, Smith's earlier experiment to cure the infected bitch finally worked. How coincidental. He snatches the cure and shoves it into the hands of the egg plant woman. That's when he predictably becomes legendary or, rather, "Legend" himself, blowing the vombies or zampires to bits with the most explosive single grenade ever seen in any movie (including every nonstop action movie and war picture).

But wait, I forgot about this very important detail: the butterfly. For a couple of minutes, a solid wall of glass is the only thing that separates the survivors from the goddamn-don't-we-look-like-many-other-monsters-from-recent-films posse. The head vombie or zampire--let's call him Bart, since he's a troublemaker--begins ramming into the glass. Cracks develop in the wall as Bart continues his barrage of rams, the cracked glass forming a shape that resembles a butterfly. Now this is important. Earlier in the film, Smith's daughter referred to a butterfly in an utterly forgettable line. Again this is important to the script of the film, and the main character of the movie knows the screenwriters personally and how epiphanic this moment should be. He glances over to find a tiny butterfly tattoo on the neck of the egg plant woman, and he realizes everything in the script is coming together, almost like a necklace of flowers tied by the blowing wind.

So he becomes "Legend," the butterfly signaling the transformation. Coincidentally, butterflies are natural transformations themselves, which makes this a pretty deep movie.

Alas, the movie doesn't end after the explosion. The egg plant woman and her child make it to a camp of surviving humans, despite the fact that the audience has no reason to believe they're capable or competent travelers--or even legitimate humans for that matter, given their wooden portrayals. The cure is in the right hands at the end of the film, and the movie repeats itself before the credits: Smith's character is "Legend."

[bert]

Good stuff. Avoid the graphic novel by Steve Niles though :) Matheson is the man.

the Niles adaptation contians probably 80% of Matheson's prose, and I believe he was involved in the adaptation.

I like the Graphic format that Niles did. . but yeah. . it's a Novella -- it can be read in pretty much a couple of hours. Just set aside the time, and read the original story.

MANY of the plot holes in the film will be filled in -- or, actually, very few of them will, since the film differs so much from the original story.

[rick]

I’ve had a few days to let my reaction to I Am Legend sink in, and while I did enjoy the film when I saw it, now that I have time to really think about it, I have to say that it was a terrible adaptation of the Matheson books and really through the entire point to the story out the window.

So warning Spoilers ahead.


Okay, first off there were some things that I did really quite enjoy, not least of which was Will Smith who really did a fine job in the part of Robert Neville.

Smith was not goofing around or even playing his normal easygoing self. His Neville was sad, tragic, and really quite crazed and Smith managed to portray this pretty calmly, without chewing the scenery, at least not too much.

And I really liked that they moved the story to Manhattan. As much as I love LA, nothing shows spooky isolation and abandonment quite like an empty Big Apple.

Plus I rather enjoyed the quite little salute to Harry Belafonte’s character from The World, the Flesh and the Devil, with Smith treating the mannequins like real people.

These were all nice bits and they really did help the film, especially the part where Neville runs across one of his “friends” where he wasn’t supposed to be.

But as much as I did like these set pieces and characterizations, they were buried under a script that choose to abandon the strengths of the original and instead on concentrate on the most basic translation of the story.

The first thing that really was bothersome is that Neville lived in a state of utter terror about what was out there in the dark. This led to my second serious problem, which was that Neville and his dog lived in hiding out of fear of these creatures. And that led to the problem of Neville not actually ever being alone except for about five minute out of the entire film.

And of course there was the ending.

In the book, as well as the previous two versions on film, Neville might take precautions against the “creatures” but he is at least as big a threat to them as they are to him. In fact the actual meaning of the title, I Am Legend in the original is that in the new world that has risen out of the plague, Neville is it’s first boogieman. In this new world, Neville is the scary monster.

Also, I really hated that Neville was hiding. In the original, Neville, like I said before was cautious, but he wasn’t afraid and he was openly defiant about staying in his own home. It’s why he never left the city for safer ground in the countryside.

I recognize that by having Neville be afraid and in hiding they were attempting to make the story more “real”, but if the story called for real, he wouldn’t have stayed in the city in the first place.

Finally, the key thing about Neville is that he is alone.

And while I know the dog isn’t really a good replacement for a wife and kid, it’s hard to pretend that it isn’t a companion and something that the character loved. The character in the book and the previous films was completely alone, without anything to hold any emotional attachment to. And it was that aloneness that defined the story. But by having the dog, the Neville in this version despite being scared and on his own, wasn’t alone. He still had emotional attachment and someone to talk to.

In fact, in this movie, Neville is alone for no more then five minutes out of the whole 90.

And finally the ending.

The god-awful ending.

Okay, it’s good that the stuck to having Neville die, but the group of survivors living in a compound who all get cured and who go on to rebuild the human race, making Neville the I Am Legend who saved the humanity just was massively irritating, since Neville is no longer the last normal human on Earth and his entire story becomes the story of a guy who was just too damm stubborn and nuts to go to safer ground.

And in the end, that’s what the new version is. The story of one survivor out of many, who was too dumb to get out of town.

It kind of dampened the ending for me.

Now like I said, it was a decent enough film and I liked it for what it was, but I have to say that I would have been much happier with something different.

[metalhead_dave743]

Also, I really hated that Neville was hiding. In the original, Neville, like I said before was cautious, but he wasn’t afraid and he was openly defiant about staying in his own home. It’s why he never left the city for safer ground in the countryside.

I recognize that by having Neville be afraid and in hiding they were attempting to make the story more “real”, but if the story called for real, he wouldn’t have stayed in the city in the first place.



Well if you want to get technical, all of his lab equipment was in NYC and he was TRYING to cure the virus. He couldn't exactly take all of that with him.

I liked the movie and I didn't mind any of the plot holes that people mentioned, I can look past all that. My only problem is, as everybody else stated, the monsters. They looked too fake, and not scary enough.

And I kind of wish the Brazillian Chick and the kid were replaced with that vampzombie that he was able to cure. She would be the return of human contact to him instead of them.

[Nate Grey]

And I kind of wish the Brazillian Chick and the kid were replaced with that vampzombie that he was able to cure. She would be the return of human contact to him instead of them.

Ya know, that's kinda what I was thinking. But I guess they went with the lesser of two evils, since either one would have been a "wow what a coincidence" cliche. Brazillian Chick [TM] was fly, though, so I think they made the right choice. :cool:

And while I agree with you about the monsters looking fake, the monsters wasn't exactly the point of the movie, which also seems to be a problem other folks have with it, that and how it doesn't follow the book closely. The movie was about one man's descent into madness and sadness. Period. He missed his family so much he thought curing the monsters would bring him back (not explicity stated, and not practical, but I think his mind worked that way hence wanting to stay behind), and when he saw that wasn't possible...he opted instead to join them.

[Hellbaby]

I liked it. However, I have not seen any of the earlier films or read the book, so I have no idea how faithful it was to those. But still, I liked it.

I think the action was good, and the CGI/3-D Animation looked good (better than I, Robot!). I kind of liked the way the monsters looked, and I liked how the guy imitated Robert's trap and sicked the dogs on him. And I assume the monster he captured and cured was somehow related to the guy? I took it to mean that the infected still had emotions, but they were very primal. :confused:

Also, parts reminded me a lot of 28 Days Later, mostly the opening when he is driving and it shows the empty city with the quarantine posters.

And on another note: How much would Ford pay to get their emblem shown nearly every time he goes for a drive?

[DWEarhart]

The CGI bugged me. Too much of it.

Will Smith was cool. He delivered. It was stuff behind the camera responsible for the flaws, I believe.

Comic books are showing their influence in films much more now. It's been growing, but now it's very apparent.

Cool.

[Sean Whitmore]

Thought it was all right. Will Smith was fine, the monsters looked fine, it was all...fine.

Hated the ending, though. Hoo-boy, did I not like it. Not just because it was uplifting, but that didn't help.


SEAN

[Mysterio]

I just saw this last night. I found myself looking at my watch several times during the movie. It just seemed to drag on and on. It had it's moments and I enjoyed Will Smith as Neville. For some reason, the zombie-things reminded me of the first two Resident Evil games for Playstation. The killing of Sam was depressing. I thought for sure he had euthanized the dog when he injected it. Sadly, that was not the case.

I TOTALLY missed the whole butterfly thing at the end with the glass and the tattoo. I must have looked at my watch at that point...

It was alright, but not my favorite by far.

[marshal99]

Those zombies/vampires reminds me of a cross between Gollum and those underground creatures from The Descent.

[Tobias March]

I am puzzled that no adaptation of I Am Legend yet has dealt with the final act of the book. In the trailers we saw, with Smith meeting the survivor, I thought this version would finally deal with that aspect of Matheson's book. But once again gyped.

I don't get it.

Spoilers for those who haven't read the book.






Is there some reason why the idea of a species of vampire emerging that has started to rebuild society is unacceptable? Even the Vincent Price Last Man on Earth, which had many threads from the book that the two successive remakes have lacked, included the idea of Neville being somewhat threatening to the vampires (the scene in the church). Here Akive 'spit' Goldsman has humanity simply pop up again. Through divine intervention? I don't get it. I want civilized vampires dammit! ;)












spoilers end

anyway....another disappointing adaptation of a childhood book. Gotta learn my lesson one of these days.

[GRANT!]

Best part of the movie was the scene where Joker and his henchmen rob the bank.

[the_coldest_sun]

Best part of the movie was the scene where Joker and his henchmen rob the bank.

Please don't do that. Not all of us saw the IMAX version.

[vazel]

I thought it was a good 'only watch once' popcorn movie.

[Nate Grey]

Please don't do that. Not all of us saw the IMAX version.

I didn't see the IMAX version either and that trailer was still attached to it.

[The Shelf]

Thought it was all right. Will Smith was fine, the monsters looked fine, it was all...fine.

Hated the ending, though. Hoo-boy, did I not like it. Not just because it was uplifting, but that didn't help.


SEAN

I have a question. Why do people hate uplifting/happy endings? Life is depressing enough at times. I don't go to the theater to make myself more depressed.

Anyway, I just saw this a couple days ago, and I thought it was pretty good. They used CGI way more than they needed to, but the infected humans looked great to me (except the overly-extended jaw thingy, that just reminded me of Mummy too much).

I think something that people need to keep in mind is that the infected humans are not zombies, they are not vampires, they are not monsters, they are just normal humans that got a wacked-out version of rabies that happens to give them a skin condition that prevents them from going out into the sun. As such, they should have looked exactly the way they did -- pale, bald humans.

The only other thing I have to say is, poor, poor Sam. I knew she was going to die since I read through this thread before I saw the movie, but I didn't think I'd feel so sad for her and Will when I watched the movie. :'(

[drwho]

Does anyone know what the ending was gonna be before it was redone more similar to the book?

[rick]

Does anyone know what the ending was gonna be before it was redone more similar to the book?


The ending of the movie had nothing in common with the ending of the book what so ever.

[drwho]

Okay im confused because i read an article on scifi that said they changed the ending to make it similar to the book. Ive never read it though. How does the book end?

[rick]

I have a question. Why do people hate uplifting/happy endings? Life is depressing enough at times. I don't go to the theater to make myself more depressed.

Anyway, I just saw this a couple days ago, and I thought it was pretty good. They used CGI way more than they needed to, but the infected humans looked great to me (except the overly-extended jaw thingy, that just reminded me of Mummy too much).

I think something that people need to keep in mind is that the infected humans are not zombies, they are not vampires, they are not monsters, they are just normal humans that got a wacked-out version of rabies that happens to give them a skin condition that prevents them from going out into the sun. As such, they should have looked exactly the way they did -- pale, bald humans.

The only other thing I have to say is, poor, poor Sam. I knew she was going to die since I read through this thread before I saw the movie, but I didn't think I'd feel so sad for her and Will when I watched the movie. :'(


Nothing wrong with a happy ending when it's called for.

But giving I Am Legend a happy ending completly rejects that entire premise of the original novel in the first place.

[rick]

Okay im confused because i read an article on scifi that said they changed the ending to make it similar to the book. Ive never read it though.


I have no idea what the origianl plan was, although it scares me to imagine.

But the new film completly rejects the entire permise of the novel as well as the tragic victory of the ending and replaces it with a stock happy ending that if a person takes even a minute to think about, completly abandons the inner logic of the film itself.

[kalorama]

But the new film completly rejects the entire permise of the novel as well as the tragic victory of the ending and replaces it with a stock happy ending that if a person takes even a minute to think about, completly abandons the inner logic of the film itself.

How so?

I wasn't crazy about the ending (not because it was "happy" but because it seemed rushed and tacked on). But I didn't see anything about it that was at odds with the rest of the film.

[jesse_custer]

The reason why I abhored the ending is because I refused to believe that the deer-eyed egg plant woman and her stupid child were competent travelers and survivors. Similar to the happy space cadet ending that Spielberg tacked onto "War of the Worlds," with the son appearing with the family as if he never ran into an onslaught of explosions and mayhem and disappeared for half of the movie.

[mattx110]

How so?

I wasn't crazy about the ending (not because it was "happy" but because it seemed rushed and tacked on). But I didn't see anything about it that was at odds with the rest of the film.
Well, it wasn't so much "Tacked on" as "removes the main character from the script for the last 5 minutes", which might seem tacked on.

He had his own private war, and then the vermontians were just kind... "sorry Will, you're not important anymore".

And that's kind... cruel to do to an audience that is watching a film, and it turns out not to be the film they were watching. If they just had us wonder "did she get to safety and save humanity or did it not exist like Neville says?" as the end, it would be bleak enough for me. But hey, hope for rich maple syrup farmers is always good.

[bert]

Okay im confused because i read an article on scifi that said they changed the ending to make it similar to the book. Ive never read it though. How does the book end?

they probably mean that they changed the ending to have Neville die, since he dies in the book.


the main point of the book, is that Neville has become a "Legend" in this new (vampiric) society, because he has become the boogyman -- killing the Vampires/human hybrids.

In the book, Neville IS searching for a cause for the virus (not necessarily a cure, I don't think, but a cause, so he can understand it).

it turns out, that some of the people he has been experimenting on/killing while out each day, were not dead (ie: vampires), but had become a new hybrid of life (a living human/vampire). Therefore, some of whom he was killing were humans.

the vampiric society infultrates his home (using a vampire woman who can exist in the daylight), and capture him to put him on trial for the murders he has comitted.

the vampire woman (a nod in the book in the film by having that latina show up), comes to understand Neville, and gives him drugs to overdose on, so he can take his own life before the mob of vampire/human hybrids executes him.

I'm fuzzy on the very end of the book, so I can't recall if he takes the pills, or goes to his death by Execution . . but Neville does die to end the book.

I'm guessing that's the change that was made.

[Nate Grey]

This kinda reminds me of the old A.I. argument ages ago.

Maybe I'm alone here, but I consider a "happy ending" one in which the hero DOESN'T die, not just where the OTHER characters go on happily ever after. The hero HAS to make it, too.

[drwho]

LOL what the hell that doesnt even sound like the movie.

[bert]

LOL what the hell that doesnt even sound like the movie.

well. .the character's name is the same.

and there's a dog in the book.

and he is seemingly the last person on an Earth overrun w/ vampire like creatures.

but other than that?. . .yeah, the film is only "inspired by" rather than "adapted from" the book

[The Shelf]

Which is good because the book sounds pretty stupid. I like the movie better. :)

[kalorama]

Well, it wasn't so much "Tacked on" as "removes the main character from the script for the last 5 minutes", which might seem tacked on.

He had his own private war, and then the vermontians were just kind... "sorry Will, you're not important anymore".

And that's kind... cruel to do to an audience that is watching a film, and it turns out not to be the film they were watching. If they just had us wonder "did she get to safety and save humanity or did it not exist like Neville says?" as the end, it would be bleak enough for me. But hey, hope for rich maple syrup farmers is always good.

I disagree. Clearly he was important, even though he wasn't actually there. The whole movie was about him working towards what happened in the end.

[Titan76]

Which is good because the book sounds pretty stupid. I like the movie better. :)
How can you like the movie better when you haven't even read the book yet? And from what I've heard the book is better but normally the book is always better then the movie.

[The Shelf]

Oh, I was thinking about reading the book, and I might still, but that description makes it sound pretty silly.

Plus, it's fun to fly in the face of people who always rave about a book being better than a movie, especially when the movie isn't even supposed to be the same story as the book. I Am Legend was based on a book -- it is not the book, nor does it try to be from what people in this thread have said about it. The movie itself was really good except for the debatable quality of the ending (which I would still say was satisfactory).

If you didn't like the movie as a movie, then fine. But don't hate it just because it was different from the book when it clearly was nothing like the book beyond the basic premise.

[bert]

Which is good because the book sounds pretty stupid. I like the movie better. :)

a horror classic "sounds pretty stupid" ?

and it's one you apparently haven't read?

sheesh. . .

[rick]

Which is good because the book sounds pretty stupid. I like the movie better. :)


It's managed to stay in print for 50 years and be made into a film three times, so it might just have something going for it.

But hey, if you prefer your stories to be a bit simple more power to you.

[rick]

Plus, it's fun to fly in the face of people who always rave about a book being better than a movie, especially when the movie isn't even supposed to be the same story as the book.


Is it even more fun when you clearly have no idea about what you are talking about?


Just wondering.

[jesse_custer]

The problem with a book-to-film adaptation "standing on its own" is that many times the novel in question has an original idea that hasn't been explored in movies. However, when the adaptation finally happens, that original idea is sometimes butchered and tranformed into an idea that has been done too many times on the big screen.

I have to say, Will Smith's sacrifice at the end of the movie seemed like something I've seen many times in film. The description of the book provided by berk sounds like an original and engaging idea that would have took the movie world by storm if translated correctly.