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)