Immune, neville is now the last human survivor in what is left of new york city and perhaps the world. Smiths i am legend title makes no sense, it lacks the dialogue and information to build up to the title, rendering it meaningless. The movie took all the intelligence out and just made it about the action. Ending spoiler for i am legend 2007, plus mistakes, quotes, trivia and more. It was influential in the development of th e zombievampi re genre and in popularizing the concept of a worldwide apocalypse due to disease. Hes virtually alone in this scifi thriller, with a dog albeit a talented one as his only foil. January 1976 chapter one on those cloudy days, robert neville was never sure when sunset came, and sometimes they were in the streets before he could get back. How i am legends ending is different in the book screen. Its gripping and intense and i think, perhaps, will smiths greatest performance. Smith wages an eternal war against video game antagonists who cannot speak, making them dimwitted, lowestcommondenominator dolts. I am legend 2007 the basics hopefully all of you know the basic story behind i am legend. Today the most recent movie adaptation of richard mathesons classic vampire story i am legend comes out on dvd. Differences between i am legend book vs movie page 4. The successes and failures in adapting i am legend film.
With that in mind, what some feel is a confusing ending becomes far more clear. This man, our protagonist in both the book and film, is robert neville. Blogger adam katz sent me the link because of the book vs. This film is i am legend in name only, it bears very little relation to the book of the same name. With i am legend we have an intriguing opportunity to compare book and film. But if you have only seen that will smith movie that went 180 degrees on the books message, the soulcrushing impact of. The two earlier films are the last man on earth 1964 and the omega man 1971. The will smith i am legend once again fails to replicate this ending, but its alternate conclusion is much closer to the books message. He is a legend among the vampires, because he is the only human left and he hunts and kills so many vampires during the day. Its a full, polished ending, with complete special effects intact, so im assuming it was ripped from the special features on the imminent dvd. Published in 1954, acclaimed author richard mathesons novel i am legend is one of the most highly regarded works of apocalyptic fiction to date. Through his perspective, i am legend is a story of hope wrapped in a layer of postapocalyptic turmoil with religious overtones. This aside, it is a fairly good movie with post apocalyptic themes and a storyline that will keep you interested for the 96 minutes duration.
The movie really draws you in and effects you at a deep emotional level. Spoilers its not a bad movie, and it does have a certain charm. I am legend plagued by cartoony cgi characters, cliched. I am legend is a novel by richard matheson in which robert neville struggles to survive as the sole remaining human in a world overrun by vampires robert neville is the only.
Robert neville will smith is a scientist who was unable to stop the spread of the terrible virus that was incurable and manmade in this postapocalyptic action thriller. Changing i am legends creatures which were created by the virus outbreak in the movie made adapting the books ending impossible, as the darkseekers showed almost no signs of heightened intelligence earlier in the movie. I am legend is not a supernatural romance, yet it is not a gorefest vampire carnage novel either. I am legend dystopian movies always have a big change in the society. Neville comes across a seemingly uninfected woman, ruth, abroad in the daylight and captures her. Theres something about the way the story is told that, while the scenario is highly fantastical, the character is almost painfully relatable. Its been three years since civilization came to an end, and the loneliness has taken a. Spoilers as he swallows the pill, all of these monsters staring and he laughs to himself saying i am legend. The i am legend dvd with this alternate ending included is now available to buy on. Smith does a great job as robert neville, the protagonist, and despite some completely unnecessary cgi characters that looked old after a couple of years, its quite a pretty and w. The infected people attack nevilles lab and he hands over the infected female hes been working on to the leader a. Yesterday, some intrepid soul posted an alternate i am legend ending to youtube. If anyone had any doubts left that will smith could carry a movie, i am legend will banish them forever.
This is the book that, to my mind, created the modern vampirezombie genre of horror. I am legend characters from litcharts the creators of. The movie i am legend directed by francis lawrence is dystopian movie. The novel is one of my favorite of all time, the inspiration for many a story be it book or movie. After the initial shock of seeing another human wears off, neville becomes suspicious of ruth and is skeptical of her story. I am legends alternate ending explained in the theatrical cut of i am legend, nevilles house is stormed by the vampires, right as he finally discovers a cure for their condition. I have gone through a similar question to mine, but in that question they are talking about the ending of the book while.
I am legends biggest change from the book broke the movie. I picked it up mostly because i read about the alternate ending of the will smith movie, which some criticized for not following the spirit of the book. Neville kills himself with poison after being captured by the human like vampires. The novel i am legend 1954, written by american author richard matheson, was adapted for the movie by screenwriters akiva goldsman and mark protosevich. The version of i am legend which i watched ended with will smith alive, but my friend claims that he had watched the same movie, in which he was killed by the zombies. Whats the difference between i am legend the book and i am legend the movie. He is a legend because he is the source of the cure. Differences between i am legend book vs movie page 1. Whether is it has something to do with aliens or the world ending. Richard mathesons i am legend is a masterpiece of horror that has spawned three film adaptations, none of which have quite captured the essence of what makes this. I remember enjoying the movie the omega man with charlton heston when i was young. If he had been more analytical, he might have calculated the approximate time of their arrival. As discussed by first showing and film, the alternate ending for i am legend is a better representation of the source material. Will smiths acting is spoton and the movie delivers action and suspense in spades, and yet it fails to actively engage the audience in a meaningful.
It is the third film adaptation of richard mathesons novel i am legend 1954, following the last man on earth 1964 and the omega man 1971. The book is important historically, though without the 2007 adaptation starring will smith, contemporary readers wouldnt bump into it in an airport bookstore. I am legend forfeits any semblance of dramatic impact, much as i, robot did, with its cartoonlike cgi villains. Maybe the grimmest ending of any book if the only version of i am legend you have heard of is the will fresh prince smith film version you are in for a treat. The movie stars will smith as virologist robert neville, the apparent sole uninfected survivor in a postapocalyptic version of new york city where most people are dead, and the. For june and day everything is pretty much a lifeordeath matter, so theyre always on the lookout or running from something. Off the back of the huge success of i am legend back in 2007, warner bros was keen to develop either a prequel or a sequel to the film. I am legend 2007 is an american postapocalyptic science fiction horror film directed by francis lawrence and starring will smith. Will smiths 2007 box office hit i am legend had an ending that divided audiences, but an alternate ending exists that does more justice to the book. Near the beginning of the slightly futuristic, slightly scary and slightly ridiculous i am legend, will smith goes roaring through the desolate streets of manhattan in a firered sports car, an assault rifle in hand, with a happy german shepherd sitting in the passenger seat weeds and vines have reclaimed times square, now a giant parking lot for abandoned vehicles. I am lege nd is a 1954 postapocalyptic horror novel by american writer richard matheson. Twodisc dvd or bluray for those unaware, let me explain the concept of richard mathesons book to. Book readers and fans of the miniseries will know that stan uris isnt going to healinside or outquite as well as the others.
Directed by francis lawrence, the film stars will smith as us army virologist robert neville. I am legend characters from litcharts the creators of sparknotes. By analyzing three adaptations of the same book, its clear that the most faithful, and strongest, adaptation is the last man on earth. The book ends with june and day together, running from the law and. The alternate ending to i am legend where they respect him and growl at him in an acknowledging way is odd and feels out of place. I am legend is about a zombielike horde wiping out much of humanity, but its confusing ending and butterfly symbolism become a lot more clear if you understand the personal journey of its hero. I am legend does contain memorable scenes, as when the island is being evacuated, and when neville says goodbye to his wife and daughter salli richardson and willow smith, and when he confides in his dog who is not computergenerated, most of the time, anyway. There are stretches when he literally talks to himself, and hes. And if it is true that mankind has 100 years to live before we destroy our.
Theres lessons to be learned about mob behavior and respect for minorities. Robert neville, the protagonist, is indeed the last man on earth as far as he knows, the rest of the planet having turned into vampires. Thus, in the final line of the book which also serves as the books title, neville accepts that he is a monster. Film column i did on the source material and the four films loosely inspired by it. I really liked that one, and i wrongly assumed that since they had used the original title from the book that both movies were based on, that it stayed closer to the original source material. I am legend is about a zombielike horde wiping out much of humanity, but its confusing ending becomes clear if you understand the personal journey of its hero.
The story is set in new york city after a virus, which was originally created to cure cancer, has wiped out most of. As such, its no surprise that the book has been adapted for the big screen, in this case three. Furthermore, the final line suggests that human societyof which neville was the last representativeis now fading into the past. I am legend is brilliant commentary and society and human relationships and, really, the very definition of humanity. I am legend is a 2007 american postapocalyptic action thriller film based on the 1954 novel of the same name by richard matheson. The story is set in new york city after a virus, which was originally created to cure cancer, has wiped out most of mankind, leaving neville as the last human in new york, other than nocturnal mutants. I am legend is a post apocalyptic vision by richard matheson, created in 1954 it tells the story of robert neville, the last surviving human in the world, surrounded by bloodthirsty vampires both living and undead. Francis lawrences 2007 film i am legend had not one but two endings, and while both are different from what happens in the original novel by richard matheson, the alternate ending not shown in theaters is a lot closer. Lieutenant colonel robert neville will smith attempts to find an antidote to the worldshattering mutation. But when it comes down to it, is the book really better than the movie. The 2007 film was partially based on the 1971 film as well as the original source. This version of i am legend is the third movie adaptation of mathesons novel.
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