On a morning in january 1976, a man named robert neville walks around his house, carefully checking to see if its wellfortified. Film is a column comparing books to the film adaptations they spawn, often discussing them on a. I am a huge richard matheson fan and have read i am legend twice. I am legend 2007 alternate ending as discussed by first showing and film, the alternate ending for i am legend is a better representation of the source material. Half way through the book just when it was getting somewhat interesting, i realized it was actually the ending of i am legend and the rest are all short horror stories, which are unfortunately quite awful. I am legend originally had an ending closer to the books, but that was changed after negative reactions from test audiences. Robert neville is a scientist who is unable to stop the spread of the horrifying virus that is fatal, incurable, and manmade. The alternate ending corresponds more to the sense contained in the original book, that he is a legend among the new society of creatures that is forming, not for something great, but because they fear him. Thus, in the final line of the book which also serves as the books title, neville accepts that he is a monster. He then realizes that his attempts to cure the monsters looked less like medical.
The story stops annoyingly suddenly, as if the rest of it has been missed off. I am legend is a 1954 postapocalyptic horror novel by american writer richard matheson that. I though the book was effectively i am legend and other short stories by richard matheeson. This alternate ending to i am legend is imho far superior to the abrupt version in the theatrical release, and fits in better with something that happens in the film about midway through. With the upcoming movie, which will most likely be a huge departure from the book, i wouldnt like anyone drawing misguided comparisons to an amazing novel written before will smith and most of his fans were born. I am legend was released on december 14, 2007, in the united states and canada, and opened to the largest ever box office not adjusted for inflation for a nonchristmas film released in the u. The last man on earth 1964, the omega man 1971, i am legend 2007. Film column i did on the source material and the four films loosely inspired by it. At one point in the movie when will smiths character took the lead zombies mate away from them, the zombie reacted with extreme rage, indicating that. But when it comes down to it, is the book really better than the movie. I am legend zombies vs walking dead zombies offtopic.
I am legends biggest change from the book broke the movie. Every other man, woman, and child on earth has become a vampire, and they are all hungry for nevilles blood. Immediately download the i am legend summary, chapterbychapter analysis, book notes, essays, quotes, character descriptions, lesson plans, and more everything you need for studying or teaching i am legend. The road is a great movie, and very faithful to the book, despite the incredibly depressing, bleak, and hopeless atmosphere and ending. So i just finished i am legend by richard matheson. Putting all of that in a movie might not be possible or might not make a good movie, but the alternate ending for this one goes just about as far as it could in one scene. I am legends alternate ending wrapped things up way better. Published in 1954, acclaimed author richard mathesons novel i am legend is one of the most highly regarded works of apocalyptic fiction to date. I am legend is a 1954 postapocalyptic horror novel by american writer richard matheson.
Differences between i am legend book vs movie page 2. In 1954 richard matheson published i am legend, and since its original run it has been adapted for film a total of four times. As i am legend begins, in january, 1976, earth has been ravaged, first by nuclear war, then by a mysterious plague that transforms its victims into vampires. Perhaps there could be a section on i am legend in popular culture and i am omega listed as being inspired by it or something like it but it is no more an adaptation than any movie where someone goes around gathering up allies is a remake of the seven samurai. One thing that i didnt expect from i am legend was its christian underpinnings. 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. I am legend 1010 movie clip alternate ending 2007 hd. I am legend 2007 the basics hopefully all of you know the basic story behind i am legend. Differences between i am legend book vs movie page 1. The character has the same name in both the book and the movie. How i am legends ending is different in the book screen rant. Aug 04, 2016 i remember enjoying the movie the omega man with charlton heston when i was young. 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. Sep 06, 2012 i havent seen them, but i have heard the original movie adaptation i am legend is more faithful, while charleton hestons the omega man is not.
I havent read the book or seen the alternative 2 disc ending but i have just watched this film and loved it. The controversial original ending where neville finds out that the infected are, in fact, organised, b. As such, its no surprise that the book has been adapted for the big screen, in this case three. 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. I think its just a collection of short stories with the headliner being the most famous. Jan 01, 2008 there are two different senses of legend addressed in the film. The books characters realization of their perspective is the whole point of the book. This man, our protagonist in both the book and film, is robert neville. Anyway, its enough to distract you from the december all around. Arguably, none of these films faithfully adapted the novel even in i am legend 2007, which was the only film to use the novels name, the vampires looked more like computergenerated zombies so it would be interesting to see a film make such an attempt. The novel was a success and was adapted into the films the last man on earth 1964, the omega man 1971, and i am. The ending in the book is completly diffrent the movie because they are diffrent stories. In the book nevellie is given pills so he doesnt feel pain when executed by the infected who are fighting the infection to understand more go to read the plot and it will explain the whole book.
Final warning, both endings to i am legend are going to be spoiled. I am legends book ending is different to both versions of the movie, but skews closer to the controversial alternate ending of the film. I am legends alternate ending wrapped things up way better than what we got. I am legend zombies arent zombies, they have a culture and hierarchy, which zombies do not. It was influential in the development of the zombievampire genre and in popularizing the concept of a worldwide apocalypse due to disease. 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.
A superb graphic novel, based on a book from 1954 called i am legend by richard matheson. Immediately download the i am legend summary, chapterbychapter analysis, book notes, essays, quotes, character descriptions, lesson plans, and more everything you need for. While the original ending is ridiculous anyone else think smith could have. 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. Right, i just saw i am legend, and dont get the end. In legend, the first of a trilogy, both of the main characters are definitely famousthough for very different reasons. Hollywood really wanted to make i am legend 2, starring will smith. Richard mathesons i am legend is a masterpiece of horror that has. The movie took all the intelligence out and just made it about the action. All the completely insane ideas hollywood dreamed up for i am. Apparently the new postapocalyptic will smith film i am legend had to get snapped back into production to redo the ending. Furthermore, the final line suggests that human societyof which neville was the last representativeis now fading into the past. Also, as in 2007s i am legend, the end of the novel is changed drastically.
Its a short story so i guess the author wanted to add some bulk to the book. What did the healing zombie in the basement have to do with it. I am legend movie conclusion the movie as well as the novel are both extremely captivating, and although they are based off of the same thing they are extremely different from one another video what are the key elements that stand out and separate both. Theres lessons to be learned about mob behavior and respect for minorities. I have gone through a similar question to mine, but in that question they are talking about the ending of the book while my friend is sure that he had watched the movie where. Called the first modern vampire story, it follows robert neville, the last person alive after a pandemic which left everyone who survived a vampire. By day, he is the hunter, stalking the sleeping undead through the. Yesterday, some intrepid soul posted an alternate i am legend ending to youtube. The opening act is too magnificent for the terrible ending to wreck it.
According to the theatrical cut, the darkseekers are displayed as monsters who deserve their annihilation. I am legend is a 2007 american postapocalyptic thriller film based on the 1954 novel of the same name by richard matheson. In the original i am legend ending, robert neville discovers that he had captured the significant other of one of the vampires leaders. Dec 14, 2017 i am legend ending explained by ricky derisz dec. The first says, man, its just a badass vampire book. I am legend is brilliant commentary and society and human relationships and, really, the very definition of humanity. I am legend isnt particularly long either, hardly even novel length. The future that legend paints definitely isnt a pretty onethe government controls everything with an iron fist, slums are filled with sick and overworked people, and kids arent even guaranteed education unless they can prove themselves worthy. Now for a topic thats neither divisive nor prone to eliciting irrational anger and awkward discomfort. I remember enjoying the movie the omega man with charlton heston when i was young. I am legend changed the vampires of the novel to the mindless darkseekers, a big change that made the original ending not work at all. 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. Spoilers its not a bad movie, and it does have a certain charm.
The alternative cut however gives them a more human touch and shows humanity as a disturbing factor for them. Is there an i am legend movie that actually preserves the. This alternate ending to i am legend is imho far superior to the abrupt version in the theatrical release, and fits in better with something that happens in the film about midway through at one point in the movie when will smiths character took the lead zombies mate away from them, the zombie reacted with extreme rage, indicating that there was some vestige of humanity left in them. The alternative ending shows, supported by 2 preparative scenes, the survival of all mankind, but with a bitter aftertaste. I am legend is very short, not novel length, only 159 pages long, out of the 312 pages in the book. Fortunately, this never happened but producer and writer akiva goldsman was happy to. It had several short stories at the end that were unrelated to the original book.
The rest of the book is a collection of short horror stories and not very good ones either. Adapted from acclaimed author richard mathesons influential novelette of the same name, constantine director francis lawrences i am legend follows the last man on earth as he struggles to. Litcharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in i am legend, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work. There are two camps when it comes to discussing the issue of race in mathesons book. Blogger adam katz sent me the link because of the book vs. What are some other books that do not resemble their movie or even popular. Alternate i am legend ending is far superior screen rant.
Its a full, polished ending, with complete special effects intact, so im assuming it was ripped from the special features on the imminent dvd. Usually the book is really good and people will warn each other about the movie not being as good, but this is the total opposite. He checks the planks and boards that hes hammered in front of all the windows, and. I am legend is a 1954 postapocalyptic horror novel by american writer richard matheson that was influential in the modern development of zombie and vampire literature and in popularizing the concept of a worldwide apocalypse due to disease. 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. Jun 04, 2011 but when it comes down to it, is the book really better than the movie. Matheson wrote the original screenplay for this adaptation, but due to later rewrites did not wish his name to appear. I am legend alternate ending behind the scenes warner bros. As popcorn movies go, this one has enough of the good in it to make it watchable, and enough of the bad to make it disposable. The novel version of i am legend is better then the motion picture because the information slowly leaks out about nevilles past, present, and specifics about the vampires. Ending spoiler for i am legend 2007, plus mistakes, quotes, trivia and more. For more thoughts on i am legend, the book and the films based on it, head over. Directed by francis lawrence, the film stars will smith as us army virologist robert neville 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.
Is there an i am legend movie that actually preserves. I am legend read online free from your pc or mobile. All the completely insane ideas hollywood dreamed up for i. I assume you are referring to the 2007 film starring will smith and the controversial original ending special feature on the dvd release. The novel was a success and was adapted into the films the last man on earth 1964, the omega man 1971, and i am legend 2007.
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