I’ve read the book and watched both Omega Man and the recent Will Smith adaptation. I am looking forward to the March 18th release of the DVD, if only for the alternative ending.
Both deviate from the novel wildly but the later adaptation actually annoys me more. In the epilogue narration, the words “and this is his legend” are used which implies that “I Am Legend” refers to Will Smith’s last minute finding of the cure.
Wikipedia sets the story straight.
as he dies he reflects on how the new society regards him as a monster. Just as vampires were regarded as legendary monsters that preyed on the vulnerable humans in their beds, Neville has become a mythical figure that kills both vampires and the still-living while they are sleeping. He becomes a legend as the vampires once were, hence the title.
See? That’s about a million times more poignant than Will Smith clutching a grenade and the hit and miss massacre that can cause.
Good movie? I’d have to say yes.
1 thought on “I Am Legend”