# I am Legend (2007)



## The Master™ (Jun 3, 2004)

*I Am Legend as a movie*

There is a rumour flying about that Richard Matheson's "I am Legend" is to be made into a movie... By Warner Brothers... With Will Smith in the title role as Robert Neville...  

I know Will Smith is a very watchable and bankable actor at the moment, but I think that they need someone a little older for the part... Robert Neville reminds me of a 40something or perhaps 50something man with his head on straight...  

At the moment, I think Will Smith is good for action films and in, maybe 10 years, should do something a little more along these lines...

I was going to say that Wesley Snipes might be the right age, but if he was Robert Neville, he'd've gone out these, kicked some vamp-***, and made sure that they didn't come within a hundred miles (if they wanted to keep their undead hides in tact!!! HAHAH!!!


----------



## littlemissattitude (Jun 3, 2004)

*Re: I Am Legend as a movie*

If they do this, it will be the third film version of the book.

The first version, a joint USA/Italian production, was called "L' Ultimo uomo della Terra" ("The Last Man on Earth"), was made in 1964 and starred Vincent Price.  (http://imdb.com/title/tt0058700).

The second version was called "The Omega Man" (1971), and starred Charelton Heston. (http://imdb.com/title/tt0067525).


----------



## ravenus (Jun 3, 2004)

*Re: I Am Legend as a movie*



			
				The Master™ said:
			
		

> There is a rumour flying about that Richard Matheson's "I am Legend" is to be made into a movie... By Warner Brothers... With Will Smith in the title role as Robert Neville...
> 
> I know Will Smith is a very watchable and bankable actor at the moment, but I think that they need someone a little older for the part... Robert Neville reminds me of a 40something or perhaps 50something man with his head on straight...


*I am Legend* has been earlier adapted into movie form as *The Last Man On Earth* (with Vincent Price) and *Omega Man* (with Charlton Heston, I think).


----------



## The Master™ (Jun 3, 2004)

*Re: I Am Legend as a movie*

I'm aware of those versions, but I mean a proper book to film version...

We shall see what happens...


----------



## Jayaprakash Satyamurthy (Jun 4, 2004)

*Re: I Am Legend as a movie*

Will Smith??? But WHY??? I am getting quite fed up of the man, now. Say it ain't so.


----------



## Michael (Jun 4, 2004)

*Re: I Am Legend as a movie*

Well, that's Hollywood for you. I'm still smarting over *Starship Troopers*. Makes a fun to watch movie but I want the real thing!

On the other hand, Will Smith was good for *MiB*.

I've seen *Omega Man*.  I liked that movie when I was young.  Maybe I should watch it again?


----------



## littlemissattitude (Jun 4, 2004)

*Re: I Am Legend as a movie*

Will Smith is definitely too young for the part, IMO.  Can't really think of anyone who might play the part and do well, especially if they are wanting to cast an African-American in the role (don't know that that's the case, but assuming...).  Denzel Washington is more than up to the part, but he's a little too good-looking (a lot too good-looking, as a matter of fact ) for the role as I picture it.  Samuel L. Jackson, maybe?

Now, if they aren't looking to cast a member of any particular ethnic group in the part, I'd like to suggest Ed Harris for the role.  Great actor, looks lived-in (this is not a value judgment and not a bad thing), and could do a good job with the role.  At first, I thought maybe Tommy Lee Jones, but he tends to play a little too "proper" (why they cast him as Doolittle in "Coal Miner's Daughter" is beyond me).  Or maybe, and this just now occurred to me, Billy Bob Thornton might do well in the part.  Don't laugh; he's a good actor and, just like Ed Harris, he looks like a real person, not a pretty-boy actor.

Well, that's just me thinking out loud, so to speak.  But wouldn't it be a fun job to be a casting director?


----------



## Jayaprakash Satyamurthy (Jun 4, 2004)

*Re: I Am Legend as a movie*

From what little I've read, either Harris or Thornton wouldn't make bad choices at all. 


We should definitely re-visit the casting discussion after we all read the book for this month's Book Club session. It'd also be interesting to see what people who have seen the previous film versions have to say on the book and its adaptations.


----------



## nemogbr (Jun 10, 2004)

*Re: I Am Legend as a movie*

I always thought that Jonathan Frakes would make a good lead. 

So why not I am Legend?

He can certainly handle the role or Rutger Hauer would do just as well.


----------



## The Master™ (Jun 11, 2004)

*Re: I Am Legend as a movie*

Nah, Rutger Hauer is too old...

If it was to be an African/American actor... Then why not Samuel L Jackson, or Cuba Gooding Jnr (when he is a little older - he can do serious very well)...

If you want an English actor - how about Bruce Payne (Passenger 57 and Dungeons & Dragons), Jason Issacs (Dr Who, Harry Potter and The Chamber of Secrets) or Jack Davenport (Pirates of the Caribbean and Ultraviolet - so has experience of kicking some Vamp-booty)


----------



## Jayaprakash Satyamurthy (Jun 11, 2004)

*Re: I Am Legend as a movie*

I've been reading I Am Legend. Neville is clearly described as a blond man of English-German descent, in his 30s, of average appearance with a long, thin mouth and blue eyes.


----------



## polymorphikos (Jun 11, 2004)

*Re: I Am Legend as a movie*

Paul Bettany.

Would you believe I have two excellently-stocked used-book shops and an eight-branch metropolitan library system at my disposal and I can't find the damn book. And it sounds really good, too.


----------



## The Master™ (Jun 11, 2004)

*Re: I Am Legend as a movie*



			
				knivesout said:
			
		

> I've been reading I Am Legend. Neville is clearly described as a blond man of English-German descent, in his 30s, of average appearance with a long, thin mouth and blue eyes.


Since when has the description in the book ever bothered what Hollywood puts out there???



			
				polymorphikos said:
			
		

> Would you believe I have two excellently-stocked used-book shops and an eight-branch metropolitan library system at my disposal and I can't find the damn book. And it sounds really good, too.


I believe ya!!! It is just one of those indescribables!!!


----------



## littlemissattitude (Jun 11, 2004)

*Re: I Am Legend as a movie*

Personally, I'm not that much of a stickler for characters in films looking exactly like they were described in the book.

I'm right in the middle (well, a little past, actually) of "I Am Legend" at the moment, and as far as I'm concerned, Billy Bob Thornton is looking better and better as a choice to play Neville.


----------



## nemogbr (Jun 11, 2004)

*Re: I Am Legend as a movie*



			
				The Master™ said:
			
		

> Nah, Rutger Hauer is too old...
> 
> If it was to be an African/American actor... Then why not Samuel L Jackson, or Cuba Gooding Jnr (when he is a little older - he can do serious very well)...
> 
> If you want an English actor - how about Bruce Payne (Passenger 57 and Dungeons & Dragons), Jason Issacs (Dr Who, Harry Potter and The Chamber of Secrets) or Jack Davenport (Pirates of the Caribbean and Ultraviolet - so has experience of kicking some Vamp-booty)


We aren't actually talking about a normal mid-thirties man. After a few years of hiding and constant stress from the environment, how old would a person look?

A few generations back a person of thirty would look thirty. At the present time due to lack of hard manual labour a person of the same age can pull off looking to be in their mid-twenties.

Brad Pitt is 41 after all, but he would look too young for the role.


----------



## littlemissattitude (Jun 11, 2004)

*Re: I Am Legend as a movie*

This is one of the reasons why I think Billy Bob Thornton would be good for the role.  I don't know what his actual age is (and I'm too lazy to look it up right now ), but he looks - as I think I said before - lived-in, like he's been through quite a bit.  He's also a very good actor, quite versatile.  I mean, look at "Sling Blade" and then look at "Pushing Tin" (both really good films, by the way).


----------



## Jayaprakash Satyamurthy (Jun 12, 2004)

*Re: I Am Legend as a movie*

You're right nemogbr, years of looking out for himself would definitely have changed his appearance and maybe aged Neville beyond his years. Ruth was certainly terrified by his appearance at first. Yep, Thornton does sound a good choice - he does not have the hair and eye colour mentioned in the book, but I believe he may be able to portray this sort of character. 

I think it should be a covetted role for any actor, and I certainly hope it does go to someone who can really do justice to it- Will Smith has a good sense of comedic timing and delivery, but I doubt he can pull off a very intense role like this, with little dialogue to boot.


----------



## The Master™ (Jun 12, 2004)

*Re: I Am Legend as a movie*

HAHAHAH... We could go round and round in circles over this... But, I guess we'll have to wait and see about how they pull it off (if it ever gets off the ground)...

As I remember, Charlton Heston in The Omega Man didn't look harrassed or old before his time... And he was in a worse position... 

But that is Hollywood for you... Go with the moneymakers...


----------



## Leto (Feb 24, 2005)

*Re: I Am Legend as a movie*

He didn't look pampered as usually Pitt can look (there's a rerun of Interview with the vampire currently on). But for once, I think Brad Pitt could do the part well. Or maybe Christian Slater, long time this one hasn't done a decent film.


----------



## ravenus (Feb 25, 2005)

*Re: I Am Legend as a movie*



			
				Leto said:
			
		

> Or maybe Christian Slater, long time this one hasn't done a decent film.


You must be joking. Slater is at the bottom of the class when it comes to delivering a good performance.

I could think of a bearded *Russell Crowe* or *Mel Gibson* as a decent mix of acting potential and star value...and they do look like harassed middle-agers.


----------



## Leto (Feb 25, 2005)

*Re: I Am Legend as a movie*

No I'm not, he was long ago a good actor. 
And Mel Gibson at least, is way too old for this. Russel Crowe, why not ?


----------



## Culhwch (Feb 26, 2005)

*Re: I Am Legend as a movie*

It could be worse than Will Smith - Arnold Schwarzenegger (sp?) was kicking this project around for a long time, or so I've heard. And any hoping for a direct book-to-film translation might go wanting - I heard Michael Bay was directing. Might have changed, but if not, Bay is not so big on subtlety, which this film needs.


----------



## ravenus (Feb 26, 2005)

*Re: I Am Legend as a movie*

Anyway considering that George Romero has done such a brilliant expansion on Matheson's book with his _Living Dead_ series (especially _Day __of the Dead_ and _Dawn of the Dead_), I will not be too grieved if this project is not done right.


----------



## TK-421 (Nov 2, 2007)

Who else is as excited as I am for this movie. It looks very good and I Will Smith is a good pick to play the lead role. A new trailer where we actually see the vampire-things is out now:

I Am Legend on Yahoo! Holiday Movie Guide


----------



## Dave (Nov 2, 2007)

I just saw the Simpson's episode "Tree House of Horror VIII" that has a great 'I am Legend/Omega Man/Last Man on Earth' spoof in it.

I like Will Smith, but why all these scifi blockbusters, usually remakes, starring either Will Smith or Tom Cruise? Are there no other actors?

I will go to see this though. Does anyone know if it is a 12 certificate?


----------



## ravenus (Nov 2, 2007)

I've seen a trailer where Will Smith's Last Man on Earth causes a great number of car crashes and explosions...and has fancy shades when he's examining the vampires...MIB 3 would be a better title maybe?


----------



## TK-421 (Nov 2, 2007)

Oh, ravenus, you're just being a party pooper


----------



## GOLLUM (Nov 2, 2007)

Thanks for sharing, I'll be lining up to buy a ticket, I've always loved this book.


----------



## dustinzgirl (Nov 2, 2007)

Will Smith is definetly my third favorite save the world guy. I would totally want him on my side in a zombie attack, right along with Milla Jovovich and  Sigourney Weaver.

This movie looks pretty dang cool.

PS: Will Smith totally owns Tom Cruise. Tom is so very not made for end of the world movies, he's more like, spy movies kind of guy, but not as good at it as Sean Connery.


----------



## Delvo (Nov 2, 2007)

What roles like that has TC had other than in War Of The Worlds?


----------



## The_Warrior (Nov 3, 2007)

Interview with the Vampire , Minority Report  , Interview with the Vampire  , The Last Samurai 

Okay, we're getting a little off topic here.


----------



## Culhwch (Nov 3, 2007)

The_Warrior said:


> Interview with the Vampire , Minority Report , Interview with the Vampire , The Last Samurai
> 
> Okay, we're getting a little off topic here.


 
Well, none of those are end-of-the-world type pics, though. And two are the same film... 

Looking forward to _I Am Legend_, myself. Trailers looking pretty slick so far, and the film makers have talked a good game.


----------



## j d worthington (Nov 3, 2007)

I'm looking forward to it -- though with some slight reservations (the appearance of the vampires here has me once again feeling a bit more dubious, for example -- it'd be nice to actually have them the way they are in Matheson's novel for that ambiguity that plays such a role toward the end of the story...).

Still, overall it looks like they've done a pretty good, if updated, job....


----------



## Foxbat (Nov 3, 2007)

j. d. worthington said:


> I'm looking forward to it -- though with some slight reservations (the appearance of the vampires here has me once again feeling a bit more dubious, for example -- it'd be nice to actually have them the way they are in Matheson's novel for that ambiguity that plays such a role toward the end of the story...).
> 
> Still, overall it looks like they've done a pretty good, if updated, job....


 
I agree about the vampires. The book has a cracking finale. Let's hope it translates well into celluloid (or whatever the digital equivlant is)


----------



## Vincent Tauscher (Nov 15, 2007)

Definitely a movie I'll be seeing this year.  I've never read the book, but I know the premise.  Although, I sure like how they never really show what the "others" are in the commercial (at least the ones I've seen).  That ought to draw in a big crowd--people love what they can't see.


----------



## Connavar (Nov 15, 2007)

dustinzgirl said:


> Will Smith is definetly my third favorite save the world guy. I would totally want him on my side in a zombie attack, right along with Milla Jovovich and  Sigourney Weaver.
> 
> This movie looks pretty dang cool.
> 
> PS: Will Smith totally owns Tom Cruise. Tom is so very not made for end of the world movies, he's more like, spy movies kind of guy, but not as good at it as Sean Connery.



Great Taste you have Smith,Milla,Sig are also my favs on end of the world movies


----------



## Junomidge (Nov 17, 2007)

Really looking forward to this. Trailers look great. I have no idea why I like end of the world, everyone dies, kind of movies/books.


----------



## Connavar (Nov 17, 2007)

j. d. worthington said:


> I'm looking forward to it -- though with some slight reservations (the appearance of the vampires here has me once again feeling a bit more dubious, for example -- it'd be nice to actually have them the way they are in Matheson's novel for that ambiguity that plays such a role toward the end of the story...).
> 
> Still, overall it looks like they've done a pretty good, if updated, job....



Im still not sure about this movie.  Im a big fan of Will Smith but i havent decided if i should read the book first or see the movie first.

I think it would be good to know from people like you who have read the book how different the movie is when you see it.  If they changed alot, then its open for me to see the movie.

If not read the book first is good i think.


----------



## ravenus (Nov 17, 2007)

I think you should read the book later...to have a pleasant aftertaste


----------



## Connavar (Nov 17, 2007)

Which is why i usually read books after i have seen the movies.  Hollywood almost never get it right anyway and the books are always something totaly different.

If i watch movies of my fav books/comics its always bad aftertaste when you know how much of the actual story they have destroyed.


----------



## VoiceInTheDesert (Nov 28, 2007)

I'm looking forward to this movie soooo much. Been wanting to see it since I saw the teaser at....I think it was Transformers. 

The only movie I've looked forward to more this year was 300....and maybe American Gangster. 

Also, Will Smith is awesome.


----------



## Nesacat (Nov 28, 2007)

I love the book. Have loved it since I first read it a long time ago. Have huge reservations about the movie in general and Will Smith in particular. 

The trailer does look good yes but I'm trying to get my head around this current need to make 'hero' movies of the classics.

I've been invited to the media preview so I'll see then.


----------



## roddglenn (Dec 5, 2007)

I love the book and I even liked the two earlier adaptions of it - Omega Man and The Last Man on Earth.  I think this one might very well be the best adaption by a long shot judging by the look and feel of the trailers.  Yes, there'll still be a few significant changes (namely Neville being black of course which doesn't make any difference to the story), but I'm hopeful.


----------



## Connavar (Dec 5, 2007)

roddglenn said:


> I love the book and I even liked the two earlier adaptions of it - Omega Man and The Last Man on Earth.  I think this one might very well be the best adaption by a long shot judging by the look and feel of the trailers.  Yes, there'll still be a few significant changes (namely Neville being black of course which doesn't make any difference to the story), but I'm hopeful.




Will Smith is the youngest actor in Hollywood top ten most cash made in box office.

Him being black is nothing compared the good his fame and fanbase will bring to the movie and the book.


----------



## roddglenn (Dec 6, 2007)

Connavar of Rigante said:


> Will Smith is the youngest actor in Hollywood top ten most cash made in box office.
> 
> Him being black is nothing compared the good his fame and fanbase will bring to the movie and the book.


 
Him playing the central character being black has no relevance in my opinion.  I've enjoyed many of his earlier films, so I hope he will help make this one a good one too.


----------



## November (Dec 6, 2007)

Good book and I'm all for sci-fi/fantasy getting more exposure to the masses (in the right hands), but Will Smith?  It could be interesting to see him away from his usual comic roles.  I don't know if he will do it justice. I imagined the central character slightly older and hardier ( although recent photos I have seen of Will Smith have shown him with grey hair, so that's a start) and with more gravity.

I think I'll wait as I haven't seen any trailers  - The Fresh Prince has his work cut out for him as far as I'm concerned.


----------



## Connavar (Dec 6, 2007)

roddglenn said:


> Him playing the central character being black has no relevance in my opinion.  I've enjoyed many of his earlier films, so I hope he will help make this one a good one too.



Me too im have liked almost all his movies.


I could careless if the character skin color was changed to green if they did the original story some justice and made a good movie.




I just said earlier that cause noobs in IMDB act like Smith being Black will ruin the movie, what will ruin the movie if it turns out bad its how they write it.


----------



## roddglenn (Dec 6, 2007)

Yes, there are a lot of complete idiots that post on IMDB (although not all of course - there are a few voices of reason lost amidst the flood of ignorance).


----------



## Delvo (Dec 6, 2007)

November said:


> It could be interesting to see him away from his usual comic roles.  I don't know if he will do it justice.


Comedy has not been a "usual" role for him in years. He's done plenty of serious action movies and some dramas before, and he's been excellent every time. His last movie was "The Pursuit of Happyness" (the misspelling being deliberate because it relates to a part of the story), which was about a broke, deeply in debt salesman who gets left by his wife and ends up homeless, and how he pulls his life back together with a long shot at a stock market career and becomes one of the richest people in the country. In the theater I saw it in, in the "dramatic payoff" scene near the end of the movie where it all finally turns around for the character, he had the audience crying with him and whispering the end of a line along with him. I can't think of anyone who'd do better in almost any role you could try to cast.

(And did the book ever specify that the character in this movie was white? If it did, then maybe there is some relevance...)


----------



## ravenus (Dec 6, 2007)

That's not a breaking point. I don't remember people making too much fuss about Morgan Freeman playing a character described as a red-haired Irishman in Stephen King's *Shawshank Redemption*.

But I do see a quiet simmering story getting drowned in explosions and for-the-sake-of action scenes.


----------



## November (Dec 7, 2007)

To be honest I haven't seen him in his _serious roles _so you may have a point.  I just think  someone like Denzel Washington or Don Cheadel would have been a much better choice.  Denzel Washington can be superb when he puts his mind to it.

Did Will Smith landed the role because of his mass market appeal?  I just can't take him seriously after his other sci-fi roles in Independence Day and the MIB.  Perhaps its clouding my opinion and I may well be proved wrong.  If so I will be the first to hold my hands up and say so.


----------



## Dave (Dec 7, 2007)

Connavar of Rigante said:


> I just said earlier that cause noobs in IMDB act like Smith being Black will ruin the movie, what will ruin the movie if it turns out bad its how they write it.


It never crossed my mind until you said it. How can it ruin the movie? What has his race got to do with it? 

I haven't read the book. Is character a scientist in the original book, or is that something they have added? Only I can believe that Will Smith is a scientist much more readily than Charlton Heston!

Also, if that is a character change, then that is a much larger change than having a black actor play the role, but no one is mentioning that.


----------



## Aleksei (Dec 7, 2007)

I liked the book, and I am definatly looking forward to the movie. I don't have any problems with Will Smith playing the role of Robert Neville.


----------



## TK-421 (Dec 7, 2007)

November said:


> To be honest I haven't seen him in his _serious roles _so you may have a point. I just think someone like Denzel Washington or Don Cheadel would have been a much better choice. Denzel Washington can be superb when he puts his mind to it.
> 
> Did Will Smith landed the role because of his mass market appeal? I just can't take him seriously after his other sci-fi roles in Independence Day and the MIB. Perhaps its clouding my opinion and I may well be proved wrong. If so I will be the first to hold my hands up and say so.


 
Will Smith is a good choice and I believe a very talented actor. If you want proof, I would recommend:
Six Degrees of Seperation (1993 - likely his best role so far)
Ali (2001 - where he was nominated for an Oscar)
I, Robot (2004 - although I saw flaws in the movie, I did not so much with him in it)
The Pursuit of Happyness (2006 - where he was again nominated for an Oscar)
Will Smith (I)

I do agree that MIB, ID and WWW are bad films.


----------



## tarifa (Dec 7, 2007)

great book, 

will go see the movie but won't expect too much, don't see how they can faithfully reproduce it, so hard transferring book to film and they'll want to 'hollywood' it anyway to get the big bucks

but i'm a big believer that a film can still be decent even if it doesn't reproduce the book

two different mediums and each has things to offer


----------



## ravenus (Dec 8, 2007)

TK-421 said:


> Will Smith is a good choice and I believe a very talented actor. If you want proof, I would recommend:
> Six Degrees of Seperation (1993 - likely his best role so far)


Ya, he was awesome in that one and I always quote that when I hear people writing him off entirely.


----------



## November (Dec 8, 2007)

okay, I forgot about _I, Robot_, which I thoughthe  was pretty good in that

I am a scientist, albeit on a long sabbatical, and most of my research group had more in common with Beaker from the Muppets (me included); so a bit of escapism won't do me any harm I suppose.


----------



## Brian G Turner (Dec 11, 2007)

*I am Legend movie*

Trailer for the movie I am Legend, featuring Will Smith, is now available:

I Am Legend

 
Release is set for 26th Dec.


----------



## TK-421 (Dec 11, 2007)

*Re: I am Legend movie*

What's this???

Our tea boy did not follow Highlander's Before you Post Sticky. GASP!

I am Legend (2007)

Just kidding. Having a bot of fun at our fearless leader's expense


----------



## tangaloomababe (Dec 11, 2007)

*Re: I am Legend movie*

Its something I shall be going to see, I love Apocalyptic movies. I will be there lining up to see it!


----------



## j d worthington (Dec 13, 2007)

Well, as long as Brian doesn't stake me for this... I've merged the two *I Am Legend* threads....


----------



## Connavar (Dec 13, 2007)

Wow the trailer actually made me excited 

Lucky it was Will starring this movie.


Cant wait for the premiere!


----------



## TK-421 (Dec 14, 2007)

Review is good and it opens TODAY.

Last man standing 
*Will Smith shines in the sombre I Am Legend*

*By Martin Morrow, CBCNews.ca 
December 14, 2007*

Review Link


----------



## GOLLUM (Dec 14, 2007)

Sounds good.

Just saw the trailer, I can't wait!!


----------



## Brigitte (Dec 16, 2007)

I saw "I Am Legend" this weekend.  It did not exactly meet my expectations, but I thought it was a really good movie nonetheless.  I would recommend checking it out, but don't expect it to follow the path of the original book.


----------



## Fried Egg (Dec 19, 2007)

This review is fairly favourable with regards to Will's acting but the bad news is that they've sanitised the ending changing it considerable from the novel.


----------



## Connavar (Dec 21, 2007)

Holy !! i knew people liked Will Smith but to 76.5 millon dollars opening weekend record beating the record by Lords of The Ring 70 mill in 2003 for best december opening is shocking!!


----------



## GOLLUM (Dec 22, 2007)

Fried Egg said:


> This review is fairly favourable with regards to Will's acting but the bad news is that they've sanitised the ending changing it considerable from the novel.


That's pretty dissapointing really *SIGH* Maybe I just wait for DVD....


----------



## Nikitta (Dec 28, 2007)

I just saw it and really liked it. I haven't read the book, though, so I can't compare. I want to read the book now, though. I've never read anything by that author before, but now I want to and it seems that I'm not the only one since it was sold out at the book shop where I asked for it earlier today.

It was a quite intense movie and Will Smith played the role well, making me shed a tear more than once in some emotional scenes. Those were scenes that it would've been so easy to mess up and make comical, but he pulled it off and they worked - at least I cried. I might've liked a different ending, though.

My respect for Will Smith, as an actor, has really grown after seeing this film and I liked him before too.

IOW: it worked for me. My boyfriend also really liked it and will recommend it to others.


----------



## clovis-man (Dec 28, 2007)

Thought I'd just show my age here. I read the Matheson book before any movies were made. When the Vincent Price film came out, I was sort of gratified, I guess, that anyone would do a movie based on a book I had read. I didn't have any problem with the film, It seemed to follow the story line fairly well. And I didn't have great expectations about films from that time anyway.

Now there are two remakes. Hard to imagine. Is it the obsession with vampires engendered by Ann Rice, the *Blade* movies or Buffy? I suppose I'll have to see the new one also. After all, I did manage to endure the Charlton Heston version. Hey, it was better than *Soylent Green*.

Jim


----------



## GOLLUM (Dec 28, 2007)

Nikitta said:


> I just saw it and really liked it. I haven't read the book, though, so I can't compare. I want to read the book now, though. I've never read anything by that author before, but now I want to and it seems that I'm not the only one since it was sold out at the book shop where I asked for it earlier today.
> 
> It was a quite intense movie and Will Smith played the role well, making me shed a tear more than once in some emotional scenes. Those were scenes that it would've been so easy to mess up and make comical, but he pulled it off and they worked - at least I cried. I might've liked a different ending, though.


Sadly Hollywood did the usual and supposedly changed the ending. I'll see it in January here.

As well as *I Am Legend* I can recommend to you *The Shrinking Man* (movie: Incredible Shrinking Man) and *Hell House* (movie: Legend Of Hell House).


----------



## j d worthington (Dec 28, 2007)

GOLLUM said:


> As well as *I Am Legend* I can recommend to you *The Shrinking Man* (movie: Incredible Shrinking Man) and *Hell House* (movie: Legend Of Hell House).


 
And *Stir of Echoes* (much better than the film), and *Bid Time Return*. Also his short story collections have quite a few things to offer; a "must-read" for any fan of sff is his (very) short tale, "Born of Man and Woman" -- that's one that likely won't leave you for a while....


----------



## Lucien21 (Dec 29, 2007)

*I am Legend*

Based on the Richard Matheson book of the same name (although they more or less throw the book story out) and previous filmed as "The Omega Man" with Charlton Heston. This is the story of Robert Neville Soldier and Virologist who is the last man alive in New York after a cure for cancer mutates into an unstoppable virus which either killed or transformed people into raging vampire like creatures. (Although they are more like the zombies from 28 days later)

Will Smith is immune to the virus and was one of the people working on a cure before the outbreak and now is hunting for the cure (Testing on rats or catching Dark Dwellers) while trying to stay alive.

The first half of the movie is superb. The emptiness of a New York overgrown with plants and populated by deer and lions are a sight to behold. Will Smith gives a decent performance as the only man alive with his dog, Sam. During the day he drives around New York hunting for food and supplies, hits golf balls of the back of a plane or waits for other survivors to appear. He visits a DVD store to work through the movies (He's up to G) and talks to the other shoppers in a surreal scene with dummies. It is put over that Robert is clinging to sanity after no human contact for 40 months.

There are some real scare moments that will make you jump out your seat near the start of the movie. The Deer hunting scene being one, the first night and especially the first time he goes into a darkened building to save Sam are pretty nerve racking.

Unfortunatly this is also where the movie goes downhill. For some weird reason the director has made the Darkdwellers entirely out of crappy CGI and after the first encouter, which is genuinly creepy, the bad CGI just ruins any scene with the Dark Dwellers.

The second half of the movie is more of a standard action movie as the DarkDwellers attack and Robert picks up a couple of survivors leading to a showdown.

I think they chickened out with the book plot. Too much money or too big a star attached to really make the "Is Robert Neville the real monster" plot work which is hinted at in one small scene, but never explored. It is also strange that Robert never really comments on the fact that the Darkdwellers show more intellegence than he credits them.

Overall this is a movie that's not sure what it wants to be. After a superb 1st hour of suspense, beautifully haunting images of New York, character based storyline it blows it's wad with bad cgi and action movie cliches towards the end.

It was entertaining but it could have been a lot better.

*6/10*


----------



## Erin99 (Dec 29, 2007)

I'm off to see this for my birthday. I can't wait.

The trailer looks awsome:


----------



## Nikitta (Dec 29, 2007)

Lucien21 said:


> I think they chickened out with the book plot. Too much money or too big a star attached to really make the "Is Robert Neville the real monster" plot work which is hinted at in one small scene, but never explored.



That settles it - I will order the book online. I just have to read it.


----------



## GOLLUM (Dec 30, 2007)

j. d. worthington said:


> And *Stir of Echoes* (much better than the film)......


OH yes I forgot that one. Never read the book, only seen the movie. I didn't mind the film so I'll probably like the book more.


----------



## roddglenn (Jan 7, 2008)

Yeah I agree with Lucien21.  The first half was very atmospheric and the cut scenes with his wife and kid are good too, but opting for full CGI for the infected was a big mistake - they come across as too comic-like and therefore less scary and less believable.  

I was disappointed that they also opted to differ so much from the book - losing the two types of infected, the big changes over the dog, not having Ben Cortman (although the head infected was clearly supposed to be Ben), changing Robert's occupation and making him not only a high ranking army officer, but also a world-leading scientist...not very believable!  The book showed Robert as far more realistic.  

Having said all that, I thought Will Smith's performance was very good and far more under-stated than his previous 'Oh Hell No' sci-fi roles.  He played teetering on the edge of madness very well and also looked genuinely terrified in the scene where he had to go into the warehouse to retrieve Sam.

Not bad overall, but left me a little disappointed.


----------



## KateWalker (Jan 12, 2008)

I just saw it last weekend finally and thought Will Smith did a great job. He finally "toned down" his "Willish-ness" for this role and took it more seriously. He has the ability to be a great actor, but sometimes, he overacts, and ruins movies. But this one, he did very well. Very haunting performance by him and a haunting movie overall. 

I liked the look and feel of the movie. A bit depressing, but I thought it was very good overall.


----------



## ravenus (Jan 12, 2008)

KateWalker said:


> He finally "toned down" his "Willish-ness" for this role and took it more seriously. He has the ability to be a great actor, but sometimes, he overacts, and ruins movies.


His Willish-ness, as you wittily put, was essentially the baggage of stardom. Before that he has given a superb performance in *Six Degrees of Separation*. Check it out and I'm sure you will be pleasantly surprised


----------



## Erin99 (Jan 13, 2008)

I just saw this too. I loved it! Will Smith really shines in this movie, and, concidering he is the only actor on screen for 80% of it, I think he fills the role. However, the ending turned into a _deux ex machina_, in my opinion. My sister said Will had accidentally leaked the film's ending while out in Japan, and thus the director filmed an alternate version. I'm wondering if this new version lacks quality _because_ the end plot had been changed.  Maybe the original was better and more satisfying...


----------



## tangaloomababe (Jan 13, 2008)

Must be just me then after reading other comments, I thought it was ok but really nothing special, yes better than Omega Man, but keeping in mind Omega Man was filmed a hell of a long time ago now.
I thought the ending seemed rushed, maybe they ran out of time.


----------



## the_faery_queen (Jan 13, 2008)

i liked it. i think the original ending would have been better, just cos it was a cool idea! but i liked this. other than all the, god sent us, stuff.
and the way the vamps looked like imhotep (the mummy) and screamed a lot
but god, the man was dumb. there was evidence that the vamps could think, yet he STILL acted as though they couldn't. *shrug*
poor dog


----------



## biodroid (Jan 14, 2008)

I thought it was pretty good and quite sad as well. The FX was brilliantly done too.

Is the book a full length novel or is it a short story? I remember it being mentioned as a short story somewhere.


----------



## ravenus (Jan 14, 2008)

It's a short novel (~250 pages?). People who're more used to lifting ponderous multi-kilo fantasy "world-building" exercises may feel slightly underwhelmed by the size


----------



## Junomidge (Jan 15, 2008)

I saw it last night, and I have not read the book. 

I liked it for the most part, other than the fact that I had to sleep with my closet light on, and had to read my current Malazan book at 2:24am for an hour to clear my overactive imagination.

Spoilers below:

There is one thing niggling with me however. Will's character says that the dark dweller's social evolution has degraded completely.. I kept expecting him to make some comment about the dark dwellers setting a very ingenious, if copied, trap for him. Had they been setting traps before? Or where they developing intelligence? Was the fact that one of them exposed himself to sunlight a sign of social dissolution, of one of them recognizing Robert and expressing his displeasure, or were they develping the ability to endure sunlight? He also said, I think, that the dark dwellers were incapable of tracking him, therefore they didn't know where he lived. But they tracked his use of the mannequins and used one to trap him.

Yeah, I know I think about it too much, but these points just didn't makes sense to me.


----------



## Dave (Jan 16, 2008)

I just saw this today. I liked the deserted New York scenes; grass growing through the pavements, Maize and Deer. I think it was done very well. The latter action scenes were not so good.

Lucien21 - That's a good review and I agree with it entirely. The scene that you mentioned, would that be the one where Anna looked at the Dark Dweller photos and asked "Did all these die?"

There was also the breakfast scene where he went a little crazy. He was obviously a very driven man who felt personally responsible for the disaster. I didn't quite understand why he should feel that way - he failed to find a cure, he failed to save his family, but he didn't cause it - that Emma Thompson Cancer Doctor did that.

I was quite surprised at the introduction of Anna and Ethan, which was totally unexpected for me.

I also agree with the CGI being bad. I didn't think the Lions were particularly well done either. When something looks wrong, you tend to unintentionally focus on that rather than the film.

Junomidge - I think his commentary record was just wrong, but it was his summing up at that point. I expect he would have updated and corrected it later had he ever got the chance to.

The Dark Dweller who constantly head-butted the glass doors - he was the same who was at the door when he captured the female Dark Dweller. I think he was actually trying to rescue her.

And Bob Marley - Legend - how corny was that stuff?

And the ending - sweet and syrupy so everyone went home happy.


----------



## Emu (Jan 25, 2008)

I so want to see that movie. Did everyone here hate the Vampires?


----------



## KJ Pixie (Feb 3, 2008)

Emu said:


> I so want to see that movie. Did everyone here hate the Vampires?


 
Yeah, they weren't very scary.  You should go see it though, as it is still a pretty good movie.


----------



## Connavar (Feb 3, 2008)

I was gonna see it yesterday with my lil brother but it snowed so much no bus could get to our town so we missed the last show 


The only movie i have wanted to see in many months and the weather is against me !


----------



## Lenny (Jul 13, 2008)

I saw it last night and I loved it! I'm intrigued as to how they managed to do it - well, mainly how the effects department turned New York into what they did. It was so surreal, yet at the same time it was easy to believe that it was real.

Amusing anecdote: When we finished watching it, my Dad said he didn't like the film because it was a complete rip off of a 70s film called *The Omega Man*. 

He also thought that Will Smith was very soft, nothing like the cold-blooded killer that Charlton Heston played. Having not read the book, I don't know if Robert Neville is supposed to be soft or murderous, but I have to say that I liked Will Smith's portrayal of him - scared, alone.


----------



## Grimward (Jul 13, 2008)

By coincidence, just saw it last night too, Lenny.   I thought it was one of Smith's better performances.  Enjoyed it more than anything I've seen in some time.


----------



## j d worthington (Jul 13, 2008)

Lenny said:


> I saw it last night and I loved it! I'm intrigued as to how they managed to do it - well, mainly how the effects department turned New York into what they did. It was so surreal, yet at the same time it was easy to believe that it was real.
> 
> Amusing anecdote: When we finished watching it, my Dad said he didn't like the film because it was a complete rip off of a 70s film called *The Omega Man*.
> 
> He also thought that Will Smith was very soft, nothing like the cold-blooded killer that Charlton Heston played. Having not read the book, I don't know if Robert Neville is supposed to be soft or murderous, but I have to say that I liked Will Smith's portrayal of him - scared, alone.


 
Well, I have a certain liking for *The Omega Man*, despite several flaws; but even there Neville's loneliness is, I thought, well portrayed, as he populates the world around him by conversing with mannequins (and himself), and "blinding" himself to the presence of the corpses still to be encountered....


----------



## Erin99 (Jul 14, 2008)

Lenny said:


> He also thought that Will Smith was very soft, nothing like the cold-blooded killer that Charlton Heston played. *Having not read the book*, I don't know if Robert Neville is supposed to be soft or murderous, but I have to say that I liked Will Smith's portrayal of him - scared, alone.



You need to read the book, Lenny! The book is AWSOME! It's nothing like the movie, it's better. After watching the film, did you wonder why the title was _I Am Legend_? That's because the ending (and 80% of the plot) differs from the book. The novel makes it clear as to why it has that title, and the final pages left me with chills. Plus, unlike the film, Neville is a blond-haired, blue-eyed man who was never a scientist. And the whole dog scene, well...


----------



## dekket (Jul 16, 2008)

I felt so sorry for the dog.

I agree with Leisha that the book is great.  And the title makes much more sense.


----------



## clovis-man (Aug 1, 2008)

Don't read this if you want to avoid spoilers.











Having read the book and seen the first two film adaptaions, I put off seeing this one. Finally watched it on DVD last night. Now, I have to say up front that I'm a Will Smith fan. he seems to be able to make even weak scripts seem strong. But I also think the task set before him was a little too bifurcated in this film. He spends most of the time alternating between an obsessive search for a KV cure and having psychotic breaks with mannequins. He does both well, but the screen story suffers as a result.

The flashback scenes seemed unfinished, tied together finally only with a quick verbal accounting by Will to his newly found companion Alice Braga (who's not nearly as hot as her Aunt Sonia ). I didn't mind the vampires being supplanted by zombies on speed, but Will Smith's character seemed unable to realize that they were busily and, sometimes ingeniously, planning his demise. He pretty much ignored the potential threat and impact of the one uber-zombie in the film.

But putting all this aside and admitting that it was well filmed and had great production values (something not to be said about the Vincent Price and Charlton Heston efforts), there was still a huge problem with the conclusion. Assume that the newly discovered "cure" could be replicated by the other human survivors, there still remains the problem of delivery. What do they do? Open up a free clinic? Capture unwilling specimens, vaccinate them and then leave them to the tender mercies of their compatriots? Perhaps create a zombie social services agency? Sorry, but it just seemed lame.

In the book, the reason Neville was a "legend" was because he was so good at exterminating the undead denizens of his locale. He was the blight upon the new order, as diseased as it might have been intrinsically. That didn't really come through in this film and weakened it as a result. It certainly had its moments, but, on the whole, it left much to be desired.


----------



## imls1978 (Nov 12, 2008)

i like this movie, it wasn't awesome but it was pretty good, i really like will smith.


----------



## ctg (Nov 12, 2008)

The film completely ignored the facts on how Neville figured out why Vampires tend fear crosses and mirrors. It also ignored the fact that Neville house was visited by the vampires  almost every night. He cleaned up the neighbourhood, but yet he failed to find few of the well hidden vampires that returned to him almost all that time. The film kind of let us understand that the vampires are forming a new society, but in the book the vampires were a new race born from an old one to take our the human society. 

I recommend you to read the book and watch the alternative ending as it's much closer to the book then the survivalist colony in the Nebraska. Although, I see a colony very realistic. Even though, it would take a considerable amount of the time - from those who has the immunity against the Human-Vampire Mutagenic Virus - to gather together. 

However, like the I, Robot this movie was a good adaptation of the story. The watcher certainly gets the thrills and see hopefully the message. Hopefully Will Smith continues starring these Hollywood spectacles in the future and gives to the grand audience something that we all love in this forum, the Science-Fiction and Fantasy.


----------

