I Am Legend

[thedude]

Did anyone else see this movie? Is anyone else disappointed.

Possible Spoiler warning













I read the novella a while back and found the story to be very well done and it came together perfectly at the end. For the first 1:40+ minuets the movie, i thought was good take on the book and seemed to flow nicely. Up to vampire attack on Neville's house, i thought the movie was awesome. Then Will Smith blows himself to bits finding the cure and the whole world is saved, and Hollywood completely ignores the best part Richard Matheson's classic. The ending is what gives the story its name. Neville sees vampires as legends from another age, "Monsters" that need to be destroyed. However in the end he realizes that he is the monster, and instead of maintaining his society, he is destroying a new and different one. That is completely gone in this adaptation, though there are hints at Will Smith's inner monster (him capturing, experimenting, and killing the infected; how he refers to his captive as "it" while the girl calls the vampire "she"; the girl being somewhat taken aback at Neville's work), but the audience won't actually put it together because of the ending. This is one of my pet peeves with Hollywood: they won't let Will Smith be the bad guy. They need that happy ending. I know this is typical Hollywood, but i was hoping for more.

Sorry i just had to rant... Read the book it is worth it. BTW, my friend didn't read the book and really like the movie, so i guess if you haven't read the book you will probably enjoy it.

[stevethumb]

well, "Omega Man" w/charlton heston is based on the matheson work and has a fairly satisfying conclusion, although the christ like dying pose of heston was a bit much

[StlSluggers]

I read the book, too, and I have to say that I was extraordinarily disappointed in the Hollywood ending. However, it is a step up from what they first had. I heard the original ending for the movie was...









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Smith and the girl heading off into the sunset towards a civilization that was going to rebuild humanity. I think that was even worse than this.

[bigh0rt]

Smith and the girl heading off into the sunset towards a civilization that was going to rebuild humanity. I think that was even worse than this.

This is one of what I thought two possible endings to the movie could be. Either he would meet a female and it would end with them looking to re-populate Earth, or he would die and the human race would be extinct. All in all, I wasn't overly satisfied with the ending, though based on what the OP described it ought to be, that doesn't sound overly satisfying, either.

I think Smith played Neville losing his mind really well. He carries the film as the only actor in it for a majority of the time. There were times, though, where I couldn't stop thinking this was too much like Cast Away with a dog instead of a volleyball; and guns.

[AEMRICH]

just saw it tonight i liked it, i didn't read the book and after reading the previous posts i guess they did leave out a big part in the ending. I too found myself thinking about cast away during the moive. A lot of the time i thought Will Smith was going crazy. Had some major parts in the moive that made me jump in my seat, the movie makes me want to read the book. Overall 8/10

[Amazinz]

I don't have a problem with the happy ending. This is the way Omega Man ended as well and from what I have read, I Am Legend was a remake of Omega Man not a new adaptation of the original story. However, I agree with your other points. There are some key aspects of the original story missing that were present in Omega Man. I am not sure why they were removed. The Last Man on Earth with Vincent Price is probably the most faithful adaptation but it has it's own flaws and if you really love the written story this will probably disappoint as well.

I think you have the judge the move on it's own terms anyway, as it's own new story. In that light, I thought it was fantastic adventure for awhile and I almost peed myself a couple of times during the jump scenes. But in between the great scenes there were some that just bored the heck out of me and by the time it ended I was underwhelmed. Great fun for awhile but it's one of those movies we'll all forget about by next year.

[Curtis Pride]

Problems with the movie weren't even the ending (since I hadn't read the book), but....

How did the girl get to NYC (or out of) since we saw the army blowing up all the bridges? One would assume they would also flood all the tunnels as well. It wasn't a boat because she somehow got Neville's car off the island.

The girl said she was looking for Will Smith at the pier during the day but she couldn't find him, so instead of hiding for the night, she drove around the city WITH HER KID IN THE CAR?

How on earth did she find Will Smith, at night, while he was driving around an aircraft carrier or bridge or whatever the hell he was driving around trying to kill himself, and how did she scare off the horde of vampires with a big spotlight?

Where did he get the materials/knowledge to make his house a metal bunker, and why didn't he make a backup house for just such an occasion if the bad guys track him? And if he can do that, and booby-trap his entire neighborhood, why couldn't he make a bunch of UV lamps to surround his lab at least.

How come every night he boards up the windows, leaving his house in pitch black, yet every morning you can see the sun shining in to his house?

[Amazinz]

How did the girl get to NYC (or out of) since we saw the army blowing up all the bridges?

She said she came by ship. They were on some type of rescue vessel.

The rest are just my best guesses and agreements...

It wasn't a boat because she somehow got Neville's car off the island.

Ferry would be my guess.

The girl said she was looking for Will Smith at the pier during the day but she couldn't find him, so instead of hiding for the night, she drove around the city WITH HER KID IN THE CAR?

How on earth did she find Will Smith, at night, while he was driving around an aircraft carrier or bridge or whatever the hell he was driving around trying to kill himself, and...

No doubt. This is the dumbest aspect of the movie.

...how did she scare off the horde of vampires with a big spotlight?

Well if you can get over the fact that she wouldn't be there, this part isn't too bad. The monsters were photosensitive? to the point of death.

Where did he get the materials/knowledge to make his house a metal bunker, and why didn't he make a backup house for just such an occasion if the bad guys track him?

I got the impression (not sure from where) that the bunker/research lab were put in place long before Neville was the last man in the city.

And if he can do that, and booby-trap his entire neighborhood, why couldn't he make a bunch of UV lamps to surround his lab at least.

Lol. No idea. I would have worn a helmet with a UV light super-glued on top.

How come every night he boards up the windows, leaving his house in pitch black, yet every morning you can see the sun shining in to his house?

Heh. Didn't even think of this when I watched it. Good point.

[thedude]

How come every night he boards up the windows, leaving his house in pitch black, yet every morning you can see the sun shining in to his house?

That really annoyed me. Also the first night of the movie, Will Smith and his dog go to sleep fully clothed in the tub, clutching a gun. Why? Every other scene in the movie he sleeps in his own bed...

[Amazinz]

Yes, and in the scene after the tub scene it is the morning after and he wakes up in his bed. I guess it was done for effect but it is pretty dumb in hindsight.