In the beginning, hes watching his family from afar they think hes dead and he sees. I am legend arrives on dvd march 18th and one of the bonus features is the films darker original ending, which we think is much better than the reshot one they ultimately went with. I still remember the exact moment i started and finished this book nearly 10 years ago. The movie i am legend directed by francis lawrence is dystopian movie. 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. 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. Aug 04, 2016 i am legend is a classic horror story.
I am legend is a 2007 american postapocalyptic thriller film based on the 1954 novel of the same name by richard matheson. Whether is it has something to do with aliens or the world ending. Theres lessons to be learned about mob behavior and respect for minorities. Blogger adam katz sent me the link because of the book vs. Now for a topic thats neither divisive nor prone to eliciting irrational anger and awkward discomfort. Need help with chapter 21 in richard mathesons i am legend. But when it comes down to it, is the book really better than the movie.
It retains the bleak tone, the cortman adversary and the books central themes. As such, its no surprise that the book has been adapted for the big screen, in this case three. I thought rereading legend series 6 years later would kinda make it lose its. 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 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 1010 movie clip alternate ending 2007 hd. 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. At the end of the novel, neville finally sees things from his enemies point of view. I am legends biggest change from the book broke the movie.
I though the book was effectively i am legend and other short stories by richard matheeson. Its a full, polished ending, with complete special effects intact, so im assuming it was ripped from the special features on the imminent dvd. The film was released to theaters on friday, december 14, 2007. So he kills himself because he realises he was the monster all along. Film is a column comparing books to the film adaptations they spawn, often discussing them on a. So hes become a legend in the way that vampires are a legend to us. I am legend 2007 is an american postapocalyptic science fiction horror film directed by francis lawrence and starring will smith. You were talking about the book and not the piece of crap starring will smith. Film column i did on the source material and the four films.
Right, i just saw i am legend, and dont get the end. 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. Years after a plague kills most of humanity and transforms the rest into monsters, the sole survivor in new york city struggles valiantly to find a. This version of i am legend is the third movie adaptation of mathesons novel. I am legend is a 1954 postapocalyptic horror novel by american writer richard matheson. Legend is told from the perspective of two leading characters. This is the book that, to my mind, created the modern vampirezombie genre of horror. What did the healing zombie in the basement have to do with it. How i am legends ending is different in the book screen. 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.
Furthermore, the final line suggests that human societyof which neville was the last representativeis now fading into the past. Created by genetically altering measles, the krippin virus seemed like a miracle cure. Alice krippin is interviewed about her great discovery, she has changed the measles so that it attacks cancerous cells. Throughout the novel, hes operated under the assumption that humans are right and vampires are wrongand, therefore, that hes morally justified in killing vampires in. Thats where the title i am legend came from, nevilles realization at the end that the vampires were the good guys and that he was the monster of their legends, since he had been mindlessly driving stakes through their heart at every. Differences between i am legend book vs movie page 2. Jun 04, 2011 but when it comes down to it, is the book really better than the movie. Years after a plague kills most of humanity and transforms the rest into monsters, the sole survivor in new york city struggles valiantly to find a cure in this postapocalyptic action thriller. The ending of the film was also altered to portray neville as sacrificing his life to save humanity, rather than being executed for crimes against the. The first time was in 1964 with the last man on earth featuring vincent price, and then in 1971 with the omega man with charlton heston. The successes and failures in adapting i am legend film inquiry. If he had been more analytical, he might have calculated the approximate time of their arrival.
This was actually the third time it had been made into a movie. Close to the ending of the book, robert clearly changes his though process. There have been rumors that the ending to i am legend wasnt the only way theyd planned for the movie to turn out. Published in 1954, acclaimed author richard mathesons novel i am legend is one of the most highly regarded works of apocalyptic fiction to date.
Thus, in the final line of the book which also serves as the books title, neville accepts that he is a monster. Also sign me up for fanmail to get updates on all things movies. I was sitting shotgun while my father drove us home from a vacation in michigan. Youtube has the ending of the movie i am legend, as it was originally planned. Why does robert conclude that i am legend at the ending of the book. How i am legends ending is different in the book screen rant. 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. 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. In the book, i am legend are the final words that robert thinks on his deathbed, as he realizes that in death he will become a terrifying legend just like vampires once were. The ending to the alternate theatrical version varies from the original ending. The first time was in 1964 with the last man on earth featuring vincent price, and then in 1971. See the alternate ending for i am legend that was too. This man, our protagonist in both the book and film, is robert neville.
Or perhaps the film simply doesnt have the same nuances as the richard matheson book on which its based. I am legend 2007 the basics hopefully all of you know the basic story behind i am legend. 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. 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. Film column i did on the source material and the four films loosely inspired by it. Day is a criminal on the run for stealing from the republic and making the government look foolish. Differences between i am legend book vs movie page 1. As the final lethargy engulfs him, he thinks, i am legend. 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 post.
Sep 06, 2012 last night i finished reading i am legend. Richard mathesons i am legend is a masterpiece of horror that has. 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. Whats the difference between i am legend the book and i am legend the movie. Instead of thinking that he is protecting the only remains of the human race, which is himself, he understands that the world has moved on. The movie stars will smith as virologist robert neville, the apparent sole uninfected survivor in a postapocalyptic version of new york city where.
Im updating because i had to reread the series before i dive into rebel in case youre as outdated as me, yes, theres a 4th book and you all gotta add it to your tbr if you love this series. I am legend is a 1954 postapocalyptic horror novel by american writer richard matheson that. Influencing great modern horror writers like stephen king, its one that will stick with you. Dec 24, 2007 so hes become a legend in the way that vampires are a legend to us. By analyzing three adaptations of the same book, its clear that the most faithful, and strongest, adaptation is the last man on earth. The successes and failures in adapting i am legend film. He relieves her of the cure and returns her to the hemocytes. The movie took all the intelligence out and just made it about the action. I am legend is a dystopian story very loosely based upon a book of the same name. Apr 18, 2020 in fact, without the original ending, the movies title of i am legend doesnt actually make much sense. Not only does the book end in a similar way, but it in fact was the entire freaking point of the book. I think its just a collection of short stories with the headliner being the most famous. Day, a renegade from the streets, and june, an elite student at drake university and the republics shining prodigy.
I am legend is a 2007 film adaption of the novel of the same name. The novel i am legend 1954, written by american author richard matheson, was adapted for the movie by screenwriters akiva goldsman and mark protosevich. As such, its no surprise that the book has been adapted for the big screen, in. Enter your location to see which movie theaters are playing i am legend near you.
May 23, 2008 not only does the book end in a similar way, but it in fact was the entire freaking point of the book. There are two camps when it comes to discussing the issue of race in mathesons book. I am legend dystopian movies always have a big change in the society. Still, you cant fault i am legend for trying to be different from the typical action thriller. Dec 14, 2017 i am legend ending explained by ricky derisz dec. While those infected with kv who survive it develop primal behaviour upon succumbing to the virus and becoming a darkseeker, they do retain enough of their higher intelligence to build and copy complex traps. Ending spoiler for i am legend 2007, plus mistakes, quotes, trivia and more. The books characters realization of their perspective is the whole point of the book. The reason that a stake kills the vampire is that the stake lets air into the body and keeps the flesh open so that the body glue cant function. Another big part of the i am legend book thats never been adapted faithfully is its ending, which sees neville commit suicide rather than be. The stakes dont have to penetrate the heart, contrary to legend. Off the back of the huge success of i am legend back in 2007, warner bros was keen to develop either a prequel or. The opposite is true, actually, because i am legend is mathesons condemnation of a white power structure that facilitated racial subjugation in america in the first place.
I am legend is about a zombielike horde wiping out much of humanity, but its confusing ending becomes clear if you. Darkseekers are vampires in the 2007 film adaption, i am legend. 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. 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. I nearly chose i am legend for a confession, but ive read it before however little i remembered beyond the ending. 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. I am legend isnt particularly long either, hardly even novel length. The book ends with june and day together, running from the law and planning to go to the waterfront to pick up eden before crossing the border and going into colonies territory, which signifies a fresh start for all the characters. Robert neville will smith is a brilliant scientist, but even he could not contain the terrible virus that was unstoppable, incurable and manmade. The character has the same name in both the book and the movie.
It was influential in the development of the zombievampire genre and in popularizing the concept of a worldwide apocalypse due to disease. Years ago, you see, my husband had wanted to talk about the book, probably when the most recent adaptation to movie form had come out, and i am well known for not reading horror, so it wasnt an unreasonable assumption that i would never read this. Yesterday, some intrepid soul posted an alternate i am legend ending to youtube. But i went into reading i am legend knowing the ending, knowing the twist. The first says, man, its just a badass vampire book. Instead of blowing himself and the hemocytes up with a grenade, neville discovers that the hemocytes actually came for the female he captured earlier in the movie. Robert neville, as he searches for a cure to a vicious, manmade disease. He learns that this new society is scared of him because he kills some of them in their sleep. The novel was a success and was adapted into the films the last man on earth 1964, the omega man 1971, and i am.
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. So i just finished i am legend by richard matheson. The two earlier films are the last man on earth 1964 and the omega man 1971. Hes a legend, but for the wrong reasonsin line with richard mathesons book, he is an entity the. In fact, the movie went through massive reshoots before finally being. Robert neville is an average, casually but not completely racist white american. Mar 05, 2008 there have been rumors that the ending to i am legend wasnt the only way theyd planned for the movie to turn out. 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.
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