Now for a topic thats neither divisive nor prone to eliciting irrational anger and awkward discomfort. Director francis lawrence recently opened up about his work on 2007 s i am legend and explained what he would change about the film today. In any case, recovery is not part of the original story, while central to the film. Will smiths 2007 box office hit i am legend had an ending that. Robert neville is a scientist who was unable to stop the spread of the terrible virus that was incurable and manmade. On a mildly frustrating note, the bookmedia tiein edition to the 2007 feature film starring will smithis deceptively marketed as a fulllength novel when in actuality it is a collection of short stories by matheson, of which i am legend is merely the first and the longest yarn in the bunch. I am legend is a 2007 american postapocalyptic action thriller film based on the 1954 novel of. 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 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. He works to create a remedy while defending himself against the virus victims, who turn into hostile mutants. We have an intriguing problem with comparing the book and film. The 2007 loose film adaptation and only one to bear the name of richard mathesons novel i am legend.
I am legend isnt particularly long either, hardly even novel length. 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. The story is very much darker and deeper than the will smith film of the same name. Enter your location to see which movie theaters are playing i am legend near you. Ending spoiler for i am legend 2007, plus mistakes, quotes, trivia and more. 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. The end of the film was shot in lambertville, new jersey. I am lege nd i s a 2 007 american postapocalyptic action thriller film based on the 1954 novel of the same name by richard matheson.
I am legend is about a zombielike horde wiping out much of. Dec, 2007 the opening scenes of i am legend have special effects so good that they just about compensate for some later special effects that are dicey. 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. I am legends biggest change from the book broke the movie.
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 executed for his apparent crimes. I am legend is suspenseful, has nice cinematography and visuals as well as having a good performance by will smith. Her brief outro completely ruins the darkly clever play of the book s original plot that neville is a legend, hated. Robert neville finds himself alone after a hideous mutation turns humans into vampires. I am legend 2 online sa prevodom by tridotvada issuu. Or perhaps the film simply doesnt have the same nuances as the richard matheson book on which its based. Changing i am legend s creatures which were created by the virus outbreak in the movie made adapting the book s ending impossible, as the darkseekers showed almost no signs of heightened intelligence earlier in the movie. I am legend originally had an ending closer to the book s, but that was changed after negative reactions from test.
Its as if the screenwriters or director, or producer ran out of ways to wrap it up. Hes a legend, but for the wrong reasonsin line with richard mathesons book, he is an. I am legend 2007 the basics hopefully all of you know the basic story behind i am legend. The point of the novel is that neville is the last of his kind and with the plague comes an evolution in the dominant. Also, as in 2007s i am legend, the end of the novel is changed drastically. I am legend, the third cinematic adaptation of richard mathesons novel, has been in development for a very long time. Sep 06, 2012 last night i finished reading i am legend. I am legend is not a direct wordforword adaptation of the book, but rather, as screenwriter akiva goldsman points out, its a mesh combination of the book. I am legend 1010 movie clip alternate ending 2007 hd. I am legend is a 2007 film adaption of the novel of the same name. Through his perspective, i am legend is a story of hope wrapped in a layer of postapocalyptic turmoil with religious overtones. Instead of blowing himself and the hemocytes up with a grenade, neville. Differences between i am legend book vs movie page 1. But a few years later, it mutated into plague that kills most of the people on earth or turns them into creatures, there are a few who are immune.
The film was released to theaters on friday, december 14, 2007. Off the back of the huge success of i am legend back in 2007, warner bros was keen to develop either a prequel or a sequel to the film. I am legend originally had an ending closer to the books, but that. Robert neville, as he searches for a cure to a vicious, manmade disease. Every night, he barricades himself inside his house and keeps the vampire horde at bay. Jun 12, 2016 my thoughts on i am legend, both with the 1954 book written by richard matheson and the 2007 film directed by francis lawrence. I think its just a collection of short stories with the headliner being the most famous. 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. So i just finished i am legend by richard matheson. But if you have only seen that will smith movie that went 180 degrees on the book s message, the soulcrushing impact of these words will be lost on you. Published in 1954, acclaimed author richard mathesons novel i am legend is one of the most highly regarded works of apocalyptic fiction to date. As discussed by first showing and film, the alternate ending for i am legend is a better representation of the source material.
The ending to the alternate theatrical version varies from the original ending. We see manhattan three years after a deadly virus has killed every healthy human on the island, except one. A ninepart abridged reading of the novel performed by angus macinnes was originally broadcast on bbc radio 7 in january 2006 and repeated in january 2018. The 1956 i am legend book is a vampire story inspired by dracula. With that in mind, what some feel is a confusing ending becomes far. After the initial shock of seeing another human wears off, neville becomes suspicious of ruth and is skeptical of her story. I didnt like the fact that it didnt respect the book. I am legend is a 1954 postapocalyptic horror novel by american writer richard matheson that.
They are cannibalistic zombies who have an aversion to light. 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. The point of the novel is that neville is the last of his kind and with. Also, as in 2007 s i am legend, the end of the novel is changed drastically. I though the book was effectively i am legend and other short stories by richard matheeson. Dont criticize i am legend for being different than. 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. Anna gives the syringe with the antidote to the human leader of that small community and her voice over tells us of the legend that robert neville has become. It turns out those changed into vampirelike creatures by the plague have formed their own society and are still mostly intelligent, and view neville as a monster, a kind of boogeyman they fear and loathe due to his killing of their species. It looks like the powersthatbe over at warner bros. Neville comes across a seemingly uninfected woman, ruth, abroad in the daylight and captures her. It is not made clear on the front of the book, or anywhere that this is a collection of short stories, not a novel. Dec 14, 2017 i am legend is about a zombielike horde wiping out much of humanity, but its confusing ending becomes clear if you understand the personal journey of its hero.
Is there an i am legend movie that actually preserves the. I am legend by richard matheson goodreads share book. Directed by francis lawrence, the film stars will smith as us army virologist robert neville. Is there any movie based on the i am legend novel by richard matheson that shares the same ending to the book. Awakening published in a san diego comiccon special by vertigo.
Differences between i am legend book vs movie page 2. This man, our protagonist in both the book and film, is robert neville. Originally slated to star arnold schwarzenegger and be directed by ridley scott, this movie has kicked around for so long that by the time it has finally reached the screen, schwarzenegger is out of the business altogether and the director is someone whose career in music. Alice krippin is interviewed about her great discovery, she has changed the measles so that it attacks cancerous cells. In the book, the protagonist gets executed by a society composed of what is the next level in evolution of the human race, and he realizes the role reversal that he was the monster of legend to these people, as the vampires were to the previous human race. Adapted from acclaimed author richard mathesons influential novelette of the same name, constantine director francis lawrences i am legend. 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. With that in mind, what some feel is a confusing ending becomes far more clear when you understand nevilles personal journey. Jul 04, 20 i assume you are referring to the 2007 film starring will smith and the controversial original ending special feature on the dvd release. What did the healing zombie in the basement have to do with it.
Jun 04, 2011 but when it comes down to it, is the book really better than the movie. 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. An unrelated film tiein was released in 2007 as a oneshot i am legend. A virus that was created for the purpose of battling cancer and its administered to those with cancer, and it looked promising. The negatives i have are the cgi as well as the ending. Mar 28, 2020 the symbolic value of the 2007 theatrical ending is too specific to be accidental. Right, i just saw i am legend, and dont get the end. Immune, neville is now the last human survivor in what is left of new york city and perhaps the world.
Whats the difference between i am legend the book and i am legend the movie. Richard mathesons 1954 novel i am legend has been adapted into films before, most notably 1971s the omega man, with charlton heston. Still, you cant fault i am legend for trying to be different from the typical action thriller. The streets are overgrown with weeds, cars are abandoned, the infrastructure is beginning to collapse.
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