Book ending to i am legend will smith

Film column i did on the source material and the four films loosely inspired by it. I am lege nd is a 1954 postapocalyptic horror novel by american writer richard matheson. With i am legend we have an intriguing opportunity to compare book and film. Book readers and fans of the miniseries will know that stan uris isnt going to healinside or outquite as well as the others. Will smiths acting is spoton and the movie delivers action and suspense in spades, and yet it fails to actively engage the audience in a meaningful. The two earlier films are the last man on earth 1964 and the omega man 1971. This man, our protagonist in both the book and film, is robert neville. I am legend characters from litcharts the creators of sparknotes.

The i am legend dvd with this alternate ending included is now available to buy on. It was influential in the development of th e zombievampi re genre and in popularizing the concept of a worldwide apocalypse due to disease. I am legend is a 2007 american postapocalyptic action thriller film based on the 1954 novel of the same name by richard matheson. I remember enjoying the movie the omega man with charlton heston when i was young. 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. The book is important historically, though without the 2007 adaptation starring will smith, contemporary readers wouldnt bump into it in an airport bookstore. Smiths i am legend title makes no sense, it lacks the dialogue and information to build up to the title, rendering it meaningless. Robert neville, the protagonist, is indeed the last man on earth as far as he knows, the rest of the planet having turned into vampires. By analyzing three adaptations of the same book, its clear that the most faithful, and strongest, adaptation is the last man on earth. The movie took all the intelligence out and just made it about the action. After the initial shock of seeing another human wears off, neville becomes suspicious of ruth and is skeptical of her story. Spoilers its not a bad movie, and it does have a certain charm.

This is the book that, to my mind, created the modern vampirezombie genre of horror. Ending spoiler for i am legend 2007, plus mistakes, quotes, trivia and more. Smith wages an eternal war against video game antagonists who cannot speak, making them dimwitted, lowestcommondenominator dolts. Neville comes across a seemingly uninfected woman, ruth, abroad in the daylight and captures her.

Whats the difference between i am legend the book and i am legend the movie. This film is i am legend in name only, it bears very little relation to the book of the same name. I am legend dystopian movies always have a big change in the society. 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. The story is set in new york city after a virus, which was originally created to cure cancer, has wiped out most of. He is a legend because he is the source of the cure. I am legend characters from litcharts the creators of. 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.

If he had been more analytical, he might have calculated the approximate time of their arrival. 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 novel i am legend 1954, written by american author richard matheson, was adapted for the movie by screenwriters akiva goldsman and mark protosevich. As discussed by first showing and film, the alternate ending for i am legend is a better representation of the source material. Furthermore, the final line suggests that human societyof which neville was the last representativeis now fading into the past. As such, its no surprise that the book has been adapted for the big screen, in this case three.

I am legends biggest change from the book broke the movie. 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. 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. The infected people attack nevilles lab and he hands over the infected female hes been working on to the leader a. And if it is true that mankind has 100 years to live before we destroy our. 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. 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. The novel is one of my favorite of all time, the inspiration for many a story be it book or movie. 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. But if you have only seen that will smith movie that went 180 degrees on the books message, the soulcrushing impact of. 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.

I am legend forfeits any semblance of dramatic impact, much as i, robot did, with its cartoonlike cgi villains. Smith does a great job as robert neville, the protagonist, and despite some completely unnecessary cgi characters that looked old after a couple of years, its quite a pretty and w. Richard mathesons i am legend is a masterpiece of horror that has spawned three film adaptations, none of which have quite captured the essence of what makes this. If anyone had any doubts left that will smith could carry a movie, i am legend will banish them forever. The story is 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, other than nocturnal mutants. 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. Its been three years since civilization came to an end, and the loneliness has taken a. 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. The 2007 film was partially based on the 1971 film as well as the original source. With that in mind, what some feel is a confusing ending becomes far more clear. Hes virtually alone in this scifi thriller, with a dog albeit a talented one as his only foil. Differences between i am legend book vs movie page 4. How i am legends ending is different in the book screen.

For june and day everything is pretty much a lifeordeath matter, so theyre always on the lookout or running from something. Blogger adam katz sent me the link because of the book vs. The book ends with june and day together, running from the law and. Today the most recent movie adaptation of richard mathesons classic vampire story i am legend comes out on dvd. But when it comes down to it, is the book really better than the movie. 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. I have gone through a similar question to mine, but in that question they are talking about the ending of the book while. Through his perspective, i am legend is a story of hope wrapped in a layer of postapocalyptic turmoil with religious overtones.

Whether is it has something to do with aliens or the world ending. Immune, neville is now the last human survivor in what is left of new york city and perhaps the world. I am legend plagued by cartoony cgi characters, cliched. Published in 1954, acclaimed author richard mathesons novel i am legend is one of the most highly regarded works of apocalyptic fiction to date. Theres lessons to be learned about mob behavior and respect for minorities. Spoilers as he swallows the pill, all of these monsters staring and he laughs to himself saying i am legend.

I am legend is brilliant commentary and society and human relationships and, really, the very definition of humanity. Near the beginning of the slightly futuristic, slightly scary and slightly ridiculous i am legend, will smith goes roaring through the desolate streets of manhattan in a firered sports car, an assault rifle in hand, with a happy german shepherd sitting in the passenger seat weeds and vines have reclaimed times square, now a giant parking lot for abandoned vehicles. Its gripping and intense and i think, perhaps, will smiths greatest performance. I am legend 2007 the basics hopefully all of you know the basic story behind i am legend. Lieutenant colonel robert neville will smith attempts to find an antidote to the worldshattering mutation. The will smith i am legend once again fails to replicate this ending, but its alternate conclusion is much closer to the books message. Changing i am legends creatures which were created by the virus outbreak in the movie made adapting the books ending impossible, as the darkseekers showed almost no signs of heightened intelligence earlier in the movie. Yesterday, some intrepid soul posted an alternate i am legend ending to youtube. Directed by francis lawrence, the film stars will smith as us army virologist robert neville. He is a legend among the vampires, because he is the only human left and he hunts and kills so many vampires during the day. Theres something about the way the story is told that, while the scenario is highly fantastical, the character is almost painfully relatable.

Neville kills himself with poison after being captured by the human like vampires. Twodisc dvd or bluray for those unaware, let me explain the concept of richard mathesons book to. 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. The movie really draws you in and effects you at a deep emotional level. I am legends alternate ending explained in the theatrical cut of i am legend, nevilles house is stormed by the vampires, right as he finally discovers a cure for their condition. I am legend does contain memorable scenes, as when the island is being evacuated, and when neville says goodbye to his wife and daughter salli richardson and willow smith, and when he confides in his dog who is not computergenerated, most of the time, anyway. Thus, in the final line of the book which also serves as the books title, neville accepts that he is a monster. The successes and failures in adapting i am legend film. The movie i am legend directed by francis lawrence is dystopian movie. There are stretches when he literally talks to himself, and hes. I am legend is not a supernatural romance, yet it is not a gorefest vampire carnage novel either. This version of i am legend is the third movie adaptation of mathesons novel. This aside, it is a fairly good movie with post apocalyptic themes and a storyline that will keep you interested for the 96 minutes duration.

I really liked that one, and i wrongly assumed that since they had used the original title from the book that both movies were based on, that it stayed closer to the original source material. 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 postapocalyptic action thriller. 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. Differences between i am legend book vs movie page 1. I am legend 2007 is an american postapocalyptic science fiction horror film directed by francis lawrence and starring will smith.