In the original i am legend ending, robert neville discovers that he had captured the significant other of one of the vampires leaders. 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. By analyzing three adaptations of the same book, its clear that the most faithful, and strongest, adaptation is the last man on earth. 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. He relieves her of the cure and returns her to the hemocytes. How i am legends ending is different in the book screen rant. I am legends alternate ending wrapped things up way better.
Spoilers its not a bad movie, and it does have a certain charm. Mathesons source material had done with its own overall plot. 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. 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. Now for a topic thats neither divisive nor prone to eliciting irrational anger and awkward discomfort. I think its just a collection of short stories with the headliner being the most famous. I am legend 1010 movie clip alternate ending 2007 hd.
There are two camps when it comes to discussing the issue of race in mathesons book. This has made him a mythical figure much like the vampires themselves once were. The theatrical ending of i am legend has neville telling anna and ethan that. He then realizes that his attempts to cure the monsters looked less like medical. Whats the difference between i am legend the book and i am legend the movie. I am legends book ending is different to both versions of the movie, but skews closer to the controversial alternate ending of the film.
I am legend is about a zombielike horde wiping out much of humanity, but its confusing ending becomes clear if you. 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. I still remember the exact moment i started and finished this book nearly 10 years ago. The novel was a success and was adapted into the films the last man on earth 1964, the omega man 1971, and i am. I am legend is brilliant commentary and society and human relationships and, really, the very definition of humanity. Thus, in the final line of the book which also serves as the books title, neville accepts that he is a monster. It retains the bleak tone, the cortman adversary and the books central themes. 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. Enter your location to see which movie theaters are playing i am legend near you. Youtube has the ending of the movie i am legend, as it was originally planned. Constantine director francis lawrences i am legend follows the last man on earth as he struggles to survive while fending off the. Day lives with his friend tess in the poor lake sector.
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 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. 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. So i just finished i am legend by richard matheson. Film column i did on the source material and the four films loosely inspired by it. I am legend is very short, not novel length, only 159 pages long, out of the 312 pages in the book.
Richard mathesons i am legend has been made into several movies, including the. Dec 14, 2017 i am legend ending explained by ricky derisz dec. Close to the ending of the book, robert clearly changes his though process. Created by genetically altering measles, the krippin virus seemed like a miracle cure. I though the book was effectively i am legend and other short stories by richard matheeson.
I am legend is a 2007 american postapocalyptic thriller film based on the 1954 novel of the same name by richard matheson. 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. Aug 04, 2016 i am legend is a classic horror story. The movie took all the intelligence out and just made it about the action. Dec 30, 2014 i am legend 1010 movie clip alternate ending 2007 hd. Throughout the novel, hes operated under the assumption that humans are right. Also sign me up for fanmail to get updates on all things movies. Hes a legend, but for the wrong reasonsin line with richard mathesons book, he is an entity the. Oct 30, 2007 i am legend is very short, not novel length, only 159 pages long, out of the 312 pages in the book. The most wanted criminal in this society is fifteenyearold day, a homeless boy who steals to survive and to help the poor, and undermines the republics war effort against the colonies through vandalism. This is the book that, to my mind, created the modern vampirezombie genre of horror.
I am legends alternate ending wrapped things up way. Yesterday, some intrepid soul posted an alternate i am legend ending to youtube. What did the healing zombie in the basement have to do with it. You may have a collection of stories that happens to include i am legend.
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 their sleep. The books characters realization of their perspective is the whole point of the book. I am legend isnt particularly long either, hardly even novel length. He stalks the earth during the day and kills the vampires as they sleep. 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. The novel i am legend 1954, written by american author richard matheson, was adapted for the movie by screenwriters akiva goldsman and mark protosevich. I was sitting shotgun while my father drove us home from a vacation in michigan. If he had been more analytical, he might have calculated the approximate time of their arrival. It was influential in the development of the zombievampire genre and in popularizing the concept of a worldwide apocalypse due to disease. In legend, the first of a trilogy, both of the main characters are definitely famousthough for very different reasons. Set after an outbreak of a viral plague that turns both living and dead into creatures resembling vampires, the plot follows last of his kind robert neville. Ending spoiler for i am legend 2007, plus mistakes, quotes, trivia and more. As they head to vermont in the hopes of finding that survivors colony.
Differences between i am legend book vs movie page 1. 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. Its as if the screenwriters or director, or producer ran out of ways to wrap it up. The stakes dont have to penetrate the heart, contrary to legend. I am legend originally had an ending closer to the books, but that was changed after negative reactions from test audiences. Film column i did on the source material and the four films. 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. Theres lessons to be learned about mob behavior and respect for minorities. Furthermore, the final line suggests that human societyof which neville was the last representativeis now fading into the past. Its a full, polished ending, with complete special effects intact, so i m assuming it was ripped from the special features on the imminent dvd. 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 stops annoyingly suddenly, as if the rest of it has been missed off. Neville discovers his dog after humanity has been wiped out.
Description of the scene in case theres some reason you cantwont watch the video and i dont know how long it will still be there. 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. The rest of the book is a collection of short horror stories and not very good ones either. Still, you cant fault i am legend for trying to be different from the typical action thriller. Why does robert conclude that i am legend at the ending of the book.
Twodisc dvd or bluray for those unaware, let me explain the concept of richard mathesons book to. The ending to the alternate theatrical version varies from the original ending. To optimize your experience with your screen reading software, please use our website, which has the same tickets as our and websites. Published in 1954, acclaimed author richard mathesons novel i am legend is one of the most highly regarded works of apocalyptic fiction to date.
The ending of the film was also altered to portray neville as sacrificing his life to save humanity, rather than being. I am legend 2007 alternate ending as discussed by first showing and film, the alternate ending for i am legend is a better representation of the source material. Sep 06, 2012 last night i finished reading i am legend. The two earlier films are the last man on earth 1964 and the omega man 1971. I am legend is a 1954 postapocalyptic horror novel by american writer richard matheson that. Blogger adam katz sent me the link because of the book vs. The successes and failures in adapting i am legend film. 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. At the end of the story, he realizes that, as the only human left in a world of vampires, he is now the monster. But i went into reading i am legend knowing the ending, knowing the twist.
The character has the same name in both the book and the movie. An immune survivor, neville spends his days hunting vampires, scavenging and struggling with loneliness, and the nights being taunted by undead vampires that keep swarming outside his house. Rather than glass cracking in the form of a butterfly, the darkseeker alpha wipes his own blood onto the glass in the shape of a butterfly. 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.
Apr 01, 2020 i am legends controversial ending sees neville, anna and ethan still alive and leaving new york city together. 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. The 2007 film was partially based on the 1971 film as well as the original source. As a result, major, specific spoilers for both versions abound, often including dissection of how they end.
I am legends biggest change from the book broke the movie. Richard mathesons i am legend has been made into several movies, including the recent will smith movie, and the. 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. As such, its no surprise that the book has been adapted for the big screen, in this case three. 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. Neville then turns to the darkseeker test subject on his table, the one hes cured. In an alternate ending of i am legend, some themes and the storys trajectory are drastically changed. 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, other than. 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. As the final lethargy engulfs him, he thinks, i am legend. I am legends controversial ending sees neville, anna and ethan still alive and leaving new york city together.
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