The year is 1977. Robert Neville, warehouse worker and family man, is doing his best to stay alive. See, he’s the last man on Earth. His survival is a must and each day he learns more and more about who or what killed the human race.
The year is 2012 and Dr. Robert Neville is the last man on Earth. See, just three years earlier doctors found a cure for cancer…but there were side effects. A virus spread rapidly and adapted even more quickly than expected. Soon it was airborne. The renowned scientist is looking for a cure every day, but it may be too late. He hasn’t seen another human face in so long that his mind is starting to crack.
The stories sound the same, but really they couldn’t be more different. The first is a quick rundown of the set-up for the 1954 book by Richard Matheson that the movie is based on. The second description is the plot for the 2007 movie “based” on that book.
I went into the movie trying to separate the two. I knew that the book, a 160 page ball of fire and brimstone, was one of my all-time favorites. The movie trailers gave just enough away for me to see how different the re-envisioning would be. So, I tried to look at the film as a completely different work. But that was much easier said than done.
The book is about an every-man; a blue collar worker trying to get answers for what happened, praying that he is not really the only man left on Earth. But he’s pretty sure that he is. Each day he gathers more and more information, often times putting his own life at risk to discover these things. And with each thing he learns, he adapts.
The movie version takes a much more scientific approach, making the lead character an accomplished professional with some involvement with the virus before it ever spreads. Most of these things are shown via flashbacks. The new way isn’t bad and it frees up a lot of Neville’s time. However, it causes the story to feel more forced and makes some of the later scientific developments a little more convenient than they needed to be.
There are several major differences that for the sake of the movie I will stay mum on. However, I will point out one since many of you reading this will have seen the previews by now.
In the book, Neville, being completely alone, struggles with his sanity and begs for anyone or anything to talk to. In the middle of the story a dog emerges one day, but is scared to death of Neville. Matheson spends page after page showing Neville doing anything that he can to connect to the dog and form that bond. It is a huge turning point in the story. With the movie version the dog, Sam, is a family pet. It was probably a necessary evil to have the dog already in place because it opens up the opportunity for dialogue. However, the impact of having that contact for the first time in years is lost. One of the biggest emotional impacts in the story has been erased.
I tried my best not to nip-pick the movie. And it had its own merits. Will Smith is once again at the top of his game. Ladies even had the chance to oooh and ahhhh during a shirtless work-out scene. The action is brisk and the scares come in droves, although many of them are cheap “bump in the night” type scares. Fun, nevertheless.
Where the movie really deserves to be dogged however is in the CG department. The FX were down right horrid and some of them looked so fake that the audience actually laughed out loud numerous times. It became distracting and certainly took away from the impact of the story.
Lastly, I have to discuss the ending of the movie. They re-shot the final few scenes just a couple of months ago. I understand why they did it. But I urge you to read the book. It took me less than two hours and it was worth every minute. I assure you, when you turn to that final page and read the last two paragraphs your jaw will drop and a chill will crawl over your skin. And that brilliant ending is nowhere to be found at the theatre.
If you just can’t bring yourself to actually sit down and read the book, don’t worry. After you’ve seen the movie, let me know and I will spoil the book for you. And you will understand how the movie should have been called something, anything, every thing other than I Am Legend.
Movie Grade: 5 out of 10
The year is 2012 and Dr. Robert Neville is the last man on Earth. See, just three years earlier doctors found a cure for cancer…but there were side effects. A virus spread rapidly and adapted even more quickly than expected. Soon it was airborne. The renowned scientist is looking for a cure every day, but it may be too late. He hasn’t seen another human face in so long that his mind is starting to crack.
The stories sound the same, but really they couldn’t be more different. The first is a quick rundown of the set-up for the 1954 book by Richard Matheson that the movie is based on. The second description is the plot for the 2007 movie “based” on that book.
I went into the movie trying to separate the two. I knew that the book, a 160 page ball of fire and brimstone, was one of my all-time favorites. The movie trailers gave just enough away for me to see how different the re-envisioning would be. So, I tried to look at the film as a completely different work. But that was much easier said than done.
The book is about an every-man; a blue collar worker trying to get answers for what happened, praying that he is not really the only man left on Earth. But he’s pretty sure that he is. Each day he gathers more and more information, often times putting his own life at risk to discover these things. And with each thing he learns, he adapts.
The movie version takes a much more scientific approach, making the lead character an accomplished professional with some involvement with the virus before it ever spreads. Most of these things are shown via flashbacks. The new way isn’t bad and it frees up a lot of Neville’s time. However, it causes the story to feel more forced and makes some of the later scientific developments a little more convenient than they needed to be.
There are several major differences that for the sake of the movie I will stay mum on. However, I will point out one since many of you reading this will have seen the previews by now.
In the book, Neville, being completely alone, struggles with his sanity and begs for anyone or anything to talk to. In the middle of the story a dog emerges one day, but is scared to death of Neville. Matheson spends page after page showing Neville doing anything that he can to connect to the dog and form that bond. It is a huge turning point in the story. With the movie version the dog, Sam, is a family pet. It was probably a necessary evil to have the dog already in place because it opens up the opportunity for dialogue. However, the impact of having that contact for the first time in years is lost. One of the biggest emotional impacts in the story has been erased.
I tried my best not to nip-pick the movie. And it had its own merits. Will Smith is once again at the top of his game. Ladies even had the chance to oooh and ahhhh during a shirtless work-out scene. The action is brisk and the scares come in droves, although many of them are cheap “bump in the night” type scares. Fun, nevertheless.
Where the movie really deserves to be dogged however is in the CG department. The FX were down right horrid and some of them looked so fake that the audience actually laughed out loud numerous times. It became distracting and certainly took away from the impact of the story.
Lastly, I have to discuss the ending of the movie. They re-shot the final few scenes just a couple of months ago. I understand why they did it. But I urge you to read the book. It took me less than two hours and it was worth every minute. I assure you, when you turn to that final page and read the last two paragraphs your jaw will drop and a chill will crawl over your skin. And that brilliant ending is nowhere to be found at the theatre.
If you just can’t bring yourself to actually sit down and read the book, don’t worry. After you’ve seen the movie, let me know and I will spoil the book for you. And you will understand how the movie should have been called something, anything, every thing other than I Am Legend.
Movie Grade: 5 out of 10
1 comment:
Looking forward to seeing it this weekend. I will try to pick the book up since its a mere 160 some odd pages.
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