I Am Legend Discussion

[Pirate]

I finally got to see this through the magic of Blu-ray. I hated the intrusive now-is-the-time-to-be-sad score, and some of the "dark seeker" FX were weak, but, overall, I enjoyed the film way more than I expected. BUT! The ending almost killed the film for me. And the "controversial" alternate ending is even worse. There’s so much good in the film, so many solid moments. Since it seems to disregard most of the source material, they really could’ve taken it in a different direction and created something unique. There were just so many possibilities with Neville’s isolation, his growing loneliness/insanity, etc.

If I were to break into Akiva Goldsman's house (no, I’m not going to kill him and write "bat nipples" in blood on his wall), I would have whispered this possible ending into his ear while he slept.

Spoiler (Highlight or Triple Click to Read):

Although I didn’t like the arrival of Anna and that kid, it would have been interesting to have Neville kill or capture them both. Either out of some psychological complex from being "the last man" or perhaps for some scientific reason (i.e., watch the virus work from start to finish up close). Such a bleak ending would have been far more satisfactory given the mood of this film.

Or something like that. As it stands, though, I don’t think I’ll be buying the disc. I’m still on the fence as to whether or not it deserves the benefit of the doubt. Why do I smell focus groups?

Okay, back to sleep Akiva.

[DavidCantu]

I agree with you. I watched the "Alternate Ending" version and it spoiled the whole movie for me. Actually, once the woman and the kid show up, that kinda killed it for me.

I was expecting it to be more of an "Omega Man" type of movie than what it truly is--nothing more than a "Resident Evil" ripoff. I didn't care for the 'monsters' (they do look fake and they don't speak as they do in the previous movies).

This movie could have been 30 minutes longer, the "monsters" could have been more "human" and the woman/kid thing should have never have happened. I was also expecting more in the "video store" sequences, sort of like what happened in the clothing store in "Omega Man" but it never did.

And,

Spoiler (Highlight or Triple Click to Read):

Did they really have to kill off the pooch?

Originally Posted by Pirate

***Spoilers***

I finally got to see this through the magic of Blu-ray. I hated the intrusive now-is-the-time-to-be-sad score, and some of the "dark seeker" FX were weak, but, overall, I enjoyed the film way more than I expected. BUT! The ending almost killed the film for me. And the "controversial" alternate ending is even worse. There’s so much good in the film, so many solid moments. Since it seems to disregard most of the source material, they really could’ve taken it in a different direction and created something unique. There were just so many possibilities with Neville’s isolation, his growing loneliness/insanity, etc.

If I were to break into Akiva Goldsman's house (no, I’m not going to kill him and write "bat nipples" in blood on his wall), I would have whispered this possible ending into his ear while he slept.

Spoiler (Highlight or Triple Click to Read):

Or something like that. As it stands, though, I don’t think I’ll be buying the disc. I’m still on the fence as to whether or not it deserves the benefit of the doubt. Why do I smell focus groups?

Okay, back to sleep Akiva.

[esc]

Originally Posted by Pirate

***Spoilers*** [ re: Pirate's Spoiler Ending ]

great ending Pirate! I could have had it go that way too. I saw it on Blu last night and I was all pumped for the HD release so I could buy it, but now I am having second thoughts. If there had been just one more scene to get across his growing insanity, that would have been what would have sold the movie to me.

Spoiler (Highlight or Triple Click to Read):

I expected the scene with Fred or whoever the mannequin was by the taxi cab to be followed up with some explanation of how he got there and how the trap was set up. Either Neville set it all up in some delirious state, or someone else is in the city and screwing with him. If there could have been a scene in his lab where it is obvious that he put a syringe down beside him, then the camera pans up to show him looking into a microscope, then he reaches to grab the syringe that he just put down and its not there... He does a quick check around him and its on the lab table behind him... obviously not where he just placed it. He could have many different reactions to this, from checking the whole room to make sure there is no one in there with him, to blaming the dog, but it could show that he is losing it. Just one more little scene like that would have made the movie for me.

I hated the new happy ending. The theatrical ending works for me as it explains the title "I AM LEGEND". If things had gone the way of Pirate's ending it would have been great too. He blames himself for the infection throughout the film, he keeps saying "I'm going to fix this", "Let me fix this", it could have gone REALLY dark and twilight zone-y when he totally loses it and becomes obsessed with "fixing things"

[plissken99]

Originally Posted by esc

great ending Pirate! I could have had it go that way too. I saw it on Blu last night and I was all pumped for the HD release so I could buy it, but now I am having second thoughts. If there had been just one more scene to get across his growing insanity, that would have been what would have sold the movie to me.

Spoiler (Highlight or Triple Click to Read):

I hated the new happy ending. The theatrical ending works for me as it explains the title "I AM LEGEND". If things had gone the way of Pirate's ending it would have been great too. He blames himself for the infection throughout the film, he keeps saying "I'm going to fix this", "Let me fix this", it could have gone REALLY dark and twilight zone-y when he totally loses it and becomes obsessed with "fixing things"

Spoiler (Highlight or Triple Click to Read):

The monsters set the trap for him, vengeance for taking the female. I thought it was obvious as the second the sun is almost down, the head monster is just inside the hole waiting with his dogs.

I haven't yet watched the new version(tonight), but I'm kinda looking forward to a happier ending. When I saw this(on bootleg, but hey I bought it), I wasn't expecting something so heavy.

Spoiler (Highlight or Triple Click to Read):

And between the death of the pooch(which I consider the biggest tradgedy in the movie, as I much prefer K-9 company to human) and then him, I was left... completley depressed lol. I have nothing against a downer ending, but I guess need to be expecting it, and just wasn't in a Will Smith movie.

On the overall note, I really enjoyed this movie. Yes the dark seekers FX is kinda lame, but most of the movie is about Neville's losing touch with reality, and that aspect worked really well.

[Pirate]

Originally Posted by esc

The theatrical ending works for me as it explains the title "I AM LEGEND". If things had gone the way of Pirate's ending it would have been great too. He blames himself for the infection throughout the film, he keeps saying "I'm going to fix this", "Let me fix this", it could have gone REALLY dark and twilight zone-y when he totally loses it and becomes obsessed with "fixing things"

And then the title would have been more than just a circumstantial idea. It would have been a delusional self-made prophecy—which, in my opinion, would’ve made for a much more interesting film.

And, on a side note, why do all modern vampires/zombies/monsters have to have rubber jaws and newly formed vocal cords? Can't these things use their inside voices?

[Pirate]

While I agree with you, Pliss, that the film does have some emotionally taxing moments--Sam's death was awful-- but I have to disagree that the film's original ending was a downer. The film cuddles us, not allowing the narrative to truly stray into the dark. The nonsense with the butterfly, the hope of the survivor camp, etc., all directly opposes the mood of the film, in my opinion. And this sappy, hope-infused ending successfully undoes the lead-up mechanics. Why does there have to be hope? Why do we have to see God's plan? Why does Neville need to "listen"?

Take 28 Days Later as an example. The film had hope at the end, but you're still left wondering about the future and how it will play out. I didn't feel that same dread-laced hope in I Am Legend. I just felt cheated.

[plissken99]

I see where your coming from, but on the otherhand... we already have 28 Days Later. Most end of the world movies do end bleakly with little to no hope. So in turn there should also be end of the world type movies with a glimmer of hope here and there. I mean sure there'a a cure, but how do you administer it when it takes 3 days to work on someone who would constantly try to tear you apart the whole time?

[Pirate]

Originally Posted by plissken99

I see where your coming from, but on the otherhand... we already have 28 Days Later. Most end of the world movies do end bleakly with little to no hope. So in turn there should also be end of the world type movies with a glimmer of hope here and there. I mean sure there'a a cure, but how do you administer it when it takes 3 days to work on someone who would constantly try to tear you apart the whole time?

Don't get me wrong, I don't mind happy endings; I just didn't want one for this film.

Also, how did Anna and the kid get on the island? Didn't they say that the bridges and tunnels were blocked or destroyed?

[Monrozombi]

Originally Posted by Pirate

Don't get me wrong, I don't mind happy endings; I just didn't want one for this film.

Also, how did Anna and the kid get on the island? Didn't they say that the bridges and tunnels were blocked or destroyed?

In the new ending

Spoiler (Highlight or Triple Click to Read):

THey're going over the George Washington, maybe they came from that way

I just watched this today w/ Mrs. Monro and we watched with the new ending. I have to say that, to me, it just doesn't sit right with the rest of the film. After Sam is killed Neville really has nobody left and he even recklessly attempts suicide on the pier that night so his character has pretty much given up at that point.

I don't mind downer endings, they are to me, more realistic then some of these happy endings alot of films have these days. Save for a few moments of humor in the film, its not a happy film to watch at all so why force a happy ending on an otherwise depressing film?

My perfect ending to it would have been

Spoiler (Highlight or Triple Click to Read):

When Anna and Ethan arrive, they are out with Neville but are killed by the alpha male inside a darkened building. Neville fights and kills the alpha male which drags on till dusk and during the escape he is followed home by more darkseekers. The film ends with Neville held up inside his house listening to the sounds of Darkseekers trying to get in.

[Pirate]

I thought all the bridges were destroyed. Why would they destroy just a few? Me thinks this is a ginormous plot hole.

P.S. You don't have to use spoiler tags here, Monro. That's why I moved the discussion out of Software. Spoil away!

[Monrozombi]

Originally Posted by Pirate

I thought all the bridges were destroyed. Why would they destroy just a few? Me thinks this is a ginormous plot hole.

P.S. You don't have to use spoiler tags here, Monro. That's why I moved the discussion out of Software. Spoil away!

hey man I was just doing whatever one else was doing, I thought it was the cool thing to do!

I agree that the GWB being intact is a plot hole that I think they might have decided was too big to leave in w/ the happy ending.

I have never read Matheson's book but have seen and loved Vincent Price's Last Man on Earth. I haven't seen Omega Man which I believe diverts from the book even more then IAL.

I do have one question about the film, and maybe its something obvious and I wasn't paying attention:

The manequin Frank that is in front of the video store suddenly appears in front of Grand Central Station. Did Neville move him there and forget or move him in there and due to the isolation see him there as being real. Also did Neville set the trap that he fell into? I noticed on one of the new scenes he says to Anna that its his trap but they aren't smart enough to set it.

Maybe I just need to go back and rewatch that a bit

[esc]

Originally Posted by plissken99

The monsters set the trap for him, vengeance for taking the female. I thought it was obvious as the second the sun is almost down, the head monster is just inside the hole waiting with his dogs.

hrmmm.. i didn't notice that at all. maybe I was too wrapped up in Wil blowing holes in office buildings. I'll have to give the film another watch some time and look for things I missed before. I thought that it was just supposed to be one of those things that is left unexplained that an audience could take either way and you end up discussing after the film is over.

[Pirate]

The mannequin was moved and the trap was set by the mutants. Notice that the trap was set right in front of that hole that they come out of. I guess one could argue that Neville set it up there in advance, but why would he do that pre Sam's death? Also, remember that during the scene, the alpha male held the dogs back before releasing them, noting mental calculation.

[Monrozombi]

Originally Posted by Pirate

The mannequin was moved and the trap was set by the mutants. Notice that the trap was set right in front of that hole that they come out of. I guess one could argue that Neville set it up there in advance, but why would he do that pre Sam's death? Also, remember that during the scene, the alpha male held the dogs back before releasing them, noting mental calculation.

I was thinking that but I had figured Neville set the trap due to the large hole in GCS to do what he did to capture the female in the beginning of the film. I figured that either the alpha moved it or Neville did but was starting to lose his mind a little and didn't know he did.

[MrE26]

I figured the alpha moved it & set the trap. The new ending pretty much re-enforces that idea for me, showing that they aren't the mindless zombies Neville thought they were. The film would have been a lot better IMO if they'd kept that ending but not had the other survivors in there.
The film went south for me after they showed up & to show Neville decend into madness culminating in him realising that he's basically become a monster to the infected would have been far more appropriate (and a lot closer to the book from what i understand.)
Bringing the 2 survivors in & giving him hope after his darkest moment felt too safe, & just didn't fit in with first 2 acts.

[Monrozombi]

I figured after the death of Sam, what else was there for Neville to live for? Yeah he could go on and keep trying to find a cure but I think Sam helped keep his "humanity" in check and gave him someone to interact with, something real, not manequins.

Now I haven't read the book but I think that The Last Man on Earth follows the source material more closely then this film. In the Price film, the darkseekers/vamps have a conciousness and know of the man who kills them in their sleep but has also killed humans unknowningly, hence becoming a "legend" among the vamp community. I felt this movie didn't really touch on that and I think it should have. Maybe they should have shown more of Neville hunting these things down, I think we only got a glimpse of it when he's going over his map and marking off apt buildings he's gone through either raiding or going through to kill them.

The one main thing I didn't like about the new version was the throwing in there of the butterfly from Marley that just happens to coincide with the tattoo on the female seeker. I felt it was too forced considering the butterfly flying through the corn field and the alpha male "drawing" it on the glass.

[Agalloch]

Prepare for a potentially long winded post.

I'm a very big fan of the original story and have read it many times (it's pretty short). Early on with the production of this film I had really high hopes that it would stay true to the source material, though as time went on I felt that less likely. When I saw the film I was pleasantly surprised by the first 2/3rds of the movie (as it seems most people are). I, like many others, was disappointed by the original ending in IAL. The only aspect of it that was true to the story was the fact that Neville dies. And frankly, the fact they attached the hopeful ending with the woman and child finding refuge and referring to Neville as a Legend because he 'saved' mankind with his cure was a slap in the face of the title's original darkly ironic ending.

(Brief story synopsis) In the story, Neville does come in contact with a woman who appears to be human, but is actually an evolved "vampire." Neville is soon captured and tried by the evolved "vampires" and killed for his crimes (going out in the day and murdering helpless "people.") He realizes as he looks at the faces in the crowd of his execution that the people can barely look him in the eyes because they are terrified of him. He has become the boogeyman, he is what goes bump in the night (or day ) and kills them while they sleep. It is in that regard that he refers to himself as Legend, he is the last human, soon to be killed, and will only be remembered as this Legendary monster.

Now, that said. I did like the alternate ending more than the original. The main reason being that as he realizes the desire of the mutant (wanting the woman) he takes her out to him. As he looks at the wall of all the Polaroids of his "victims" he realizes what he's done. These mutants are in fact sentient and he has been experimenting and killing them. It's almost like the wall of a serial killer or some such. Closer to the book in this regard IMO. However, he lives in this ending along with the woman and child, there is no real message of hope however, just an uncertain future they are moving forward into. I was more pleased with this and the other ending.

Now...if I had my druthers and was able to make my own ending it would have been thus...since the movie introduces the woman and child, might as well keep them in it after the death of Sam, however, after him becoming more accustomed to having people back in his life, they should have been killed by the mutants, making him feel even that much more vulnerable and alone. They could keep the alternate ending, having him walk out with the woman and giving her to the mutant...at this point, after having viewed the pictures, realizing what he's done, and having lost the will to live, the mutant gives him some indication that he must go with them, not forcing him per se, but he realizes he has to pay for what he's done, have Neville go with them and have them "execute" him in some fashion. This ending, I think, would remain true to the spirit of the ending in the book. As far as being a really bleak movie / ending, yeah, it would be...but it was a pretty bleak story anyway.

As far as the scene with the trap that Neville falls into, yes, I'm pretty sure the mutants set it for him as well, displaying that they're actually sentient creatures.

Phew, I think that's the most I've written in my entire time on these boards, lol. I'll edit it later.

[reapersaurus]

Great discussion - too rare on these boards these days.

There is a lot to discuss about I Am Legend:

My wife and I both thought the movie was good for the interesting aspects it brought to screen, but for me there were multiple parts that simply did not work as shown:

1) How did the lead mutant know that if he took Fred (the mannikin), he could lead Neville into a trap?

2) If the lead mutant knew that Neville frequented the video store, why didn't he just set the trap at the video store? (my answer to this question would be that the video store wasn't as close to a shady spot as the bridge was)

3) I am so sick of stories where the lead character is knocked unconscious until (conveniently) the last 5 minutes before he'd be killed, just to manufacture a scene where the dog was killed but he wasn't. (And whoever wrote the death scene was obviously confused as to how a person would have to put down a rabid/mutant dog - you can't just overwhelm them physically and break their neck, like you could a child)

4) Characters (who should know/do better) doing STUPID stuff bother me.
* Neville not limping over to the car, thereby causing his dog to die, was ANNOYING.
He ended up limping to the car later on (and using the leg much more in the fight).
* But why did he have the leg wound in the first place? Because he was too stupid to grab the rope BEFORE he cut himself down.
He was a military man, and the movie suggested he was competent in a fight.
Why did he seem so incompetent in that scene, and the spooky dark tenement scene?
* For that matter, he had an automatic assault rifle - and he never even bagged one deer, with all the clear shots they showed onscreen? His failed marksmanship was why his dog followed the deer into that dark building, BTW.

5) He was around the mutants for 3 years, and successfully was able to outguess them and know how they think/react to stay alive while every other person (half a million?) was unsuccessful in surviving.
Yet he couldn't tell what was blatantly obvious in the scene where he bagged the female mutant? The dude was obviously pissed that he'd taken the girl. Neville wrote this down as there being no human behavior whatsoever left in the mutants. That seems like a spectacularly bad diagnosis, from the most expert in a field I can imagine (living amongst the subjects for 3+ years in mortal danger, having a huge motivation to classify their behavior properly, etc).

6) Worst glaring oversight/mistake -
what they showed at the end of the scene in Neville's car before he blacked out was the lead mutant getting pulled violently from the cab while bright lights shone. WRONG.
Since it was just the gal and he son, this turned out to be impossible.
Further, the mutants were not slowed down by an entire array of specialized UV lights - the next night it took them a couple seconds to dismantle all of them. So how did the gal have enough light to make them stop their attack on Neville the night before?
(Possible answer - they were SO organized, it was ALL in a subtle/tricky attempt to follow Neville to his home to find the female mutant.
Yeah - RIGHT. )

7) What were the mutants eating the past couple years?

8) I agree that the introduction of the uninfected woman and her son (and by extension the walled-in human population) was jarring, questionable, and seemed like a ham-fisted way to ram their happy-ending 3rd act down a bleak hard-edged sci-fi film's throat.

9) Seriously - Neville did NOTHING to cause the female mutant to finally be cured.
The movie may as well have written a deus-ex-machina and gift-wrapped it to Neville and plopped it on the table right as they'd written the plot into a corner (retreating to the basement lab). If they'd had Neville do SOMEthing to finally get the cure - some leap of logic/deduction, etc. As I remember, the last treatment they showed Neville perform was to re-infect the female, after an unsuccessful test of the "Serum C-6a".

10) Any alternate ending that includes sentient mutants would HAVE to be prestaged by more scenes showing anything but mindless hunger/destruction.
One trap sprung by one lead mutant does not then lead to a scene where they can communicate and parlay with Neville.
Heck, if we assume that the lead mutant (and thus the captured female) were more "evolved" mutants (unsupported by the film BTW) then it begs the question - why would the female have been captured? It would have been any one of the number of less-"smart" mutants that would have been drawn to the blood bag trap.

[Pirate]

I was going to go through and answer some of these questions, but, the fact of the matter is the film isn’t very clever and is a terrible adaptation (if you can even call it that) of the book. So, why bother? Just go buy the book, read it, and then shed a single tear for it’ll probably be 10 years before we see another adaptation.

[plissken99]

I'll respond as I have some free time.

1. Maybe you guys try to read too much into this stuff, but I would guess that the mutant was only hoping his trap would work. I would also guess he chose Fred as he smelled Neville on it.

2. Already answered probably.

3. Yup.

4. Yes this entire scene is annoying. How he couldn't muster the strenght to limp is unknown. He couldn't have grabbed the rope, hanging unconcious like that for hours would leave anyone a bit stiff. He just barely got the blade on the rope, let alone his other hand.

5. As evidenced later when the woman and child show up and his almost violent reaction to a survivor colony, I would guess he was in a strong state of denial about alot of things. One of those(understandably) would be a refusal to attribute any sense of humanity to the mutants.

6. I thought the mutant was moving his ass, not being pulled. And yeah I'll give you this scene, probably so do the filmmakers, which is why it all becomes very fuzzy when those lights come on.

7. Deer once the human supply ran out, see the spooky early scene.

8. I do and don't.

9. ... I'd have to see it again. But it seems the theatrical version made more sense somehow.

10. That scene, in addition to the male obviously being pissed at the loss of his female earlier, which Neville dismissed, is evidence that there is at least an understanding between the mutants. I think Neville was expecting to be eaten personally.

[reapersaurus]

Originally Posted by Pirate

I was going to go through and answer some of these questions, but, the fact of the matter is the film isn’t very clever and is a terrible adaptation (if you can even call it that) of the book. So, why bother? Just go buy the book, read it, and then shed a single tear for it’ll probably be 10 years before we see another adaptation.

Because I, for one, would find your take on my observations of the film interesting.

I agree that he should/could have been more freaked out by the mom and son's appearance into his world. Heck, from what spoliers I've avoided all these years about the story, for some reason I was assuming those 2 were aliens (?! boy was I wrong in remembering what people had been alluding to with this old story) and told my wife not to necessarily believe what Neville was seeing at the breakfast table.

I think the one man being alone (insane?) with everyone else dead angle was more interesting cinematically than him actually being gifted with a cure for the (unseen and unknown to that point) last stragglers of humanity.

[Pirate]

Originally Posted by reapersaurus

Because I, for one, would find your take on my observations of the film interesting.

I didn’t necessarily disagree with you on anything. I had some answers to the questions put forth, but none of them make the film any more intelligent.

I’m not a book is always better kinda guy, but, in this case, the film is so far removed from the intent of the story and so watered-down from the book's original impact, I have a hard time even harboring my original lukewarm feelings towards it.