I assume you are referring to the 2007 film starring will smith and the controversial original ending special feature on the dvd release. The book ends with june and day together, running from the law and. I am legend is a 2007 american postapocalyptic action thriller film based on the 1954 novel of the same name by richard matheson. Ending spoiler for i am legend 2007, plus mistakes, quotes, trivia and more. I am legend is a 1954 postapocalyptic horror novel by american writer richard matheson that. Dec 20, 2007 the ending in the book is completly diffrent the movie because they are diffrent stories. The ending was lame and the monsters were so unnecessary. Will smith making i am legend sequel despite grenade. This includes an oblique reference to a particularly relevant and powerful. I think its just a collection of short stories with the headliner being the most famous. It was influential in the development of the zombievampire genre and in popularizing the concept of a worldwide apocalypse due to disease. Neville sacrificed himself for humanity and that because of his cure humanity was able to rebuild, establishing his legend. In the end, he confirms that he is the last man of his race, and at his death, he will be a legend, as vampires are now.
It is not made clear on the front of the book, or anywhere that this is a collection of short stories, not a novel. Robert neville is a scientist who is unable to stop the spread of the horrifying virus that is fatal, incurable, and manmade. I am lege nd is a 1954 postapocalyptic horror novel by america n writer richard mathes on. The 1971 movie, the omega man stars charlton heston and actually, its not all that good. All the completely insane ideas hollywood dreamed up for i am legend 2. I am legend a oneman american metaphor on the surface, the scifi blockbuster is about will smith battling an army of lightphobic zombies. 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. In legend, the first of a trilogy, both of the main characters are definitely famousthough for very different reasons. 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. I loved the basic story just not its execution in the movie.
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. Richard mathesons classic novel of fear and vampirism is soon to be a major motion picture starring will smith. Everything wrong with i am legend in 12 minutes or less duration. Richard matheson 192620 richard matheson was born in 1926. They believe him to be a mass murderer, a serial killer of their people. I am legend is based on the book i am legend by richard matheson. All these books, he thought, the residue of a planets intellect, the scrapings of futile minds, the leftovers, the potpourri of artifacts that had no power to save men from perishing. This alternate ending to i am legend is imho far superior to the abrupt version in the theatrical release, and fits in better with something that happens in the film about midway through. January, 1976 i am legend opens with robert neville inspecting his house on a cloudy day. Differences between i am legend book vs movie page 2.
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. 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. Plot summary for i am legend 2007, plus mistakes, quotes, trivia and more. Film column i did on the source material and the four films loosely inspired by it. For june and day everything is pretty much a lifeordeath matter, so theyre always on the lookout or running from something. 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 film version faithfully adapts parts of the book, but i am legends. Apr 03, 2012 i am legend is named vampire novel of the century. 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.
Both present the spectator with a differentalternative ending, far from what happen in the actual book. I am legend author richard matheson was himself a real. Get an answer for what happens in the end of the book, monster. But if you have only seen that will smith movie that went 180 degrees on the books message, the soulcrushing.
Were considering expanding this synopsis into a fulllength study guide to deepen your comprehension of the book and why its important. The novel version of i am legend is better then the motion picture because the information slowly leaks out about nevilles past, present, and specifics about the vampires. Hes a legend, but for the wrong reasonsin line with richard mathesons book, he. Dark continent works as neither an alien movie nor.
He researches their symptoms as if they are vampires. 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. First i saw will smith blow up the joint with the zombies then i saw one where the male zombie picked his gf, kissed will smith and went away. I am legend is named vampire novel of the century books. He began publishing sf with his short story born of man and woman which appeared in the magazine of fantasy and science fiction in 1950. Robert neville finds himself alone after a hideous mutation turns humans into vampires. I am legend was published in 1954 and has been adapted to film three times. Were the creatures in i am legend zombies or vampires.
But npr movie critic bob mondello says that the film. As such, it switches from courtroom mode to flashback mode to personal venting mode. If you take the controversial alternate ending which is similar to the book the monsters end up being intelligent and storm will smiths lab to rescue the. These leaps can get confusing, but dont worryit never gets all james joyce on you. Immediately download the i am legend summary, chapterbychapter analysis, book notes, essays, quotes, character descriptions, lesson plans, and more everything you need for studying or teaching i am legend. The movie took all the intelligence out and just made it about the action. But after finding my old copy on the shelf downstairs, ive. Richard mathesons i am legend has been made into several movies, including the recent will smith movie, and the.
Is there an i am legend movie that actually preserves the. I am legend changed the vampires of the novel to the mindless. In the book nevellie is given pills so he doesnt feel pain when executed by the infected who are fighting the infection to understand more go to read the plot and it. I am legend is brilliant commentary and society and human relationships and, really, the very definition of humanity. In the book, i believe they were vampires, and the movie portays them as a kind of. Its entirely plausible that neville simply forgot that he placed fred there in the first place. 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. I am legend summary from litcharts the creators of.
Need help with chapter 21 in richard mathesons i am legend. The streets are overgrown with weeds, cars are abandoned, the infrastructure is beginning to collapse. Thus, the novel concludes with nevilles final thoughts before his execution in the colonys prison. So i just finished i am legend by richard matheson. I am legend novel simple english wikipedia, the free. An unrelated film tiein was released in 2007 as a oneshot i am legend. Blogger adam katz sent me the link because of the book vs. Directed by francis lawrence, the film stars will smith as us army virologist robert neville.
I am legend has been adapted into a featurelength film three times, as well as into a directtovideo feature film called i am omega. Aug 04, 2016 i am legend is a classic horror story. 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. Every night, he barricades himself inside his house and keeps the vampire horde at. 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. Is there an i am legend movie that actually preserves. All the completely insane ideas hollywood dreamed up for i. The reason we hiked monster up to base camp is because of the carazy creep factor of life in jail mixed with courtroom drama. The controversial original ending where neville finds out that the infected are, in fact, organised, b. Any idea how fred did get there in the first place. The infected people attack nevilles lab and he hands over the infected female hes been working on to the leader a. I am legend is a 1954 horror novel by american writer richard matheson.
All the completely insane ideas hollywood dreamed up. Alice krippin emma thompson explained in a television. After their deaths, the worlds human beings rise from the grave and become vampires. Spoilers as he swallows the pill, all of these monsters staring and he laughs to himself saying i am legend. Jun 25, 20 i am meant to be writing a blog about how i am legend, by the late, immensely great, richard matheson, is the king of vampire novels.
I am legend and other stories quotes showing of 32 after a while, though, even the deepest sorrow faltered, even the most penetrating despair lost its scalpel edge. Check out our revolutionary sidebyside summary and analysis. Richard mathesons i am legend graphic novel niles, steve, brown, elman on. However, she realizes that he must be executed for the betterment of her people. But nevilles request has an interesting double meaning. It was adapted to a movie as the last man on earth in 1964, as the omega man in 1971, and as i am legend in 2007. 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. Monstrosity in mathesons i am legend and lawrences film. I am legend summary from litcharts the creators of sparknotes. 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. Sep 06, 2012 last night i finished reading i am legend. He just cant seem to keep the images from swirling in his head, but the questions that haunt him are even worse.
We see manhattan three years after a deadly virus has killed every healthy human on the island, except one. Will smith making i am legend sequel despite grenade mishap. Differing from the book, each of them portrays the neville character as an accomplished scientist. Theres lessons to be learned about mob behavior and respect for minorities. I am legend isnt particularly long either, hardly even novel length.
I am legend 1010 movie clip alternate ending 2007 hd. Alternate i am legend ending is far superior screen rant. Film is a column comparing books to the film adaptations. I am legend is about a zombielike horde wiping out much of. The year is 1976one year after a deadly plague sweeps the world, killing virtually all human beings. Influencing great modern horror writers like stephen king, its one that will stick with you. Whats the difference between i am legend the book and i am legend the movie. The story is very much darker and deeper than the will smith film of the same name. She then states in a voice over that neville sacrificed himself for humanity and that because of his cure humanity was able to rebuild, establishing his legend. Why has no movie version of i am legend dared to keep the original ending. I am legends original ending this is amazing firstshowing. Dont forget, this is a man who has been living by himself for who knows how long essentially trying to fool himself into thinking things are still normal by playing video of morning programs, as if we were watching the normal morning shows, and although he had a regular routine, he could very. I discovered this book in a roundabout way i saw the movie version of it first.
The books characters realization of their perspective is the whole point of the book. Inside, neville retrieves a hammer and some nails, and walks outside to finish fortifying the house. It helped the development of the zombie genre and in popularizing the idea of a worldwide apocalypse due to disease. This alternate ending to i am legend is imho far superior to the abrupt version in the theatrical release, and fits in better with something that happens in the film about midway through at one point in the movie when will smiths character took the lead zombies mate away from them, the zombie reacted with extreme rage, indicating that there was some vestige of humanity left in. There is an alternate, original ending in which smith does surviveforming an uneasy truce with the cgi freaks, he lives to go on a road tripbut that was only released as a deleted scene on home video, so it would require some explaining before it could be. Need help with chapter 1 in richard mathesons i am legend. You may have a collection of stories that happens to include i am legend. Every night, he barricades himself inside his house and keeps the vampire horde at bay.
All the completely insane ideas hollywood dreamed up for i am. Is there any movie based on the i am legend novel by richard matheson that shares the same ending to the book. Nevilles has been the neverending, all consuming fear and drive for survival against these creatures. In the book nevellie is given pills so he doesnt feel pain when executed by the infected who are fighting the infection to understand more go to read the plot and it will explain the whole book. Right, i just saw i am legend, and dont get the end. Due to this, the new colony of infected sent ruth to investigate neville and possibly convert him. This summary of i am legend includes a complete plot overview spoilers included. Though he has lost his fear of the vampires, these are afraid of him and want him dead. I though the book was effectively i am legend and other short stories by richard matheeson. 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. Neville is a tall, athletic man, thirtysix years old. The inside of neville s house is entirely functionaljust a bed and some tools. The ending in the book is completly diffrent the movie because they are diffrent stories. We could have literally made the book, which i would have been.
I still remember the exact moment i started and finished this book nearly 10 years ago. He stood there for a moment looking around the silent room, shaking his head slowly. I am meant to be writing a blog about how i am legend, by the late, immensely great, richard matheson, is the king of vampire novels. While i have tried to avoid any obvious spoilers, the below delves to some extent into parts of the i am legend plot and is therefore inherently spoilery. What did the healing zombie in the basement have to do with it. I am legend author richard matheson was himself a real legend. I was sitting shotgun while my father drove us home from a vacation in michigan. Will smiths 2007 box office hit i am legend had an ending that divided. Its a 1950s era book when the zombies as we know them today didnt even exist. I am legend and other stories quotes by richard matheson. I am legends biggest change from the book broke the movie. In the book they are basically vampires, he uses mirrors, crosses, garlic, stakes and the like to ward them off. Matheson goes to great lengths to rationalize or naturalize the vampire myth, transplanting the monster from the otherworldly realms 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.