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. Although the creatures depicted in the outbreak are technically vampires, mathesons original work is considered by many science fiction and horror fans to be the impetus for the modern zombie horror genre entire, introducing many of its core themes well before night of the living dead. 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. Yes, seven years later another film, the omega man, with charlton heston, was made from the book, but. Directed by francis lawrence, it is the third movie based on richard mathesons science fiction novel of. I am legend is a million seller club 18 korean edition and a great selection of related books, art and collectibles available now at.
To his horror, he finds vampires assembled outsideand when they see his car, they run toward him. I am legend is a 2007 american postapocalyptic thriller film based on the 1954 novel of the same name by richard matheson. I am meant to be writing a blog about how i am legend, by the late. Stokers 1897 gothic horror novel tells the story of the evil count dracula, a vampire who sucks the. 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 am legend is the story i bought the book for, and it doesnt disappoint its much, much better than the movie, more thinky, more intriguing in its twists and turns, and ultimately creepier and scarier. I remember enjoying the movie the omega man with charlton heston when i was young. Dec 30, 2014 adapted from acclaimed author richard mathesons influential novelette of the same name, constantine director francis lawrences i am legend follows the last man on earth as he struggles to. 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. The first adaptation is the movies last man on earth in 1964, and the second is the movie the omega man in 1971. Now for a topic thats neither divisive nor prone to eliciting irrational anger and awkward discomfort. I am legend is a 1954 postapocalyptic horror novel by american writer richard matheson. I am legend 1010 movie clip alternate ending 2007 hd. 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.
Yes, its based on the book of the same name, i am legend. This version of i am legend is the third movie adaptation of mathesons novel. Vampire story with a mix of horror and science fiction. I am legend is arguably the greatest short horror novel ever written, and its influence on the horror genre has been profound. There are two camps when it comes to discussing the issue of race in mathesons book. Nov 29, 2007 yes, its based on the book of the same name, i am legend. 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. Nov 20, 2015 based on a true story, legend follows the tale of reginald reggie kray and his twin brother, ronald ronnie kray both portrayed by all around great guy tom hardy. If, like this writer, you already own a wellthumbed paperback of i am legend, this deluxe edition is a worthy upgrade.
Stokers 1897 gothic horror novel tells the story of the evil count dracula, a vampire who sucks the blood of his victims. The thing is, i am legend isnt supposed to refer to him being a legend for the remaining humans, as the final cut shows, but rather to him being a legend to the darkseeker, being the monster that haunts their nightmares. I am legends biggest change from the book broke the movie. 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. We see manhattan three years after a deadly virus has killed every healthy human on the island, except one.
The novel was a success and was adapted into the films the last man on earth 1964, the omega man 1971, and i am. There are 3 movies that i know of that are based on this book. I am legend and millions of other books are available for instant access. I am legend novel, a 1954 novel by richard matheson. The man behind the best ever vampire novel was a major inspiration to. Later remade as a 2nd movie with will smith minor cover creasing. Despite the books popularity in hollywood, neither those first two adaptations nor this most recent one have been completely faithful to. He was named a grand master of horror by the world horror convention, and received the bram stoker award for lifetime achievement. The novel i am legend 1954, written by american author richard matheson, was adapted for the movie by screenwriters akiva goldsman and mark protosevich. The streets are overgrown with weeds, cars are abandoned, the infrastructure is beginning to collapse. Robert neville, a sole survivor of the pandemic who is attempting to use science better understand the creatures it has created and perhaps even find a cure. Is the movie i am legend based on a book yahoo answers. It was written by john william corrington and joyce corrington, based on the 1954 novel i am legend by the american writer richard matheson. The first says, man, its just a badass vampire book.
Or perhaps the film simply doesnt have the same nuances as the richard matheson book on which its based. Every other man, woman, and child has become a vampire. It was also an inspiration behind night of the living dead. Film omega man with charlton heston, based on the classic novel i am legend. One novella, i am legend, followed by 10 short stories. Richard matheson 192620 was the new york times bestselling author of i am legend, hell house, somewhere in time, the incredible shrinking man, now you see it, and what dreams may come, among others. The i am legend novel community note includes chapterbychapter summary and analysis, character list, theme list, historical context, author biography and quizzes written by community members like you. Oct 30, 2007 i am legend is very short, not novel length, only 159 pages long, out of the 312 pages in the book. I am legend by richard matheson 1954 for some reason, author richard mathesons classic scifihorror novel i am legend is a magnet for loose adaptations. I am legend author richard matheson was himself a real legend. Its as if the screenwriters or director, or producer ran out of ways to wrap it up. Jan 14, 2007 will smith plays the survivor of a deadly pandemic in i am legend. Both present the spectator with a differentalternative ending, far from what happen in the actual book. Will smith plays the survivor of a deadly pandemic in i am legend.
Directed by francis lawrence, it is the third movie based on richard mathesons science fiction novel of the same name. The two earlier films are the last man on earth 1964 and the omega man 1971. Is there an i am legend movie that actually preserves. Another adaptation, i am omega 2007, was released direct to dvd.
Neville drives his car into the vampires, crushing them. Choose from 500 different sets of am legend book flashcards on quizlet. But actually both of those movies were based on a dark, angry book called i am legend, published in 1954 by richard matheson. Published on mar 25, 2015 this video looks at the long and strange history of the richard matheson novel i am legend and the three film adaptations it spawned. Stephen king and many other of todays masters rank this book highly in their personal top ten lists of favorites. Blending aspects of horror within a science fiction setting, the book is based in the relative future of 1976 but apart from. Though many changes were made from the original novel, the protagonist remains the same.
Fastforward to current day when i read the book i am legend which the movie was based on. Is there an i am legend movie that actually preserves the. Learn am legend book with free interactive flashcards. I am legend read online free from your pc or mobile. The 2007 film was partially based on the 1971 film as well as the original source novel. The novel was a success and was adapted into the films the last man on earth, the omega man, and i am legend. The book has inspired at least two other films, the last man on earth starring vincent price and the omega man starring charlton heston. 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. We believe every one of us deserves equal access to factbased news and. The rest of the book is a collection of short horror stories and not very good ones either. Find summaries for every chapter, including a i am legend chapter summary chart to help you understand the book. Ben cortman runs up to the side of the car, and neville presses his foot to the pedal, only to realize that the car is stalled.
Had the i am legend movie portrayed the darkseekers more like the vampires of the book, this would have been a much easier idea for audiences to go along with. Both were okay the book is much better and im looking forward to this newest version. While using the title of richard mathesons novel suggested that it would be a more faithful adaptation than previous versions 1964s the last man on earth and 1971s the omega man changing the creatures completely altered the. The films producer, walter seltzer, went on to work with heston again in the dystopian sciencefiction film soylent green in 1973. Mar 25, 2015 this feature is not available right now.
But i went into reading i am legend knowing the ending, knowing the twist. The story stops annoyingly suddenly, as if the rest of it has been missed off. Richard mathesons 1954 novel i am legend, though not a massive success when first published, grew over time to be an influential piece of. The opposite is true, actually, because i am legend is mathesons condemnation of a white power structure that facilitated racial subjugation in america in the first place. Directed by francis lawrence, the film stars will smith as us army virologist robert neville. Although the creatures depicted in the outbreak are technically vampires, mathesons original work is considered by many science fiction and horror fans to be the impetus for the modern zombie horror genre entire, introducing many of its core themes well before. When i say that richard mathesons 1954 classic scifi vampire apocalypse novel i am legend given the vampire novel of the century award. 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. Ive seen two other film versions of the book, the last man on earth starring vincent price and the omega man starring charlton heston. Adapted from acclaimed author richard mathesons influential novelette of the same name, constantine director francis lawrences i am legend follows the last man on earth as he struggles to. Aug 04, 2016 then came the movie i am legend with will smith. The books characters realization of their perspective is the whole point of the book. I am legend film, the 2007 film based on the 1954 novel.
The successes and failures in adapting i am legend film inquiry. If he had been more analytical, he might have calculated the approximate time of their arrival. I am legend is a 1954 postapocalyptic horror novel by american writer richard matheson that. I am legend is based on the novel of the same name by richard matheson, which was published in 1954. It was influential in the development of the zombievampire genre and in popularizing the concept of a worldwide apocalypse due to disease. One more thing, when i saw the movie i thought wow, the infected people are kind of vampiric. I am legend isnt a remake of omega man, but it borrows liberally and obviously from the earlier movie, almost as much as it borrows from the novella its supposedly based. 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. Still, you cant fault i am legend for trying to be different from the typical action thriller. Even though its unlikely that nevilles car would stall at the exact moment when cortman tries to grab his chest, or that it would cough into life at the exact moment when neville punches cortman, or that cortman would be able to reach inside the car, all three events create a. Directed by francis lawrence, it is the third movie based on richard mathesons science fiction novel.
The 2007 film was partially based on the 1971 film as well. To ask other readers questions about i am legend, please sign up. 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 in this postapocalyptic action thriller. I am legend dystopian science fiction movie description. Based on a true story, legend follows the tale of reginald reggie kray and his twin brother, ronald ronnie kray both portrayed by all around great guy tom hardy. Robert neville is an average, casually but not completely racist white american. This article is about the 2007 movie i am legend based on the book by the same name, written by richard matheson. I am legend is based on a 1954 richard matheson scifi novel of the same name. An excellent collection of mathesons short works, including the novella i am legend. As a vampire novel, the touchstone for am legend is, without a doubt, bram stokers dracula a novel which matheson mentions more than once over the course of the book. I am legend study guide from litcharts the creators of. Ive seen two other film versions of the book, the last man on earth starring. With will smith, alice braga, charlie tahan, salli richardsonwhitfield.
The book is well written with i liked this book a great deal and with all books where i see the movie first i liked the book better. I am legend is very short, not novel length, only 159 pages long, out of the 312 pages in the book. In i am legend, a plague has decimated the world, and those unfortunate enough to survive are transformed into bloodthirsty creatures of the night. May 03, 2018 if, like this writer, you already own a wellthumbed paperback of i am legend, this deluxe edition is a worthy upgrade. This is an especially cinematic passage, reflecting mathesons training as a hollywood screenwriter. Is there any movie based on the i am legend novel by richard matheson that shares the same ending to the book. I am legend, the movie released in 2007, is the third adaptation of richard mathesons novel of the same name.
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