All great points, but I'd like to add one. The ending of the book gives the story its' title and meaning. When the vampires capture Neville, he realizes that, to them, he is the monster that hunts and kills them when they sleep. They've developed a new society and he is the legend they all fear when they are at their most vulnerable. The roles have been reversed, and they aren't hunting him out of bloodlust or hunger but as a matter of self-defense.
In the original ending for Will Smith version they brought this point up. He looks over the dozens if not, hundreds of photos of these monsters mutilated, And it clicks together. He is legend
@@williammcdonough4701 I didn't know about the alternate ending, that would have been better, I think. I guess the producers preferred the more optimistic ending.
The ending ruined I Am Legend for me. I forget if I read the book or not, but I had definitely seen both Last Man on Earth and Omega Man, so I was biased, but I'd probably have favored Last Man on Earth regardless.
@@brentoutashape9141 The original ending was better, aleast for me. Either test audiences didn't like or didn't understand the ending so they changed it. They never make it to the survivor compound and will smith lives. They end the film with will smith saving the infected alpha's mate and the alpha roaring at him (in anger and fear) but let him and the others live. The ending is ambiguous on weather or not they make it or if they are the last humans on earth. but one thing for sure is that he was the true monster all along. You can fing the origal ending online, that ending is more avalible now. The book was still the best version of this story.
Okay here is an obscure fact. Arnold Schwarzenegger wanted to do a version of this story. Problems kept coming up and by the time it was ready to film the movie rights had lapsed. Since he had to film something or lose money, He decided to changed the story significantly but still used scenes from the book which he liked . That movie was made and released it was called "end of Days".
I looooooove Vincent Price's version. Considering 90% of his films are him being creepy gothic aristocrat, it's probably one of the most human, relatable performances in his career.
@@ThorstenWieking Will Smith is great, but crappy CGI monsters can take me right out of a film. "the "darkseekers" sucked balls. They should have just used vampires or zombies and let the sunset fill you with dread instead of trying to animate pixels to scare us.
@@brentoutashape9141 that was some of the worst CGI I've ever seen ... and even having Mike Patton voice the monsters couldn't save it for me. Meh. I actually called my friend, who'd lent me the DVD, immediately after seeing the film and commanded him to remove it from my apartment. LMOE & Omegaman defecate on this film from an astounding height, if you ask me ...
I love The Last Man on Earth for two reasons: First, it was shot in Rome, which is the place where I grew up and it will always have a special place in my heart. Second, it’s the only film that gets the point of Robert being a legend. In the final twist he turns out to be the villain and the actual monster of the new society.
Rome was kind of the perfect backdrop for the Vincent Price film - I'd forgotten that was Rome, I always assumed it was supposed to be set in Canada for some reason, but whatever the case, it looked like an unearthly city, like nowhere in America, or anywhere, and the perfect match for the weird Gothic imagery in the film of the strings of Garlic, Morgan's black hearse full of stakes and other vampire-hunting tools, the wrought-iron fencing and grave stones and mausoleums silhouetted eerily against a setting sun: I can't think of a better place for an ill-fated vampire apocalypse and the decline and fall of a doomed protagonist to play out!
He has a few moments where you see it affecting him, like falling-out with his chess partner, talking to mannequins, having a little melt-down about the imagined sound of a phone ringing, and having seen "Woodstock" far too many times despite it not being a film that the Neville character (an army guy) would watch - but, yes, he also sees the positives, like his freedom to take any car he likes, floor it recklessly down the streets, shoot at stuff, etc.
@@karljenkinson3143In this particular case I have to disagree. A psychologist friend of mine introduced me to the term “smiling depression”, a colloquialization of a condition in which a depressed person puts on a false happy front to keep from recognizing their situation while displaying the occasional crack in the facade. That’s what Heston’s performance looks like to me. “I’m free from the constraints of society, I’m free from having friends and family and a society to live in…” Whether it was intentional or not is arguable but that’s the effect.
And this reviewer completely missed the scene where Heston loses his cool and throws a glass at the window and screams at the family - "why the hell can't you just leave me alone?"...
I thought it was an interesting choice for the 2007 adaptation to use the book's title, while altering the third act to such a degree as to render that title meaningless.
I would agree but considering his sacrifice in the third act and giving his blood to Anna to be used as a cure is what allows him to still be a legend of sorts. It's the alternate ending that would've made it meaningless
@@Spider_Variant96 So instead of discovering that he's the monster in a new society (which he at least KIND OF discovers in the original ending), in the theatrical ending, he does standard hero crap, and that makes him a legend, huh? 🥱
I enjoyed I am legend. The title being worked into the movie has been done so many times. It's not like that would have been unique or made the movie more enjoyable.
@@jamesoblivion I'm not saying it was good - I actually prefer the deleted ending - but it is very funny and very silly of you if you don't think curing a world-ending viral infection would make someone legendary.
The Omega Man was one of my favorite movies growing up, they used to play it all the time on AMC and I'd always watch it. I think that Neville is kinda past depression and on the verge on insanity, the phone ringing, his interaction with Ceasar, his rituals. His loneliness is on display in how he interacts with Lisa, even when she has a gun on him, he drops his self-preservation out of excitement. I think it's a bit different in his case too, because " the family" can speak and interact, he knows his enemy in Mathias and if he was in as lonely a place as Will was in I Am Legend he probably would have risked talking to them.
Heston made three insanely great dystopian hard SF - and insanely un-Heston - movies just before and just after 1970: Planet of the Apes (1968), The Omega Man (1971) and Soylent Green (1973). Why he agreed to star in them no one will probably ever know. But I'm very glad he did! All three are absolute classics.
@@scockery I remember now - thanks! Not a completely terrible movie, but that bit - between Heston and his bargain bucket doppelganger (no disrespect to Mr Fransiscus intended) - did seem quite odd I recall!
Makes sense that The Last Man is the closest; Robert Matheson helped write the script. And yet hates the movie so much that he didn’t want his name in it
I recently listened to it (literally only 6 hours) and was blown away how much is taken just from that book alone in other “zombie” media. Basing it in science, the rules, the survival techniques etc. are all things that were recycled for ideas 50 years later. It’s actually insane how much it set the standard for. Also I just love it. (I just clicked on the video so you may have already expressed this but still)
In many ways, George Romero's 1968 film "Night of The Living Dead" could be looked at as an unofficial adaptation of I Am Legend. People often credit Romero for creating the Zombie genre.But the true creator of modern survival horror has to be Richard Matheson with Legend.
Many of Richard Matheson's short stories are classics. He wrote for The Twilight Zone, and he just has such a talent for horror and twist endings. He was such a prolific horror writer, and there is a trilogy of his short stories available on Amazon.
I saw Vincent Price's version before I read the book. I remember vividly reading through the book years later and going "hey... Wait a minute... I've seen this somewhere"
Having to pick one of the three is almost like a personality test. I'd never really considered it but I love how cheesy Charlton Heston's version is and how he somehow delivers a great performance while surrounded by cheese
@@imfsresidentotaku9699 "Cheesy" is an extremely over-used word that I think is often simply used by persons to describe productions values that pre-date both themselves and their own aesthetic taste.
@@JoseyWales44s Maybe that's true when it's being used by today's youth, but as someone who grew up in the 1970s, I can tell you that the 70s and 80s were chock full of cheese. However, I find that to be the major reason those decades have such a charm. If they didn't have the level of cheesiness that they did, they wouldn't be as memorable as they are. I lived through those decades, and absolutely love the cheesiness that many people roll their eyes at. Hell, I loved that cheesiness when it was happening. Of course, I also still listen to Disco music... so there's that, I guess.
The Heston version has that awesome Ron Grainer soundtrack, though. I barely remember anything from the scores to the other versions, but Ron Grainer is the guy who composed the music for "The Prisoner" (the Patrick McGoohan TV series from 4 years before it) and "The Omega Man" soundtrack is in a very similar space, which really adds something for me.
He could've moved and left the albinos behind but chose to stay. He said he wanted to be left alone, but it's arguable that the conflict with them was all he had left until he meets the others. Then he tells them it's because he's stubborn. They'll take my town house keys FROM MY COLD DEAD HANDS!
Charlton heston and vincent price were amazing actors they both loved to try different roles outside thier box. Heston also loved doing and supporting independent cinema.
The Vincent Price one is great, but the Omega Man is just perfect, it's like concentrated 1970. Great music, the colors are insane, and the infected people look the grooviest.
I think you are wrong; I feel Charlton Heston’s character does suffer from loneliness. This is why he is playing chess and talking a to bronze bust of a guy. When he was driving, it could have been a front for looking for others and trying to keep his mind busy. I think he's most the loneliest of them all. He just knows how to in his mind hide it. He does remind me of Austin Powers with that green velvet jacket and ruffled shirt.
The Omega Man has the mutants basically as a religious cult gone mad because of their condition and end of the world. It has the smartest written antagonists. And that’s how you get flashbacks, the cult leader was a news anchor, so you get snippets through those.
I believe Will Smith's scene in 'I Am Legend', where he's quoting 'Shrek' is a reference to the 'Woodstock' scene in 'The Omega Man'. They've each watched the movie so many times, they can't help but quote it, like a young child would. Also, did you know that the Woodstock scene in 'The Omega Man' was allegedly the inspiration for the show 'Mystery Science Theater 3000'?
The Last Man on Earth version is the only the that actually really follows the book. It's also the only one that got the "I am Legend" part of the title correct.
@@V3RAC1TY But that ending does not make the point the title made in the book -- if your going to get rid of the meaning of the title, then give the movie a different name.
@@RobollieG Exactly. This kinda sums up my feelings towards Stanley Kubrick's "The Shining". Technically, a terrific movie. But has little to do with the source material. To the point Stephen King produced and wrote a three-part TV miniseries which was much, much closer to his book. If Kubrick had titled his film "Overlook" (or some variation), I wouldn't have so much animus towards it.
You're very correct. When Neville gets in the elevator and pushes the button, we get a flashback of a conflict that turns into biological warfare. Later, we get another that introduces Mathias, and shows Neville's helicopter crash and immunization. It's worrying that this guy completely missed it and mischaracterizes Neville as a happy-go-lucky survivor. He showed Will Smith's encounter with a mannequin, but somehow missed a similar scene with Heston.
Boy, I really thought I would turn this off before the end when I found it randomly, but your presentation was mesmerizing, insightful, and just plain fun. Thanks!
Odd how Cortman tends to be left out. The flashback reveal of his identity in the book, when he hops in the car with Neville to carpool to work, was one of my favorite parts.
I like to think that each movie is perfect for the time that they were released and each actor brought something unique to their respective versions. Vincent Price helped express the sheer loneliness of the character. Charlton Heston helped to see the actual horror of the post apocalyptic world. And Will Smith...ummm. He had that cute dog; but you better keep her name out of your mouth.
The only thing worth going the distance for these days is a good laugh : ) I only watch Ytube to get to the comments, tickle my funny bone and reaffirm my belief in human nature ; ) good job guys
I didn't know about these other adaptations, thank you. Everything of this video, your narration, and your presentation was also spectacular. Thank you
You missed the point on Onega Man. He is clearly a troubled soul. Just because he keeps himself together and doesn't over emote or overtly self destruct doesn't mean. he's happy. He clearly goes over and over to watch Woodstook - the only place he can see other actual human beings - and even lingers too long at the film and almost gets caught out in the dark.
I was born in 87, but i grew up on the Omega Man. Im lucky that i grew up under two parents who loved film and showed me everything. I even have friends who are a few years older than me, and they have never watched any classic movies
@@nathanlevesque7812id argue no, they are definitely not zombies. They are closer to vampires. They are hurt by light, only come out at night and are intelligent. Zombies CAN be intelligent, but usually act on instinct and eat flesh.
Another similarity between Vincent Price's character and Will Smith's, is the scene where they are nursing the infected dog. From memory, Price sings "everything is going to be alright" to the dog, which is the same as Smith singing Bob Marley's song to HIS dog. 🤔
I'm a fan of Richard Matheson. He was such a talented and prolific writer. Also best known for his scripts written for Rod Serling's The Twilight Zone and Night Gallery. Many became regarded as classic episodes. Listening to this, I wanted to add that you have a good vocal quality. Good for podcasting, narration, and voiceovers.
10:00 To be fair, I believe the book presents the idea of the 'vampires' fear of crosses and such as more of a psychological holdover from their human days, with it being more of a case of the sickness resembling mythological vampirism and some of those affected thinking they are vampires because of that.
Really appreciate that thank you. I cannot stand the way a lot of modern YT feels. I wanna keep the feeling of the glory days of just some dude in his room sharing thoughts.
Last Man on Earth made a real impression on me... the flashbacks with dump trucks dumping bodies into mass graves full of burning gasoline... you didn't see stuff like that in old black and white horror movies, where most of the visuals were fantastical or supernatural and you knew it was fake, but the plague looked like something that could actually happen and it freaked me out
If you look real close when watching The Omega Man,you can see that when Colonel Neville is leaving his research lab with the cure, that there is smoke from what could be mass graves burning bodies. Its interesting that the downfall of civilization flashbacks in The Omega Man didn't really show us the desperate measures being taken to stop the outbreak,but rather left that to TV/radio broadcasts.
Just a small ponit but I am pretty certain that in the omega man Heston is freaked out by a load of phones that start ringing, when he knows they can't be.
Heston's version must have been married, more than once, and lived with an over bearing mother in-law 😂. But seriously Mr Price and Mr Heston are two of my favorite actors. I will always see Hestons face when I think of Moses and John the Baptist crying in the wilderness. I believe he was born to play those roles.
Re: 07:56, I'd disagree about Neville's depression in "Omega Man". He's not as demonstrative as in the Price or Smith versions, but it is affecting him. There's his constant talking to himself, just to hear another voice. The way he watches "Woodstock" over and over, just to see a big crowd of happy people. And the moments when he gets more edgy, like hearing the payphones ringing or shouting at the taunting Family to shut up. And, when not out hunting the Family, he's seen drinking lot. It's all there, but Heston doesn't fully cut loose with it. He's more tightly focused on survival.
And re: 09:55, he does flash back to the past. It's not about his family (he doesn't have one in this version), but, in the elevator, he flashes back to how the Russia/China war started, the release of the bacilli, and the mass death. He also flashes back to Matthias' gradual on-screen breakdown, his own frustration at not being able to do more, and his self-injection of the vaccine. I'm surprised you missed that sequence.
I liked this but the dog will smith had was a female. Her name was Sam. Also, thanks for this, I’m going to have to look up the other films and read the book.
One of the great things about The Omega Man is the music -- One of the all time best movies scores; I can't even remember the music from the other two movies!
In his recent Hot Ones episode, Will Smith said the dog was the smaertest he's ever seen; it was like he understood English and would get things you asked for. The dog was also a great actor. In the choking scene, the dog literally went limp on command.
In the Will Smith movie, there was a commentary that explains the dark seekers are not zombies, nor are they vampires. They were infected people who simply mutated.
The last man on Earth is the best movie because it kind of gets the point. The film that literally created the zombie genre as George Romero was inspired by it. I Am Legend is a mainstream movie and really doesn't have the Thematic complexity. Becoming the monster of a new Society is a lot more interesting. Last man on Earth has the darker tone where as I believe I Am Legend tries to manipulate you emotionally. We have films about the beginning of the apocalypse and those are the main three Living Dead movies. Of course, last man on earth is about the end of mankind.
The last man on earth the one that had vampires in it inspired the zombie genre whereas I Am Legend was actually copying the zombie trend. Killing the dog in films has become cliche so I Am Legend is actually more of a time capsule of the period. Also Vincent Price is great. Also the CGI looks terrible.
Nice video. Thanks. You flashed a table in at 0:55 that had a conspicuous error. Neville’s diet may have included *steak* made from beef, but the monsters were killed with a *stake* made of wood. I’d stake my reputation on that - I’d even buy you a steak if I got that wrong.
In The Last Man on Earth, as in the book, Robert Neville finally realises that he is the villain of the story - that HE is the monster. That doesn't happen in The Omega Man or in I Am Legend. Personally, I think this is THE most important plot point
Of the three adaptations the Omega Man is the most rad. 😎 Also I think it would make a great double feature with Night of the Comet (1984) which is another post-apocalyptic film where people find themselves to be ostensibly the last humans on earth and kind party and "live it up" a bit in their newly found world where they can have any consumer good they want.
Well shoot I always thought I am Legend was originally a graphic novel. I read the graphic novel before the Will Smith movie came out so that was my first introduction to it. And the graphic novel seems about as accurate as it gets since they are actual vampires in that as well.
Good run-through. Thanks. I own all three films and the book. I rotate through them depending on my mood. But Last Man is the only one that really gave me chills when I saw it for the first time. When his dead wife shows up at his house and calls to him... made my skin crawl.
i enjoy The Omega Man most out of the three. Nevil does show some signs of the stress with the auditory hallucinations at the beginning of the movie. and in the scene where he is seen watching Woodtstock and it looks like its not the first time he has done so shows he does miss the old world. the family do show signs that the sun is a problem for them admittedly not as much as its would be for vampires
I saw a different version of Omega Man; Heston ran acting rings around the histrionics of Price and Smith. He showed him attempting to cling to his sanity, sardonically and without fireworks.
I've watched them all. Its Hestons all the way for me but I believe its a different film altogether. It still has so much for me and I listen to the soundtrack often.
I would suggest that the reason I Am Legend doesn't get so many adaptations is that George Romero's 1968 film Night Of the Living Dead was pretty much an unofficial adaptation of Legend that created the Zombie outbreak sub genre of survival horror. People have been pretty much adapting NotLD (including Romero himself with his Dead sequels) for 50 years.
I agreed with pretty much everything you detailed in this video until the point when you elected the 2007 version as "the best" - comparing films from 1964 , 1971 and 2007 is problematic considering production values and capabilities available to studios during their respective time. Anytime you are going to decide what "is best" when it comes to adaptations of books to film you really have to base that entirely on how faithful that adaptation is to the original source material. The entire premise of the story was "nobody thinks they are the bad guy" and the only film that actually played up that aspect was "The Last Man on Earth" because Morgan (Neville) was viewed by the new world order as a monster due to his crusade against the vampires. I still enjoyed your process with this.
How could you not mention the ending? This is the most important aspect of the story and why it is called I am Legend - and is why Will Smith’s version was terrible.
@@josueSierra27what? It does not care about the source materials ending. Will smiths version lives in its own bland universe where we have a Jesus ending. Are you autistic?
Great video thanks for making. I was born in 1972 and the Omega Man was huge for me and my buddies we used to watch that all the time on VHS in the mid 80s and that is my favourite of the 3, but of course it is by no means perfect. I love the book and I quite like all 3 movies tbh, but I also think the definitive version is yet to be made tbh.
1. The last man on earth 2. The omega man 3. I am legend (doesn't hold a candle to the others) You also couldn't be more wrong regarding Heston's mental health as Neville. There are several scenes showing his loneliness and isolation.
Slight correction for the spread of the virus in the book: Neville mentions that there had been a limited nuclear exchange in recent history, which he speculates vaporized one or more of the original vampires and spread the virus around the world with the fallout.
I think Charleton Heston version of losing his mind is the manly. He’s talking to statues, debating about dressing formally like he’s a 1700s duke, etc. it is the weakest, but it’s the most masculine. And his gleefulness, he literally laughs at the idea of being a murderer at one point.
whoops but whatever 🙃 it's funny how you can spend so much time making something then the only thing people will focus on is that i got the sex of the dog wrong
Want More? Check out Part 2! ua-cam.com/video/rUL15dTp1gU/v-deo.htmlsi=qeOFvinMyDdj7RtH
All great points, but I'd like to add one. The ending of the book gives the story its' title and meaning. When the vampires capture Neville, he realizes that, to them, he is the monster that hunts and kills them when they sleep. They've developed a new society and he is the legend they all fear when they are at their most vulnerable. The roles have been reversed, and they aren't hunting him out of bloodlust or hunger but as a matter of self-defense.
In the original ending for Will Smith version they brought this point up. He looks over the dozens if not, hundreds of photos of these monsters mutilated, And it clicks together. He is legend
@@williammcdonough4701 I didn't know about the alternate ending, that would have been better, I think. I guess the producers preferred the more optimistic ending.
The ending ruined I Am Legend for me. I forget if I read the book or not, but I had definitely seen both Last Man on Earth and Omega Man, so I was biased, but I'd probably have favored Last Man on Earth regardless.
@@timewave02012 I hate to be this guy, but...the book was better. Richard Mattheson is also responsible for "What Dreams May Come."
@@brentoutashape9141 The original ending was better, aleast for me. Either test audiences didn't like or didn't understand the ending so they changed it. They never make it to the survivor compound and will smith lives.
They end the film with will smith saving the infected alpha's mate and the alpha roaring at him (in anger and fear) but let him and the others live. The ending is ambiguous on weather or not they make it or if they are the last humans on earth. but one thing for sure is that he was the true monster all along.
You can fing the origal ending online, that ending is more avalible now. The book was still the best version of this story.
Okay here is an obscure fact. Arnold Schwarzenegger wanted to do a version of this story. Problems kept coming up and by the time it was ready to film the movie rights had lapsed. Since he had to film something or lose money, He decided to changed the story significantly but still used scenes from the book which he liked . That movie was made and released it was called "end of Days".
Had no idea, kinda makes sense. Could have been great with that atmosphere.
Huh, I'm guessing he really liked the religious aspects / ending of the book.
Imagine how awesome and ironic it would have been if Michael Biehn had played the villain!
@@judsongaiden9878 Always a great choice! He always brings the painful humanity in any character.
@@tmm4461 It's weird to think that he's played more villains than Arnie.
I looooooove Vincent Price's version. Considering 90% of his films are him being creepy gothic aristocrat, it's probably one of the most human, relatable performances in his career.
100%
Watched it a few months(?) ago. Not as "entertaining" as the Will Smith version, but way more.... relateable in some way. Less guns, more lonelyness.
@@ThorstenWieking Will Smith is great, but crappy CGI monsters can take me right out of a film. "the "darkseekers" sucked balls. They should have just used vampires or zombies and let the sunset fill you with dread instead of trying to animate pixels to scare us.
Very true.
@@brentoutashape9141 that was some of the worst CGI I've ever seen ... and even having Mike Patton voice the monsters couldn't save it for me. Meh. I actually called my friend, who'd lent me the DVD, immediately after seeing the film and commanded him to remove it from my apartment. LMOE & Omegaman defecate on this film from an astounding height, if you ask me ...
I love The Last Man on Earth for two reasons:
First, it was shot in Rome, which is the place where I grew up and it will always have a special place in my heart.
Second, it’s the only film that gets the point of Robert being a legend. In the final twist he turns out to be the villain and the actual monster of the new society.
I'm interested in seeing this movie with Vincent Price after watching this video
Omega Man touched on this as well.
The original ending of I Am Legend had this as well but I guess it doesn't really count.
I envy you-to grow up in Rome,the capital of Italy,a country that has fascinated me for many years,that sounds wonderful.
Rome was kind of the perfect backdrop for the Vincent Price film - I'd forgotten that was Rome, I always assumed it was supposed to be set in Canada for some reason, but whatever the case, it looked like an unearthly city, like nowhere in America, or anywhere, and the perfect match for the weird Gothic imagery in the film of the strings of Garlic, Morgan's black hearse full of stakes and other vampire-hunting tools, the wrought-iron fencing and grave stones and mausoleums silhouetted eerily against a setting sun: I can't think of a better place for an ill-fated vampire apocalypse and the decline and fall of a doomed protagonist to play out!
i love how literally in all the other adaptations robert is sad as hell but in the omega man hes just chilling
He has a few moments where you see it affecting him, like falling-out with his chess partner, talking to mannequins, having a little melt-down about the imagined sound of a phone ringing, and having seen "Woodstock" far too many times despite it not being a film that the Neville character (an army guy) would watch - but, yes, he also sees the positives, like his freedom to take any car he likes, floor it recklessly down the streets, shoot at stuff, etc.
Heston's complete inability to act may have impacted here....
@@karljenkinson3143In this particular case I have to disagree.
A psychologist friend of mine introduced me to the term “smiling depression”, a colloquialization of a condition in which a depressed person puts on a false happy front to keep from recognizing their situation while displaying the occasional crack in the facade. That’s what Heston’s performance looks like to me. “I’m free from the constraints of society, I’m free from having friends and family and a society to live in…”
Whether it was intentional or not is arguable but that’s the effect.
And this reviewer completely missed the scene where Heston loses his cool and throws a glass at the window and screams at the family - "why the hell can't you just leave me alone?"...
@@blatherskite3009 Yes this reviewer completely missed all sorts of examples of Heston's character breaking down.
I thought it was an interesting choice for the 2007 adaptation to use the book's title, while altering the third act to such a degree as to render that title meaningless.
I would agree but considering his sacrifice in the third act and giving his blood to Anna to be used as a cure is what allows him to still be a legend of sorts. It's the alternate ending that would've made it meaningless
@@Spider_Variant96 So instead of discovering that he's the monster in a new society (which he at least KIND OF discovers in the original ending), in the theatrical ending, he does standard hero crap, and that makes him a legend, huh? 🥱
I enjoyed I am legend. The title being worked into the movie has been done so many times. It's not like that would have been unique or made the movie more enjoyable.
@@jamesoblivion I'm not saying it was good - I actually prefer the deleted ending - but it is very funny and very silly of you if you don't think curing a world-ending viral infection would make someone legendary.
@@jamesobliviontechnically no. I was told the part 2 is coming and they’re using the first alternative ending from that movie
The Omega Man was one of my favorite movies growing up, they used to play it all the time on AMC and I'd always watch it. I think that Neville is kinda past depression and on the verge on insanity, the phone ringing, his interaction with Ceasar, his rituals. His loneliness is on display in how he interacts with Lisa, even when she has a gun on him, he drops his self-preservation out of excitement. I think it's a bit different in his case too, because " the family" can speak and interact, he knows his enemy in Mathias and if he was in as lonely a place as Will was in I Am Legend he probably would have risked talking to them.
Heston made three insanely great dystopian hard SF - and insanely un-Heston - movies just before and just after 1970: Planet of the Apes (1968), The Omega Man (1971) and Soylent Green (1973). Why he agreed to star in them no one will probably ever know. But I'm very glad he did! All three are absolute classics.
No love for Beneath the Planet of the Apes...which Heston hated but I like it.
@@scockery And he was only in for a minimal amount of time.
@@scockery Was that the one with the nuke - and fake Charlton Heston?
@@Ingens_Scherz Yes, and...James Franciscus was the star with Heston having kind of having a long cameo, mostly at the end.
@@scockery I remember now - thanks! Not a completely terrible movie, but that bit - between Heston and his bargain bucket doppelganger (no disrespect to Mr Fransiscus intended) - did seem quite odd I recall!
Heston in a jogging suit with a sub machine gun is money.
Quite true.
Raw swagger
The Austin powers groovy suit was fire as well
"That wasn't his character, the cameraman just started following him around"
@@Treblaine That's funny and I can imagine it being true
Makes sense that The Last Man is the closest; Robert Matheson helped write the script. And yet hates the movie so much that he didn’t want his name in it
*- Richard Matheson.
Script to screen are never the same
Strange and sad.
Has he stated specifically why he hates it?
Why are so many authors like that?
I like to think in the Charlton Heston version he was fantasizing about killing dirty hippies when he went after "The Family"😂.
I support this interpretation 👍🏼
Him quoting the Woodstock movie was pretty funny with this in mind.
That sounds about right.
True, both groups were filthy, anti-social and didn't contribute anything of value.
More subtle than Once Upon A Time In Hollywood.
It's The Omega Man for me. I first saw it when I was 11 years old and its still one of my favorites to this day.
I was twelve and scared as hell. lol
I recently listened to it (literally only 6 hours) and was blown away how much is taken just from that book alone in other “zombie” media. Basing it in science, the rules, the survival techniques etc. are all things that were recycled for ideas 50 years later. It’s actually insane how much it set the standard for. Also I just love it. (I just clicked on the video so you may have already expressed this but still)
Totally agree!
In many ways, George Romero's 1968 film "Night of The Living Dead" could be looked at as an unofficial adaptation of I Am Legend.
People often credit Romero for creating the Zombie genre.But the true creator of modern survival horror has to be Richard Matheson
with Legend.
@@TheLAGopher I like this. NOTLD could be a story within the IAL universe just not Robert Neville’s story
Many of Richard Matheson's short stories are classics. He wrote for The Twilight Zone, and he just has such a talent for horror and twist endings. He was such a prolific horror writer, and there is a trilogy of his short stories available on Amazon.
I saw Vincent Price's version before I read the book. I remember vividly reading through the book years later and going "hey... Wait a minute... I've seen this somewhere"
Having to pick one of the three is almost like a personality test. I'd never really considered it but I love how cheesy Charlton Heston's version is and how he somehow delivers a great performance while surrounded by cheese
What “cheese”? Anything can be sincere given its context.
@@imfsresidentotaku9699 Even cheese can be full of holes. The Swiss knew this before anyone else. They're onto something for sure.
@@imfsresidentotaku9699 "Cheesy" is an extremely over-used word that I think is often simply used by persons to describe productions values that pre-date both themselves and their own aesthetic taste.
@@JoseyWales44s Maybe that's true when it's being used by today's youth, but as someone who grew up in the 1970s, I can tell you that the 70s and 80s were chock full of cheese. However, I find that to be the major reason those decades have such a charm. If they didn't have the level of cheesiness that they did, they wouldn't be as memorable as they are.
I lived through those decades, and absolutely love the cheesiness that many people roll their eyes at. Hell, I loved that cheesiness when it was happening. Of course, I also still listen to Disco music... so there's that, I guess.
The Heston version has that awesome Ron Grainer soundtrack, though. I barely remember anything from the scores to the other versions, but Ron Grainer is the guy who composed the music for "The Prisoner" (the Patrick McGoohan TV series from 4 years before it) and "The Omega Man" soundtrack is in a very similar space, which really adds something for me.
My head cannon for omega man was always that he completely lost it from loneliness and was living some deranged '70s Hugh Hefner fantasy.
Or goofing off is his last attempt to retain his sanity.
He could've moved and left the albinos behind but chose to stay. He said he wanted to be left alone, but it's arguable that the conflict with them was all he had left until he meets the others. Then he tells them it's because he's stubborn. They'll take my town house keys FROM MY COLD DEAD HANDS!
*canon
A cannon is what shoots projectiles. I doubt your head does that very well. :P
Any movie which uses the term "Honky paradise" wins hands down.
God I wish I lived in the 70s.
Honky paradise 😊
@@WestSideGorilla1980 Well there wasn't any internet so...
Charlton heston and vincent price were amazing actors they both loved to try different roles outside thier box. Heston also loved doing and supporting independent cinema.
Check him out on Space Ghost: Coast to Coast if you want a laugh in regards to Heston being outside of his normal box.
I have seen all 3 movies, and as far as I am concerned "The omega man" is the best movie, even though it doesn't follow the book exactly.
The Vincent Price one is great, but the Omega Man is just perfect, it's like concentrated 1970. Great music, the colors are insane, and the infected people look the grooviest.
Great breakdown. It is Omega Man for me, brother.
I think you are wrong; I feel Charlton Heston’s character does suffer from loneliness. This is why he is playing chess and talking a to bronze bust of a guy. When he was driving, it could have been a front for looking for others and trying to keep his mind busy. I think he's most the loneliest of them all. He just knows how to in his mind hide it. He does remind me of Austin Powers with that green velvet jacket and ruffled shirt.
The Omega Man has the mutants basically as a religious cult gone mad because of their condition and end of the world. It has the smartest written antagonists. And that’s how you get flashbacks, the cult leader was a news anchor, so you get snippets through those.
It's also a Manson Family reference.
I believe Will Smith's scene in 'I Am Legend', where he's quoting 'Shrek' is a reference to the 'Woodstock' scene in 'The Omega Man'. They've each watched the movie so many times, they can't help but quote it, like a young child would.
Also, did you know that the Woodstock scene in 'The Omega Man' was allegedly the inspiration for the show 'Mystery Science Theater 3000'?
The Last Man on Earth version is the only the that actually really follows the book. It's also the only one that got the "I am Legend" part of the title correct.
there is a different/original ending for the 2007 version that is better
@@V3RAC1TY But that ending does not make the point the title made in the book -- if your going to get rid of the meaning of the title, then give the movie a different name.
@@RobollieG Exactly. This kinda sums up my feelings towards Stanley Kubrick's "The Shining". Technically, a terrific movie. But has little to do with the source material. To the point Stephen King produced and wrote a three-part TV miniseries which was much, much closer to his book. If Kubrick had titled his film "Overlook" (or some variation), I wouldn't have so much animus towards it.
The book is titled I Am Legend... so no I have to disagree lol
There is an alternate ending for the Will Smith version that is not as dramatic but he realizes that he is what they fear
.
There is no place on the internet where I can’t escape a shrek reference. And my wife loves every minute of it.
The Omega Man did have flashbacks, that showed him vaccinating himself and showing his enemy as a television commentator.
Closer to our times. LOL.
You're very correct. When Neville gets in the elevator and pushes the button, we get a flashback of a conflict that turns into biological warfare. Later, we get another that introduces Mathias, and shows Neville's helicopter crash and immunization. It's worrying that this guy completely missed it and mischaracterizes Neville as a happy-go-lucky survivor. He showed Will Smith's encounter with a mannequin, but somehow missed a similar scene with Heston.
I'm still upset about them not using alternative ending for I am legend it was so much better than what we got.
The coming sequel will follow the alternate ending, making it canon.
never catched the movie on theaters but the first version I saw was actually the alternate ending
Boy, I really thought I would turn this off before the end when I found it randomly, but your presentation was mesmerizing, insightful, and just plain fun.
Thanks!
Odd how Cortman tends to be left out. The flashback reveal of his identity in the book, when he hops in the car with Neville to carpool to work, was one of my favorite parts.
I like to think that each movie is perfect for the time that they were released and each actor brought something unique to their respective versions.
Vincent Price helped express the sheer loneliness of the character.
Charlton Heston helped to see the actual horror of the post apocalyptic world.
And Will Smith...ummm. He had that cute dog; but you better keep her name out of your mouth.
This! EXACTLY!
That was a reeeeaaallly long way to go for a keep name outa your mouth joke. Way to grind my friend
The only thing worth going the distance for these days is a good laugh : )
I only watch Ytube to get to the comments, tickle my funny bone and reaffirm my belief in human nature ; ) good job guys
I didn't know about these other adaptations, thank you. Everything of this video, your narration, and your presentation was also spectacular. Thank you
You missed the point on Onega Man. He is clearly a troubled soul. Just because he keeps himself together and doesn't over emote or overtly self destruct doesn't mean. he's happy. He clearly goes over and over to watch Woodstook - the only place he can see other actual human beings - and even lingers too long at the film and almost gets caught out in the dark.
exactly, and what about the mannequin?
I was born in 87, but i grew up on the Omega Man. Im lucky that i grew up under two parents who loved film and showed me everything. I even have friends who are a few years older than me, and they have never watched any classic movies
The monsters in “I am legend” ARE vampires but they’re like a more monster type version of a vampire.
they are the basis of the modern zombie
They're called dark seekers
@@nathanlevesque7812id argue no, they are definitely not zombies. They are closer to vampires. They are hurt by light, only come out at night and are intelligent. Zombies CAN be intelligent, but usually act on instinct and eat flesh.
I see them as an amalgamation of zombies and vampires, with similarities to both, while still making them unique.
@mavrickalexander And zombies usually aren't killed by sunlight like vampires I'm not aware of any that are unless they're Zompires
Another similarity between Vincent Price's character and Will Smith's, is the scene where they are nursing the infected dog. From memory, Price sings "everything is going to be alright" to the dog, which is the same as Smith singing Bob Marley's song to HIS dog. 🤔
58:38 "Don't worry, boy. You're going to be all right. Yes, you are." ua-cam.com/video/ovXE-vdSAL4/v-deo.html
I'm a fan of Richard Matheson. He was such a talented and prolific writer. Also best known for his scripts written for Rod Serling's The Twilight Zone and Night Gallery. Many became regarded as classic episodes.
Listening to this, I wanted to add that you have a good vocal quality. Good for podcasting, narration, and voiceovers.
10:00 To be fair, I believe the book presents the idea of the 'vampires' fear of crosses and such as more of a psychological holdover from their human days, with it being more of a case of the sickness resembling mythological vampirism and some of those affected thinking they are vampires because of that.
It fails when you consider there have to be atheist vampires!
Gotta say, I absolutely love your style and format. Feels like chatting with someone about movies they like. Deff one of my favorite channels already!
Really appreciate that thank you. I cannot stand the way a lot of modern YT feels. I wanna keep the feeling of the glory days of just some dude in his room sharing thoughts.
Last Man on Earth made a real impression on me... the flashbacks with dump trucks dumping bodies into mass graves full of burning gasoline... you didn't see stuff like that in old black and white horror movies, where most of the visuals were fantastical or supernatural and you knew it was fake, but the plague looked like something that could actually happen and it freaked me out
If you look real close when watching The Omega Man,you can see that when Colonel Neville is leaving his research lab with the cure, that there
is smoke from what could be mass graves burning bodies. Its interesting that the downfall of civilization flashbacks in The Omega Man didn't
really show us the desperate measures being taken to stop the outbreak,but rather left that to TV/radio broadcasts.
Dude amazing video honestly
Just a small ponit but I am pretty certain that in the omega man Heston is freaked out by a load of phones that start ringing, when he knows they can't be.
The Omega Man hands down
Nah
Definitely NOT!! Too Intercity, and ghetto, if you know what I mean😉…………
Besides, ol' Charles was a lowly Republican😝!!!!
Heston's version must have been married, more than once, and lived with an over bearing mother in-law 😂. But seriously Mr Price and Mr Heston are two of my favorite actors. I will always see Hestons face when I think of Moses and John the Baptist crying in the wilderness. I believe he was born to play those roles.
Re: 07:56, I'd disagree about Neville's depression in "Omega Man". He's not as demonstrative as in the Price or Smith versions, but it is affecting him. There's his constant talking to himself, just to hear another voice. The way he watches "Woodstock" over and over, just to see a big crowd of happy people. And the moments when he gets more edgy, like hearing the payphones ringing or shouting at the taunting Family to shut up. And, when not out hunting the Family, he's seen drinking lot. It's all there, but Heston doesn't fully cut loose with it. He's more tightly focused on survival.
And re: 09:55, he does flash back to the past. It's not about his family (he doesn't have one in this version), but, in the elevator, he flashes back to how the Russia/China war started, the release of the bacilli, and the mass death. He also flashes back to Matthias' gradual on-screen breakdown, his own frustration at not being able to do more, and his self-injection of the vaccine. I'm surprised you missed that sequence.
Great point about the more subtle depression, that makes sense.
I liked this but the dog will smith had was a female. Her name was Sam. Also, thanks for this, I’m going to have to look up the other films and read the book.
Well damn lol
her full name is Samantha! he says it at least once at the end, it's heartbreakng
Oh someone already pointed this out! Good on you for remembering.
I was going to say this. Thank you 😊
One of the great things about The Omega Man is the music -- One of the all time best movies scores; I can't even remember the music from the other two movies!
In his recent Hot Ones episode, Will Smith said the dog was the smaertest he's ever seen; it was like he understood English and would get things you asked for. The dog was also a great actor. In the choking scene, the dog literally went limp on command.
Christ, I loved this whole thing I’d love to see more book to films comparisons from you!
"Last man on earth" was shot in Rome, I recognized a bridge near my home at 1:34
In the Will Smith movie, there was a commentary that explains the dark seekers are not zombies, nor are they vampires. They were infected people who simply mutated.
Wouldn’t vampirism be the mutation of someone by way of sickness?
Sounds a lot like a zombie
The movie that finally used the ending of I Am Legend is The Girl with all the Gifts.
Good video!
This is great content and is high quality and very professional. Hope ur channel gets the many more views it deserves
Thanks so much man
Nice comparison video essay. Thanks for making it and sharing it.
The last man on Earth is the best movie because it kind of gets the point. The film that literally created the zombie genre as George Romero was inspired by it. I Am Legend is a mainstream movie and really doesn't have the Thematic complexity. Becoming the monster of a new Society is a lot more interesting. Last man on Earth has the darker tone where as I believe I Am Legend tries to manipulate you emotionally. We have films about the beginning of the apocalypse and those are the main three Living Dead movies. Of course, last man on earth is about the end of mankind.
The last man on earth the one that had vampires in it inspired the zombie genre whereas I Am Legend was actually copying the zombie trend. Killing the dog in films has become cliche so I Am Legend is actually more of a time capsule of the period. Also Vincent Price is great. Also the CGI looks terrible.
I am legend sucks.
Excellent analysis!!! Great video!
Does anyone remember I am Omega starring Mark Dacascos, it was like a scifi channel version of i am legend . Definitely check it out if you haven't
Yes! Underrated flick. I really like stories like this-so I got the DVD of it as well
*makes a mental note
Nice video. Thanks.
You flashed a table in at 0:55 that had a conspicuous error.
Neville’s diet may have included *steak* made from beef, but the monsters were killed with a *stake* made of wood.
I’d stake my reputation on that - I’d even buy you a steak if I got that wrong.
@@donbox710 fear not I consume both meat and wood
"He's just happy being Charlton Heston"
In The Last Man on Earth, as in the book, Robert Neville finally realises that he is the villain of the story - that HE is the monster.
That doesn't happen in The Omega Man or in I Am Legend.
Personally, I think this is THE most important plot point
Of the three adaptations the Omega Man is the most rad. 😎
Also I think it would make a great double feature with Night of the Comet (1984) which is another post-apocalyptic film where people find themselves to be ostensibly the last humans on earth and kind party and "live it up" a bit in their newly found world where they can have any consumer good they want.
You are a man of culture I see.
"I'm not /crazy/. I just DGAF!"
One could add THE WORLD, THE FLESH, AND THE DEVIL, and make a triple feature.
I think the mad laughter, slowly devolving into crying is an old Hollywood trope.
Well shoot I always thought I am Legend was originally a graphic novel. I read the graphic novel before the Will Smith movie came out so that was my first introduction to it. And the graphic novel seems about as accurate as it gets since they are actual vampires in that as well.
Loved the novel, and would love to see a graphic novel version. Is it still available, or should I start Googling?
@@brentoutashape9141 it shouldn't be that niche, I thinks it's not hard to find. Very good art. I highly recommend.
Good run-through. Thanks. I own all three films and the book. I rotate through them depending on my mood. But Last Man is the only one that really gave me chills when I saw it for the first time. When his dead wife shows up at his house and calls to him... made my skin crawl.
i enjoy The Omega Man most out of the three. Nevil does show some signs of the stress with the auditory hallucinations at the beginning of the movie. and in the scene where he is seen watching Woodtstock and it looks like its not the first time he has done so shows he does miss the old world. the family do show signs that the sun is a problem for them admittedly not as much as its would be for vampires
I saw a different version of Omega Man; Heston ran acting rings around the histrionics of Price and Smith. He showed him attempting to cling to his sanity, sardonically and without fireworks.
Totally respect that and I think that’s one of the coolest things about movies is that they can mean 100 different things to 100 different people
I've watched them all. Its Hestons all the way for me but I believe its a different film altogether. It still has so much for me and I listen to the soundtrack often.
This story has so much potential, it's really weird that it don't have more adaptations.
To be fair, 3 movies is more than most books get
I would suggest that the reason I Am Legend doesn't get so many adaptations is that George Romero's 1968 film Night Of the Living Dead
was pretty much an unofficial adaptation of Legend that created the Zombie outbreak sub genre of survival horror. People have been pretty
much adapting NotLD (including Romero himself with his Dead sequels) for 50 years.
I thought in the book (novella) that the virus was spread (at least in part) by mosquitoes. I remember that being quite a big revelation.
Dude. If you’re doing more videos like this, I’m definitely subscribing. This was an awesome video.
Omega Mans my favourite
Holy hell this video was good, after the video I went right to your channel to look for similar videos.
Thanks! This was the first of this type of video I’ve made but there will be more to come
I agreed with pretty much everything you detailed in this video until the point when you elected the 2007 version as "the best" - comparing films from 1964 , 1971 and 2007 is problematic considering production values and capabilities available to studios during their respective time. Anytime you are going to decide what "is best" when it comes to adaptations of books to film you really have to base that entirely on how faithful that adaptation is to the original source material. The entire premise of the story was "nobody thinks they are the bad guy" and the only film that actually played up that aspect was "The Last Man on Earth" because Morgan (Neville) was viewed by the new world order as a monster due to his crusade against the vampires. I still enjoyed your process with this.
As a fan of "I Am Legend," starring Will Smith, and prepping for the sequel, this was an amazing video.
I grew up on the omega man. I’d take it over the wil smith version all day
Congrats on the success of this video. Would like to see other book to movie comparisons. Loved this format.
There will be more to come for sure. They do take a while to make lol
If you made this a recurring series on your channel, I'd definitely watch it! Novel/graphic novel vs. tv show or movie adaptation.
Then stay tuned friend, more to come!
Great breakdown!!! really good comparisons👋...Omega Man rocks!!🤘
I heard there is another movie called I am Omega starring Mark Dacasos and the cancelled Ridley Scott’s version.
Was the Ridley Scott version the one that was going to star Arnie?
@@sorewahimitsudesuyes
I would have thought the obvious category would be "Which film title was more faithful to the original book title".
What a great video! It must have taken a long time. It was well put together and covered everything! Thank you!
Thanks! And yes it did lol
just wanna say this is great! I really enjoy the overall tone as well as subject matter chosen for this video! keep it up!
How could you not mention the ending? This is the most important aspect of the story and why it is called I am Legend - and is why Will Smith’s version was terrible.
Did you forget that Will Smith’s version has an alternative ending?
@@josueSierra27what? It does not care about the source materials ending. Will smiths version lives in its own bland universe where we have a Jesus ending. Are you autistic?
24:09
The way the dog looked at Will Smith made my heart hurt...
Interesting how in both The Omega Man and I Am Legend, the main character is quoting a film they've seen before.
Great video thanks for making. I was born in 1972 and the Omega Man was huge for me and my buddies we used to watch that all the time on VHS in the mid 80s and that is my favourite of the 3, but of course it is by no means perfect. I love the book and I quite like all 3 movies tbh, but I also think the definitive version is yet to be made tbh.
omega man is better than either of the others
Nice. Thank you for teaching me about The Omega Man. I own the other 2. My daughter and I have 1 more to enjoy 😊
@@ohnoohyeah3205 hope you enjoy the movie!!
The Omega Man is awesome!
Excellent video.
1. The last man on earth
2. The omega man
3. I am legend (doesn't hold a candle to the others)
You also couldn't be more wrong regarding Heston's mental health as Neville. There are several scenes showing his loneliness and isolation.
Very well done! Thank you, and may Good Luck be upon you ~ B.
Last Man on Earth is definitely the best of them
Loved the book, very cool video. Definitely subbed to your channel
Thank you!
Vincent Price? Overacting? Say what?
I've loved the 1st two adaptations for decades. The much later version .... disposable.
Slight correction for the spread of the virus in the book: Neville mentions that there had been a limited nuclear exchange in recent history, which he speculates vaporized one or more of the original vampires and spread the virus around the world with the fallout.
I think Charleton Heston version of losing his mind is the manly. He’s talking to statues, debating about dressing formally like he’s a 1700s duke, etc. it is the weakest, but it’s the most masculine. And his gleefulness, he literally laughs at the idea of being a murderer at one point.
-Talking to statues...multiple times.
-Reviewer says he "seems sane."
Ok...
😐
Price wanted to do this, couldn't find US backing so went to Italy to do it. His version is the closest.
How many "umm, actually, Sam was a girl," do you think will be in the comments?
whoops but whatever 🙃 it's funny how you can spend so much time making something then the only thing people will focus on is that i got the sex of the dog wrong
All of them
@@couchbumkino5423
I'd much rather focus on far, far more important things such as how they killed Vampires with wooden steaks 🤔
Very thorough analysis!
The creatures in the Will Smith version look awful. They look like video game monsters, which ruins the movie.
The effects were abysmal at release, and of course hold up even worse now. Not immersive at all.