Book vs movie i am legend the richard matheson novel vs. The first says, man, its just a badass vampire book. Can he find the hope or desire to excel and advance in. The book has inspired at least two other films, the last man on earth starring vincent price and the omega man starring charlton heston. Like the book of job, i am legend studies the questions, can he find a reason to continue. In the movie the origins of the vampire plague are unknown.
The novel i am legend 1954, written by american author richard matheson, was adapted for the movie by screenwriters akiva goldsman and mark protosevich. I am legend may have been one of several films that helped will smith prove his salt as a dramatic actor in the mid to late2000s making up something of. The two earlier films are the last man on earth 1964 and the omega man 1971. I am preaching tomorrow on the topic, it is not good for man to be alone gen 2. Sometimes the book is betterones imagination can surely be more entertaining than what hollywood tosses out, right. This was one of my major issues with the movie version of i am legend the complete loss of civilization is something that bothers me a lot. I am legends book ending is different to both versions of the movie, but skews closer to the controversial alternate ending of the film. Film is a column comparing books to the film adaptations they spawn, often discussing them on a. Now for a topic thats neither divisive nor prone to eliciting irrational anger and awkward discomfort.
The film, i am legend is a postapocalyptic science fiction film directed by francis lawrence and starring will smith. 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. Dr analysis of the classic horror novel, i am legend, by richard matheson. The book, however, brings the wide scale stuff down into the mind of one individual. After their deaths, the worlds human beings rise from the grave and become vampires.
The successes and failures in adapting i am legend film. 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. I am legend is very short, not novel length, only 159 pages long, out of the 312 pages in the book. Oscars best picture winners best picture winners golden globes emmys san diego comiccon new york comiccon sundance film festival toronto intl film festival awards central festival central all events. Differing from the book, each of them portrays the neville character as an. 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. Francis lawrences 2007 film i am legend had not one but two endings, and while both are different from what happens in the original novel by richard matheson, the alternate ending not shown in theaters is a lot closer. I am legends biggest change from the book broke the movie. I am legend is a 2007 american postapocalyptic thriller film based on the 1954 novel of the.
The margos are back and ready to get a little postapocalyptic with the 1954 classic novella i am legend from prolific storyteller richard matheson. In 1954 richard matheson published i am legend, and since its original run it has been adapted for film a total of four times. I am legend has been adapted into a featurelength film three. In the book, robert discovers that the source of the disease that turns people into vampires is a germ carried by dust storms and mosquitoes that plagued the world in the wake of a recent wars bombings. The rest of the book is a collection of short horror stories and not very good ones either. I am legend is a 2007 american postapocalyptic thriller film based on the 1954 novel of the same name by richard matheson.
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. I am legend is based on a 1954 richard matheson scifi novel of the same name. The last man on earth 1964, the omega man 1971, i am legend 2007. Every upcoming will smith movie with smith as the lead and director francis lawrence at the helm, i am legend was a compelling watch. If he had been more analytical, he might have calculated the approximate time of their arrival. It is the third film based on a book whose original impulse was to oneup the screen vampires of an earlier era. Neither movie was anything like this book and this book was bad. Still, you cant fault i am legend for trying to be different from the typical action thriller. The 2007 film was partially based on the 1971 film as well as the original source. The year is 1976one year after a deadly plague sweeps the world, killing virtually all human beings. 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.
Stephen king considered this an important book in his development as a writer, and the use of a hero trapped indoors fending off the undead inspired george a. Differences between i am legend book vs movie page 1. I watched the movie with will smith and remembered, that my former english literature professor told me once that it was based on a book. Throughout the book, robert neville studies the science of vampirism. The i am legend community note includes chapterbychapter summary and analysis, character list, theme list, historical context, author biography and quizzes written by community members like you. I am legend the movie is based on richard mathesons novel of the same name. Richard mathesons i am legend has been made into several movies, including the.
This film is actually the third adaptation of richard mathesons novel of the same name from 1954. Differences between i am legend book vs movie page 3. I am legend dystopian movies always have a big change in the society. 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 the 2007 film adaptation of richard mathesons 1954 novel of the same name, starring will smith and a bunch of cg zombie things called dark seekers. Despite the books popularity in hollywood, neither those first two adaptations nor this most recent one have been completely faithful to mathesons novel. How i am legends ending is different in the book screen. The movie i am legend directed by francis lawrence is dystopian movie. Enter your location to see which movie theaters are playing i am legend near you.
The movie stars will smith as virologist robert neville, the apparent sole uninfected survivor in a postapocalyptic version of new york city where most people are dead, and. This version of i am legend is the third movie adaptation of mathesons novel. While richard mathesons postapocalyptic science fiction book, i am legend, and francis lawrences postapocalyptic science fiction movie, i am legend, both have similarities and differences, in the end, the original book version prevails mainly because the movie version alters the original storyline too much. The movie stars will smith as virologist robert neville, the apparent sole uninfected survivor in a postapocalyptic version of new york city where most people are dead, and the.
I have decided to use robert neville from i am legend as. Set in 1970s southern california, the novel is about the life of robert neville, the seemingly only survivor of a worldwide pandemic which causes people to turn. 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, other than. Cinema had its first crack at mathesons book with vincent prices the last man on earth.
How i am legends ending is different in the book screen rant. 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. The book was one of the early apocalypse stories, and one of the novels responsible for normalizing the concept of global pandemics and infectiontype stories in pop. Also sign me up for fanmail to get updates on all things movies. The bacteria that causes it was spread through spores hidden in dust storms. With will smith, alice braga, charlie tahan, salli richardsonwhitfield. There are also occasions where the big wigs in hollywood outdo the imagination and give us a masterpiece. I am legend by richard matheson plot summary litcharts. In the process, he empowers himself and gives himself a new purpose in life. I liked the movie independence day, but really had trouble with the scenes of devastation in the cities. It is the third movie to be made from the novel and mathesons writings have modernized the vampire, in todays culture. Whats the difference between i am legend the book and i am legend the movie.
Themes of transformation, spirituality, and mans struggle with isolation come up. I am legend film analysis essay 1227 words bartleby. The story stops annoyingly suddenly, as if the rest of it has been missed off. Or perhaps the film simply doesnt have the same nuances as the richard matheson book on which its based. Compare contrast book movie i am legend free essays. There are two camps when it comes to discussing the issue of race in mathesons book. 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. Abbey, the dog from i am legend, is now and living. The novel was a success and was adapted into the films the last man on earth 1964, the omega man 1971, and i am legend 2007. The francis lawrencehelmed film was an adaptation of richard mathesons 1954 postapocalyptic novel of the same name. Matheson actually cowrote an early script, but was.
They are cannibalistic zombies who have an aversion to light. Whether is it has something to do with aliens or the world ending. 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. 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. The origins of the vampires in mathesons i am legend are also slightly different than those of the darkseekers in the movie.
Much better than the film versions, the omega man with charlton heston, i am legend with will smith, and last man on earth with vincent price. But when it comes down to it, is the book really better than the movie. However, what they typically leave out is the equally terrific job done by author richard matheson coming up with the storyline and writing the original book version. Richard mathesons 1954 novel i am legend, though not a massive success when first published, grew over time to be an influential piece of fiction. Its as if the screenwriters or director, or producer ran out of ways to wrap it up. My thoughts on i am legend, both with the 1954 book written by richard matheson and the 2007 film directed by francis lawrence. Another important theme of i am legend is the powerboth benevolent and maliciousof science.