I am Legend

[Khardis]

I wrote a review for it on my site, if anyone wants to give me any feed back. I wont post it here because it has spoilers.

(SPOILERS)
http://www.porkfriedvice.com/blog/?p=17

But feel free to discuss my points here.

All in all I would have to say I as a little disappointed given I had recently read the novel before this came out and was waiting to see this since summer. It was a good film, but my expectations were still let down a lot.

[CSZ]

I agree with your review and feel the same way. I look at is as a remake/reimagining of The Omega Man. And if you have read I Am Legend and seen The Omega Man before seeing this movie like myself I cant see how you cant see this as a remake. The apartment with lighting and traps,driving around with a shot gun,the women and child and trying to find a cure is right out of The Omega Man. I really believe they set out to make a remake of The Omega Man and decided to cash in on the name I Am Legend.

I believe the writers never Evan read the book but Saw The Omega Man and based the Will Smith movie completely on the charlton heston film.

[Geophyrd]

But everytime I click the link I got a big white screen blocking your text.

I saw I am Legend. I think if they lopped off the last 45 minutes and changed them, it would have been a brilliant movie. Will Smith's acting was great...the flick considerably less so!

Spoilers:

There were plotlines that went NO WHERE:



Who set the trap? That was pretty much a BS trap anyway...someone planned for him to notice the mannequin, step in the puddle and then cut himself loose so he falls in the puddle....yeah, no.



Who was he trying to save? The darkseekers?



How did that girl even get onto Manhattan?



God was talking to her? Huh?


How I would have finished it:

There were glimmerings of intelligence in the darkseekers...use that. Make it so
that Neville is a serial killer of them.



Stop with the CGI...REALLY not necessary.



Have Neville cure the girl darkseeker and together they set out to trap the darkseekers and cure them.



They kept teasing Omega Man, with the mannequins in the video store. In OM, one of them was the girl hiding...why did they not use that? They set it up!

[Khardis]

But everytime I click the link I got a big white screen blocking your text.

I saw I am Legend. I think if they lopped off the last 45 minutes and changed them, it would have been a brilliant movie. Will Smith's acting was great...the flick considerably less so!

Spoilers:

There were plotlines that went NO WHERE:



Who set the trap? That was pretty much a BS trap anyway...someone planned for him to notice the mannequin, step in the puddle and then cut himself loose so he falls in the puddle....yeah, no.



Who was he trying to save? The darkseekers?



How did that girl even get onto Manhattan?



God was talking to her? Huh?


How I would have finished it:

There were glimmerings of intelligence in the darkseekers...use that. Make it so
that Neville is a serial killer of them.



Stop with the CGI...REALLY not necessary.



Have Neville cure the girl darkseeker and together they set out to trap the darkseekers and cure them.



They kept teasing Omega Man, with the mannequins in the video store. In OM, one of them was the girl hiding...why did they not use that? They set it up!


You must be using IE, evidently the site will work with every browser except crappy old Microsoft IE.

[kortick]

I used firefox to see the site
but why in gods name would you make a web
site that couldnt be viewed with IE?
you dont want people seeing your page?


but anyways
I knew the movie was not going to be like the novel
frankly hollywood doesnt have the guts to make a true adaptation
of the book. it was a remake of omega man i agree
shame.
could have made a classic film instead of another
will smith movie

[Rottedfreak]

It would be nice if Hollywood knocked realism on the head and went with vampires.

[Khardis]

I used firefox to see the site
but why in gods name would you make a web
site that couldnt be viewed with IE?
you dont want people seeing your page?


but anyways
I knew the movie was not going to be like the novel
frankly hollywood doesnt have the guts to make a true adaptation
of the book. it was a remake of omega man i agree
shame.
could have made a classic film instead of another
will smith movie

Not everyone uses IE, IE is garbage. I didn't realize also when I was putting it up that it wasn't going to work with IE ( a testament to how **** IE truly is). I built it using Safari, but tested it in Firefox and also in Camino. And it worked fine in all of those. I will have to figure out why its messed up in IE though, I notice a number of Wordpress pages have that issue.

[DeadJonas190]

I use IE and it worked fine for me, I got the white screen but a few seconds later the blog loaded.

[bassman]

The movie had many flaws, but at least the Smith haters got put in their place.:p

[SoCalLoco]

The movie had many flaws, but at least the Smith haters got put in their place.:p

Will Smith sucks pretty hard. You could see him smirking when he delivered his lines, especially when talking to the manaquins (sp?) in the bookstore.

[bassman]

Will Smith sucks pretty hard. You could see him smirking when he delivered his lines, especially when talking to the manaquins (sp?) in the bookstore.

:rockbrow:

Probably because he was talking to them as if they were real people. Do you not smirk when you talk to random people sometimes? He was trying to feel normal again - smile at people on the street, have people greet him when he enters stores, etc.

I suppose next you're going to tell me that all the emotional scenes were no good because he "sucks pretty hard"?:rolleyes:

Sometimes I think people just TRY to hate this guy for no reason..

[SoCalLoco]

:rockbrow:

Probably because he was talking to them as if they were real people. Do you not smirk when you talk to random people sometimes? He was trying to feel normal again - smile at people on the street, have people greet him when he enters stores, etc.

I suppose next you're going to tell me that all the emotional scenes were no good because he "sucks pretty hard"?:rolleyes:

Sometimes I think people just TRY to hate this guy for no reason..

I'm pretty sure he didn't take the role of Neville seriously and perhaps isn't really that good of an actor to begin with. Will Smith pretty much sucks at life.

[bassman]

I'm pretty sure he didn't take the role of Neville seriously and perhaps isn't really that good of an actor to begin with. Will Smith pretty much sucks at life.

Didn't take it seriously? Are you serious?:confused:

No...he's not a good actor:rolleyes: - Six Degrees of Seperation, The Pursuit of Happyness, The Legend of Bagger Vance, Ali. Let's not forget that he was nominated to two Academy Awards. Do your research.

And tell me.....how long have you and Smith known each other. I mean, you must know him personally since you know that he "sucks at life"....

[capncnut]

Interesting arguments from both ends, but at the end of the day, Will Smith is pantz! :moon:

[SoCalLoco]

Didn't take it seriously? Are you serious?:confused:

No...he's not a good actor:rolleyes: - Six Degrees of Seperation, The Pursuit of Happyness, The Legend of Bagger Vance, Ali. Let's not forget that he was nominated to two Academy Awards. Do your research.

And tell me.....how long have you and Smith known each other. I mean, you must know him personally since you know that he "sucks at life"....

The Legend of Bagger Vance... Yeah, he's a REAL Cary Grant, that guy. :lol:

[kortick]

Will Smith isnt a bad actor

That isnt what I meant by another will smith movie

by his own admission he sat down with his manager
when he started to make movies and they both decided
that movies with large amounts of special effects
were the way to go to make his career

but to say he sucks at life is wrong
he was sucessful at television
he was sucessful in music
and he is sucessful as a movie star
as well as being a husband and a father

is he the best actor ever?
I think we know the answer to that

but does he suck at life?
hardly

[Excessium]

I read one version of the script(think it was the original) that took place in Los Angeles. After reading it I was eager to see the movie. Saw the trailer and saw they were in NY, no prob. Saw the movie and what a monumental let down. It started slow, got slower then dumb. I took my 7 yr old daughter with me. I was worried that she might be scared...lol. She told me it was boring and was trying not to fall to sleep. Didnt scare her at all.




They CGI'd the infected??? why? the CGI was friggin laughable. The new york back drop often looked fake and like i mention, the infected were horrid.
How did they screw this movie up so badly? The Los angeles based script was so perfect. The pacing was so much better and so much MORE happened. The whole "I AM LEGEND" premise was better explained in that version. His infected wife told him he was legend in the script. I also thought the script showed himself struggling with the memory of his wife more then the movie did. And the ending of the OG script was pretty awesome. The ending to the actual movie was horse ****. Super stupid. I can't believe they screwed up something that could have been so great. Who the hell was responsible for the rewrite after the script was purchase? they are a hack. Im pissed now lol. Another potentially great movie destroyed by hollywood.

[tkane18]

So what happened in the "other" ending?

[Mike70]

i am in the process of acquiring this as we speak. i will have to chime back in with my oh, so dulcet thoughts after i watch it.

[MikePizzoff]

I just watched it last night for the first time and am not quite sure how I felt about it. The first half of the movie had me pretty wrapped up in it... but the more they showed the monsters the more I got pissed off that they CGI'd every single one of them! Even for plenty of shots that could have been easily done by a real person with make-up on, and it would have looked a million times better.

Also, the final portion of the movie was complete garbage! WTF?!?! :mad: It seemed like they reached the dead-line on writing the script and were just like "uh, screw it, lets just throw something together".


Especially the VERY end, when they act like that lady was big part of the movie and give her closing dialogue... DAMN IT!!!!!!!!!

[kidgloves]

I just watched it last night for the first time and am not quite sure how I felt about it. The first half of the movie had me pretty wrapped up in it... but the more they showed the monsters the more I got pissed off that they CGI'd every single one of them! Even for plenty of shots that could have been easily done by a real person with make-up on, and it would have looked a million times better.

Also, the final portion of the movie was complete garbage! WTF?!?! :mad: It seemed like they reached the dead-line on writing the script and were just like "uh, screw it, lets just throw something together".


Especially the VERY end, when they act like that lady was big part of the movie and give her closing dialogue... DAMN IT!!!!!!!!!


Pretty much sums it up for me.
I actually quite like Will Smith as an actor and from what i understand about him offscreen he seems like an all round good guy, so i don't understand why some people seem to dislike him so much. Jealousy maybe?
I think his acting was pretty good in this but for some reason i just couldn't sympathise with him being the "last man on earth". I cant put my finger on it but something wasn't quite right about the way it was set up to show him losing his mind. The bit with the dog got to me quite a lot but being an animal lover thats not suprising.
I think if 28 days/weeks later and Dawn 04 hadn't been made this would have been a better movie but i got the impression i'd seen it all before.
For some reason i kept thinking of World War Z when i was watching it. Lets hope they put a similar budget into that project.

[PJoseph]

My thoughts -

Good start, good setup, good acting.

Lousy story, lousy payoffs, lousy vampires, lousy ending.


While Mark Protosevich's draft from the late 90's was nothing like the book, I would have preferred it to this script. However, his name was in the credits and I think they only thing they kept was Krippen. No clerics - no tribe....I liked that old stuff.

Either way, Will Smith is the only part that worked for me.

pJ

[DjfunkmasterG]

Ok I finally checked out the film Friday night, and when it was all said and done I didn't care for it all that much.

Cool points:

The post Apocalyptic NYC

Will Smith's psychy as he went about his day to day business.

Bad Points

some of his acting bordered on fantastic, but the clunky screenplay took away from what could have and should have been an outstanding no flaws performance.

The horrible CGI'd Dark Seekers. What a let down. They look like something out of a windows 95 3d game render. BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!

[Neil]

Ok I finally checked out the film Friday night, and when it was all said and done I didn't care for it all that much.

Cool points:

The post Apocalyptic NYC

Will Smith's psychy as he went about his day to day business.

Bad Points

some of his acting bordered on fantastic, but the clunky screenplay took away from what could have and should have been an outstanding no flaws performance.

The horrible CGI'd Dark Seekers. What a let down. They look like something out of a windows 95 3d game render. BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!

I'll go and see it in a week or so...

[MinionZombie]

Just seen it.

I'd give it a 7/10. As bassman has said, the first 2/3's are great, then it goes a bit wonky near the end.

And Will Smith is really good in it, he had me choked up at a few choice moments to be honest.

And he doesn't say "aw hell naw" at all.

If there is indeed going to be a Director's Cut, I'd really like to see how that works out.

[Relic]

I'm a huge Richard Matheson fan, but I knew this movie would be nothing like the book. And that's ok. Unless they *set* the book in the 1970s, then it has to be an updated movie, or in this case, slightly set in the future. That's OK.

As mentioned before, the first 2/3 of the movie was a dandy. Not a lot of action, and that's fine by me. Good character development. Good, stark pictures of a desolute NY. I loved the chase of the deer and the zoo animals on the prowl. I loved the relationship between Neville and the dog (like the book, he "strangles" the dog out of love before the disease sets in, but it's a completely different relationship in the book. If you don't know, read it). The dog's death got to me, as well, but I'm an animal lover, too. His breakdown after the dog's death -- his last physical attachement to his wife and daughter -- was believable. The entire sequence inside the building, when we first see the "darkwalkers," was taken straight out of a "Resident Evil" or "Silent Hill" game. Loved them.

And then the last 1/3 of the movie had to happen, and it suddenly turned into a video game. Here are my bad points:

* As mentioned, the CGI monsters are lame. As 28 Weeks proved, people in make-up still work. The DarkWalkers could have been human, and it would have been entirely more believable.

* In the book, the vampires were "evolving" into something new, lead by an intelligent leader. They started to hint with this -- the leader, his trap using the video store mannequin, and his hunting Neville on the NY pier at midnight. So why, then, did they just suddenly drop this tangent, and turn them back into mindless beasts? It made no sense...

* Hated the almost "super human" abilities of the Night Walkers. Why? They are human corpses, after all -- most of them emancipated. Why could then leap yards in a single bound, or crawl around on roofs, or shatter bulletproof glass, or nearly knock a fully-loaded SUV into the ocean? It simply didn't make sense. What they should have done was do away with the Viet Cong mass assault on the house, and go back to how they presented the Dark Walkers inside the building, when he was searching for the dog and the slain deer. Make them stealthy hunters. More like the aliens in "Signs" where you hear them but don't see them. That would have built up the tension suffiently.

* Neville becomes a "legend" in the book, but not the type you think, but in the movie, he becomes a typical hero "legend," which lessens the entire spin on the word "legend."

* The God thing. I liked it that God was actually made into a good guy, since Hollywood is big now on their athiest kick where God is bad and science kicks ass (yawn!), so it was nice to see God proven through the "butterfly", but really, the movie easily could have survived without that little metaphysical tie-in.

* In the book, he killed the Darkwalkers, with stakes through the heart. In this one, Will Smith only wanted them as rats for his lab/antedote trials. While I like it that they made him more *nobile*, there's something neat about Neville going around with stakes and hammers...

* How could he have cured the DarkWalkers if they were indeed mindless and didn't want to be saved -- as was demonstrated by the leader of the DarkWalkers in the end? Made it go airborne, somehow? That didn't make much sense, either. So he had a cure - big deal. The only survivors were those who were genetically immune to the disease in the first place. Thus, the antedote wouldn't have worked for them regardless.

How I would have made this movie better? Add 30 minutes more to a movie that barely hit a buck 20. Cut out all flashbacks to his wife and daughter. We know they died -- Will Smith, after all, is one of the last humans on Earth. His daily routine, the mannequins and Sam the dog were all done very well, but they should have embellished the Night Walkers more as a stalking, intelligent evil force, and not just a blind army of suicidal bombers. They should have had 1-2 more examples of them trying to kill him, or ****ing with his mind in some way, and that would have built up tension and made the ending so much better.

Good movie. But it could have been better.

[Mike70]

In the book, the vampires were "evolving" into something new, lead by an intelligent leader.

i think that the "family" in the book are not the same as the vampires who gather around neville's house night and after night. i think they are folks who the virus has affected in a different way. they are changed for sure- sensitive to light and what not but not the same sort of almost mindless (for want of a better term at present moment) things that come night after night to neville's house.

it seems that in the book there are two groups of infected - those that have been turned into the vampires who need to feed on blood and those that have been pushed down the evolutionary path like the girl neville comes across and the rest of the family that end up pursuing neville because he has become their bogeyman and because he represents a human paradigm that is no longer relevant to the survival of our species.

[Relic]

I'm sure you're correct. It's been several years since i've read the book. I'm halfway through "World War Z." Once I'm done with that, I'll crack open "I Am Legend" and really compare the two more systematically.

[Mike70]

Neville becomes a "legend" in the book, but not the type you think, but in the movie, he becomes a typical hero "legend," which lessens the entire spin on the word "legend."

yeah boi!

this to me was a major let down in this film. this little bogery moment coupled with the whole deus ex machina introduction of two new characters (who seem to have frak all to do with this story-which was kicking dik up to that point) damn near derailed this whole flick - which i had been enjoying quite a bit.

[Neil]

So, any talk of an extended version of the film?

[MinionZombie]

You seen IAL yet, Neil?

A director's cut, providing it's a significantly different version (well, mainly in the final third) would be very much welcome.

[Neil]

You seen IAL yet, Neil?

A director's cut, providing it's a significantly different version (well, mainly in the final third) would be very much welcome.

Not seen it yet... I am reading World War Z though :) (slowly!!)

[Skippy911sc]

I jujst had to chime in here...I've seen the flick twice now and agree with all the points mentioned prior to my post (most). I thought the CGI was crap, the fisrt 2/3 of the movie was pretty good. The leader of the CGI monsters was a joke.

I also haven't heard anyone mention about the safe colony with the giant walls around it...did they not see that the monsters can climb building walls??? They scampered up Smiths walls in a New York second. WTF...the woman with the accent...blah...the little boy...blah The thinking monsters...either they are thinking or not...the movie felt like a different version of Showgirls...some good performances, some good action but together a real mess.

[MinionZombie]

Not seen it yet... I am reading World War Z though :) (slowly!!)
Hehe, it took me a while to get through WWZ as well, mainly because I was either busy or because I had another book on the go (plus a few magazines to get through)...then I'd forget about it for a few days and remember and have to catch up, so it took me ages to get through it just because of that.

Still though...got through the Richard Hammond book in under 4 days (I just really got into it, plus had nout to do). Now reading "Roadside Picnic"...comparatively much more slowly though. :D

Anyway, I Am Legend...hmmm...I hope a dir cut will come out and really tidy up the rough edges and final third of the film.

[Neil]

PLEASE PEOPLE!!! Remember not everyone has seen this film yet, so use the SPOILER feature when posting anything remotely spoilerish...

Put your spoilers stuff in here

[kidgloves]

Anyway, I Am Legend...hmmm...I hope a dir cut will come out and really tidy up the rough edges and final third of the film.

Seconded

[Neil]

Watched tonight...

What I liked:-
# The messed up city
# Some of the finer details of his day to day life

What I disliked:-# The stupid 'infected' - Why does being infected make you look radically different, give you super human strength, and make your lungs/throat capable of making strange sounds. By making them sooo different, you detatch from the fact these ARE real people... These are you and me...
# So we have one clever 'infected' who can rig a very clever trap, but not throw rocks at Neville from afar? Or find a gun a shoot him? Hmm...
# The 'chance happenings' - SILLY!
# The clunk last 15mins of the film.

Shame it lost the idea from the original novel, that he had become the monster! He was the bogey man who came out in the day and took them away and killed them in their sleep etc...

[ProfessorChaos]

my buddy let me borrow a copy of "last man on earth" with vincent price, and i am about to get myself :cool:ready:cool: and check it out.

all i've heard from friends about this movie is how crappy it is, and something about too much time being spent showing neville trying to shoot a deer to no avail...think i'll wait for this one to drop on cable.:bored:

[mista_mo]

Will Smith was easily the best part of this movie. Honestly, I don't see how anyone can say he's a terrible actor after watching this.


my favourite part was:

After Sam died, and his return to the video Store, and pleading with the mannequin to say hello.

"please...say hello to me."

[MinionZombie]

Mista...

Definitely, the scene where he tends to Sam's wounds and then holds him as he turns and then has to kill him, and it's all played out on Smith's face - that's just superbly done and shows Will Smith to be a good actor, if not a great one...not a legend yet, but there's still plenty of time for that...

Anyway, the thoughts over the good and bad of this movie seems to be the same pretty much.

The infected didn't bother me a great deal, but they did look a bit hokey and yeah, the idea that an infection makes them physically different is all a bit hocus pocus - like how their jaws work - clearly the bone structure is completely different, it just seems a bit naff that they can do that and all the clever acrobatics and such.

Mind you, are vampires any more realistic? Well...maybe a smidge...

But Will Smith was one of the key strong points of the film I though. Also, the deer hunting stuff I didn't feel was overdone, it showed what he'd have to do to get a fresh meal not in a can.

All the city stuff with just Smith was great, showing his day to day...then the infected come along and it starts descending a bit and then the ending is a bit naff.

The sequence in the dark building when Sam goes in after the deer I thought was great, it was tense and it was scary...then the infected are shown fully and it's a bit naff, for aforementioned reasons ... but then there's the whole scene with Sam which is great, but it goes downhill again when that foreign woman and her kid come along...it's just not that interesting, I didn't give two craps about her or her kid and it just interrupted the flow of things for me.

I want Will Smith, not her and that damn kid pratting about.

The scene where that barrier of light is shrinking and Smith is hurt and dragging himself back, while quite good, I niggled over the fact that he's slowly-slowly ass dragging himself backwards, meanwhile as soon as the sun barrier is gone he gets up and hobbles away - DO THAT FROM THE START AND YOU'D HAVE BEEN IN YOUR CAR AND YOUR DOG WOULD STILL BE ALIVE YOU NUMPTY!!!

*sigh* :D

[Neil]

Mista...

Definitely, the scene where he tends to Sam's wounds and then holds him as he turns and then has to kill him, and it's all played out on Smith's face - that's just superbly done and shows Will Smith to be a good actor, if not a great one...not a legend yet, but there's still plenty of time for that...

Anyway, the thoughts over the good and bad of this movie seems to be the same pretty much.

The infected didn't bother me a great deal, but they did look a bit hokey and yeah, the idea that an infection makes them physically different is all a bit hocus pocus - like how their jaws work - clearly the bone structure is completely different, it just seems a bit naff that they can do that and all the clever acrobatics and such.

Mind you, are vampires any more realistic? Well...maybe a smidge...

But Will Smith was one of the key strong points of the film I though. Also, the deer hunting stuff I didn't feel was overdone, it showed what he'd have to do to get a fresh meal not in a can.

All the city stuff with just Smith was great, showing his day to day...then the infected come along and it starts descending a bit and then the ending is a bit naff.

The sequence in the dark building when Sam goes in after the deer I thought was great, it was tense and it was scary...then the infected are shown fully and it's a bit naff, for aforementioned reasons ... but then there's the whole scene with Sam which is great, but it goes downhill again when that foreign woman and her kid come along...it's just not that interesting, I didn't give two craps about her or her kid and it just interrupted the flow of things for me.

I want Will Smith, not her and that damn kid pratting about.

The scene where that barrier of light is shrinking and Smith is hurt and dragging himself back, while quite good, I niggled over the fact that he's slowly-slowly ass dragging himself backwards, meanwhile as soon as the sun barrier is gone he gets up and hobbles away - DO THAT FROM THE START AND YOU'D HAVE BEEN IN YOUR CAR AND YOUR DOG WOULD STILL BE ALIVE YOU NUMPTY!!!

*sigh* :D

I wanted to know more about the infected! I'd rather have spent more time seeing their 'background' than how inept Mr Smith was at deer hunting - Use a machine gun why don't you!!!!

For example, in the dark rooms:- ...we see the 'infected' just standing in a circle sort of shuffling. They seem unaware of his previous shouts, and noises, and indeed the light from his torch... Why? I want to know the information about their habits more than how deers can jump around NY streets...

And again, the lead 'infected' was just daft... Intelligent enough to set up an amazing trap, but too stupid just to thrown a rock at the crawling (getting away) Neville?


Worse still, Neville is clever enough to arm himself to the teeth and put security around his home, but why not just a couple of POWERFUL UV lamps! SIGH! Come on Hollywood writers, assume we have an IQ out here!!!!

In my opinion 'The Omega Man' is a far more solid (believable) film!

[MinionZombie]

Well yeah, I'd probably say The Omega Man is the better film, but obviously IAL pulls off the desolation better - because the tech is there to make it easy.

[Neil]

Well yeah, I'd probably say The Omega Man is the better film, but obviously IAL pulls off the desolation better - because the tech is there to make it easy.

Yes and no... Omega Man doesn't use any CGI, and is therefore more believable to watch that (obvious) CGI stuff...

I mean the lions ripped you straight back out of the film again for example...


I'd also say Chuck's overall performance was better than Will's... Seemed more human and less Hollywood (a bit)...

However, I suspect that is not down to Will's acting but more down to the script. eg:-I thought Will's scene back in his house when the other people turned up was dire, not really due to his acting mind, just to what he was acting... His behaviour just seemed daft/odd...

[SRP76]

Well, I finally read the book, so I'm well-armed going into the movie (not that I expect things to match, they never, EVER do).

I have issues with some of the things in the book too, but I won't go into that...

[Neil]

Well, I finally read the book, so I'm well-armed going into the movie (not that I expect things to match, they never, EVER do).

I have issues with some of the things in the book too, but I won't go into that...

It's nothing like the book!

[MinionZombie]

It's nothing like the book!
Well that's okay I guess, because when I get around to reading it then it'll be something brand new again. :D

But first I'm gonna read "Long Way Round"...and before that I've got Jeremy Clarkson's "And Another Thing" to read...and before that I've got "Roadside Picnic" to finish...which by the way, comes highly recommended from me.

As for IAL...in terms of CGI, I exclusively meant the stuff that makes the city empty...not the infected nutters. :D Because of CGI is made the job of desolating New York LOADS easier than having to do it old school like The Omega Man did...I really must re-watch Omega Man actually, give it another spin for comparison's sake.

[Legion2213]

MZ, it's a while since I read the original novel....but you really need to find some time to read it. I'm sure you will enjoy it.

[Neil]

Well that's okay I guess, because when I get around to reading it then it'll be something brand new again. :D

But first I'm gonna read "Long Way Round"...and before that I've got Jeremy Clarkson's "And Another Thing" to read...and before that I've got "Roadside Picnic" to finish...which by the way, comes highly recommended from me.

As for IAL...in terms of CGI, I exclusively meant the stuff that makes the city empty...not the infected nutters. :D Because of CGI is made the job of desolating New York LOADS easier than having to do it old school like The Omega Man did...I really must re-watch Omega Man actually, give it another spin for comparison's sake.

I love 'The Omega' man... Infact there's a few nods to it in my story 'The Midas Touch' :o;)

[kortick]

Prof

the last man on earth with the awesome vincent price
is truly the closest film version to the story I am Legend.

There are only subltle changes but the film and the book are
really identical.

If anyone wants to see what mathesons story would really
look like on film, they should watch last man on earth

and yes you can see where Romero was inspired by
it when he made Night.

And lets see, who would be a better actor in a horror movie?
Vincent Price or Will Smith? Gee thats a hard one.

[ProfessorChaos]

yeah, it was a great film...vincent price was great, and wow....some of those scenes (to a rookie) looked as if they belonged in night of the living dead.

haven't seen i am legend yet, think i'll check out the omega man first, but i am in no rush to see legend anytime soon.

btw, 500 posts. noice!

[Danny]

richard matherson signed the rights to make an i am legend 2 ":legender":lol:

[Neil]

And lets see, who would be a better actor in a horror movie?
Vincent Price or Will Smith? Gee thats a hard one.

Smith never really pulled off uber scientist to me...

An uber scientist would have thought to fit bright UV lamps for defense!

[mista_mo]

some scientists lack a high enough wisdom score.

[Neil]

More questions - **MINOR SPOILER - POSSIBLY**

1) Why did he spray water(?) over his front door step?
2) What exactly were those infected doing in that dark room? They seemed to be just standing in a circle shuffling slightly?
3) Why did he keep covering his torch up at times in those dark rooms?

[MinionZombie]

lol, all three of those points annoyed me or left me puzzled as well Neil.

And indeed...

I was totally expecting bright-ass UV lamps around his house, not claymores!

[Neil]

lol, all three of those points annoyed me or left me puzzled as well Neil.

And indeed...

I was totally expecting bright-ass UV lamps around his house, not claymores!

It just annoys the hell out of me how scripts like this get made... Surely someone can read this stuff and pick holes in it BEFORE it is made? It's almost a "that'll do for them (the audience)" approach :annoyed:

*SPOILERS*

When I saw that group standing their almost sleeping but still shuffling my little brain lit up - wow this is interesting... But nothing! No explanation no nothing! Likewise, why did he keep on covering the torch? Why?

[bassman]

**SPOILERS**


1) Why did he spray water(?) over his front door step?
He was doing a "Home Alone"?:p


2) What exactly were those infected doing in that dark room? They seemed to be just standing in a circle shuffling slightly?
I thought it was their form of sleep. When he captures that one teenage girl and passes her out on the table, she is breathing heavily like the group in the dark building.


3) Why did he keep covering his torch up at times in those dark rooms?

Maybe it was an attempt to keep them from seeing him? I dunno.



I wouldn't blame the film's faults on the script or the director. I thought it was pretty obvious that there were outside factors(the studio) that tampered with the final product. That's why i'm waiting for the director's cut before I pass final judgement.

[Neil]

**SPOILERS**


I thought it was their form of sleep.Me too... But very vague, and could have been explored far more!


she is breathing heavily like the group in the dark building.The breathing was just down to the speeded up rate their system worked at? And she was unconscious because of the anesthetic wasn't it?



I wouldn't blame the film's faults on the script or the director. I thought it was pretty obvious that there were outside factors(the studio) that tampered with the final product. That's why i'm waiting for the director's cut before I pass final judgement.
Are you aware of a directors cut? If there's another 10-30 mins of stuff I'd be interested!!

I thought for a moment when we looked down all those pictures of his previous patients he 'worked on' we were finally going to connect back onto the true meaning of the original book... He was the monster! Going out during the day and just killing...

[MinionZombie]

Ugh I hate it when scripts just don't make proper sense - I re-watched Resident Evil 3 yesterday and oh my god, what a heap of crap that film is. There are so many non-sensical elements in the script, so many underdeveloped characters and so on.

It's like the fuel truck explosion, it's supposed to be bone dry - yet the explosion is massive and tears along the tanker as if it was chock-full of fuel (they certainly don't show it being refueled after all).

It's just a really shoddy script with characters doing stupid things only a complete apocalypse n00b would do, not veterans who've been surviving on the road for YEARS. It's just so poorly written, it's so blunt and shabby - plus it's a gigantic rip-off of Day of the Dead (both the final film and the original script).

[bassman]

Are you aware of a directors cut? If there's another 10-30 mins of stuff I'd be interested!!


I saw an interview with the director in which he says there will be a Director's Cut with more footage. I'll see if I can find it again.

[Neil]

I saw an interview with the director in which he says there will be a Director's Cut with more footage. I'll see if I can find it again.

I found this in one article:-


Lawrence (director): We have about an hour of footage that's not in the movie, there are other things we have with the creatures.

[SRP76]

I just looked through the graphic novel (in other words, comic book) adaptation.

Awesome; it's basically the original book word-for-word, just in panel-and-speech bubble form, illustrated.

Fans should grab a copy.

[bassman]

That extra hour of footage has got to be what explains the leader, why he's smarter, and all that. It will probably tie up most of the questions of the film and use a better ending.

[Neil]

That extra hour of footage has got to be what explains the leader, why he's smarter, and all that. It will probably tie up most of the questions of the film and use a better ending.

God I hope so...


Hopefully it'll also (**SPOILER**) explain why the virus:-
a) Mutates the bone structure of their jaws
b) Makes them scream like Godzilla
c) Gives them super human power
d) But makes them super dumb

:clown::)

[Maitreya]

1) Why did he spray water(?) over his front door step?
2) What exactly were those infected doing in that dark room? They seemed to be just standing in a circle shuffling slightly?
3) Why did he keep covering his torch up at times in those dark rooms?

1)I thought it was one of two things: Vinegar (To cover his scent) or Lighter Fluid (in case they got close at night, I was thinking NOTLD on that one.)

2) Seemed like some form of resting during the day. It definitely added a creepiness factor though.

3)I figured he just did that to attempt to hide his presence to any of the things that may have been awake and looking.

At any rate, I really enjoyed this film, and I'm glad I decided not to listen to many of the bad reviews that I read. Although I was a bit dissatisfied with the CGI infected (as it seems, many of you were), I was able to look past this.

I'm definitely picking this one up on DVD! I hope it does have an extended cut, because this movie definitely could have been longer and held my interest.

[Neil]

1)I thought it was one of two things: Vinegar (To cover his scent) or Lighter Fluid (in case they got close at night, I was thinking NOTLD on that one.)

2) Seemed like some form of resting during the day. It definitely added a creepiness factor though.

3)I figured he just did that to attempt to hide his presence to any of the things that may have been awake and looking.

At any rate, I really enjoyed this film, and I'm glad I decided not to listen to many of the bad reviews that I read. Although I was a bit dissatisfied with the CGI infected (as it seems, many of you were), I was able to look past this.

I'm definitely picking this one up on DVD! I hope it does have an extended cut, because this movie definitely could have been longer and held my interest.

*spoiler*

There did seem to be a big hole in the fact the 'lead infected' could make that incredibly complicated trap... And Neville never seemed to mention it, and the script never seemed to explain it.

[mista_mo]

i figured it was gas, just in case someone came a knockin and he felt like having a bbq.

I say it again, Will Smith was the reason I liked the film so much movie.

and the ending wasn't all bad, the best part was when he said

"I just started to listen.."
or something along those lines, then he head butts the glass and gets a massive killing spree/kill from the grave with his plasma grenade. Brutes never knew what was coming to em.

**** I ment infected.

[Maitreya]

*spoiler*

There did seem to be a big hole in the fact the 'lead infected' could make that incredibly complicated trap... And Neville never seemed to mention it, and the script never seemed to explain it.

I realize that it was somewhat of an unexplained portion of the movie, but I simply took it in stride.

The darkseekers were simply advancing mentally, and in my mind that needed no explanation, as I've seen the "stupid creatures getting smart" story explained enough times that I as a viewer don't need it spoonfed to me. Neville realized what had happened to him the instant he woke up, he realized the folly of his own carelessness and feelings of invincibility during the daytime and ultimately suffered the consequences of underestimating the darkseekers.

But then again, that's just me. It's only my opinion.

[Neil]

*minor spoilers*

Another little thing... When he was taken home, how did the infected find him?

[bassman]

*minor spoilers*

Another little thing... When he was taken home, how did the infected find him?

They followed the car. The next night when he hears the infected coming towards his house, he asks the girl if she waited until daylight to bring him home. She says no, so Neville knows that the darkseekers followed them and waited until the next night.

[Neil]

They followed the car. The next night when he hears the infected coming towards his house, he asks the girl if she waited until daylight to bring him home. She says no, so Neville knows that the darkseekers followed them and waited until the next night.

That makes sense... But...

Why didn't they folllow him home the time he was injured (after escaping from their trap)? The sun had set by the time he got in his car.

Also, I wonder how on earth she fought them all off his car to save him?

[bassman]

It's been a while now since I've seen it, so it's getting a bit blurry.....but didn't he make it home before dark to put his dog down? Then the next day he broke down in the video store and decided to let them kill him at the dock that night?

And I think the girl got them off of his car with large lights....right?..

[Neil]

It's been a while now since I've seen it, so it's getting a bit blurry.....but didn't he make it home before dark to put his dog down? Then the next day he broke down in the video store and decided to let them kill him at the dock that night?

And I think the girl got them off of his car with large lights....right?..

If you recall, the infected dogs couldn't get to him/them, but then the sun finally set so the dogs could attack them. So surely if the infect dogs were safe, so were the infect humans?

Large lights? Didn't help his house much... Why a car?

[bassman]

I thought it was dusk and the dogs got to him because the sun set behind a large building? I didn't think the sun had officially gone down yet.

As far as the lights not helping his house but saving him at the dock.....what can I say? The film definitely had some faults.:lol:

This whole thread should have a spoiler warning. I'm getting tired of adding on the spoiler tags.:p

[Neil]

Booooo!

[Tricky]

I went to see this the other night,really enjoyed it as well!very similar to 28 days later (but yes i know the story was written in the 50's so it came even before romeros films)
Only problem i had with it was the extreme over use of CGI,they could have made it much better by using folk in make up to be honest!

[Relic]

ADDED BY MODERATOR - ***SPOILER*** - Yes the mod had the time/effort to put this warning in!

When the sun went "down" officially is when the dog turned, so yeah, he made it home that night. After killing Sam, and visiting the rental store, he decided to take out as many of them as he could before he himself went down. After the woman rescued him with her light-torched vehicle, I guess he told her where he lived, and she drove him there. They must have followed. Why they didn't attack that night, who knows? Maybe they were consolidating forces...

[AcesandEights]

I finally saw it on iMax Wednesday. It was alright, but i can understand people might gripe about it. I think Smith did a good job with what he was given, but the script needed far more work.




ADDED BY MODERATOR - ***SPOILER*** - Yes the mod had the time/effort to put this warning in!
After the woman rescued him with her light-torched vehicle, I guess he told her where he lived, and she drove him there. /QUOTE]

He did tell her. "I live at" Blah blah blah "don't let them track us." right before he passed out.

I finally saw it on iMax Wednesday. It was alright, but i can understand people might gripe about it. I think Smith did a good job with what he was given, but the script needed far more work.



[QUOTE=Relic;125992]ADDED BY MODERATOR - ***SPOILER*** - Yes the mod had the time/effort to put this warning in!
After the woman rescued him with her light-torched vehicle, I guess he told her where he lived, and she drove him there.

He did tell her. "I live at" Blah blah blah "don't let them track us." right before he passed out.

[Neil]

Alternative ending


The tone of the ending of the film was altered dramatically before the film's release, with the majority of the changes made to the standoff between Neville and the infected in his laboratory. Visual effects supervisor Janek Sirrs recounts the original ending starting with the standoff, "At that point, Neville's - and the audience's - assumptions about the nature of these creatures are shown to be incorrect. We see that they have actually retained some of their humanity. There is a very important moment between the alpha male and Neville." David Schaub stated, "Then, when Neville finally turns the alpha female over to the alpha male, there is this little love moment between the two of them." The infected then retrieve the captured female and spare Neville's life. The original final shot follows Neville, Anna, and the boy as they cross the remnants of the George Washington Bridge in hopes of finding other survivors.


ps: Can anyone find out if 'I Am Legend' and 'I, Robot' used the same special effects company/people!?

[Rottedfreak]

That ending would have made it more then just another running zombie film.

I am Legend
Special Effects by
Ozzy Alvarez .... lab technician: Quatum creation FX
Mark Ballou .... on-set coordinator: Tinsley Transfers Inc.
Phillip Beck .... special effects assistant
David Beneke .... key eye technician: Tatopoulos Studios
James R. Bilz .... special effects technician
Michael Bird .... special effects technician
Jeff Brink .... special effects foreman
Conrad V. Brink Jr. .... special effects coordinator
J.C. Brotherhood .... special effects foreman
Robert Kato DeStefan .... lab technician: Quantum Creation FX
Damian Fisher .... special effects technician
Gilbert Gertsen .... special effects technician
Cleve Gunderman .... moldmaker: Tatopoulos Studios
Glen Hanz .... sculptor: Tatopoulos Studios
Micheal Hartney .... special effects technician
Mike Hartney .... special effects technician
Russ Herpich .... special effects technician
Tom Hester .... sculptor: Tatopoulos Studios
Brian Hillard .... special makeup effects: Tinsley Transfers
Pete Kelley .... special effects technician
Tom Killeen .... painter: Tatopoulos Studios
Allison Klein .... studio coordinator: Tatopoulos Studios
Carol Koch .... sculptor: Tatopoulos Studios
Constance Kowtna .... creature coordinator
James Lauer .... special effects crew
Yong Lee .... special effects crew
Kimberley Lieber .... special effects technician
Harvey Lowry .... special makeup effects consultant
Micheal Maggi .... special effects foreman
Harold McConnell .... special effects technician
Robert McKinnon .... conceptual artist: Tatopoulos Studios
Scott O****a .... special effects mechanical designer
Robert Paquette .... special effects technician
Mark Rappaport .... creature effects supervisor
Toby Rosen .... special effects technician
Daveed Shwartz .... matte paintings
Charlie Simunik .... special effects foreman
Chris Starwalt .... motion editor
Patrick Tatopoulos .... creatures designer and supervisor
Christien Tinsley .... creature suit designer/creator: Tinsley Transfers Inc.
Joel Weaver .... special effects technician
Diane Woodhouse .... creature effects shop coordinator: Tinsley Transfers
Robert Woods Jr. .... special effects technician

I robot
Special Effects by
Peter Abrahamson .... robot mechanic: Patrick Tatopoulos Designs Inc.
Victor Aguirre .... video operator: Digital Domain
Yan Allain .... robot digital prototyper
Douglas W. Beard .... special effects technician
Perry Beckham .... special effects rigging supervisor
Jon Dawe .... animatronic designer: Patrick Tatopoulos Designs
A. Scott Hamilton .... special casting: model unit
Guy Himber .... project supervisor: Patrick Tatopoulos Design
Kai Hirvonen .... stunt rigger
Wayne Kennedy .... model lead
Maya Kulenovic .... special effects casting: model unit
Bill Mills .... special effects foreman
Paul Noël .... mechanical special effects designer (as Paul Noel)
Ivo Panayotov .... technical coordinator
Shane Rangi .... special effects facility
Erick Schiele .... lighting effects
Edward M. Sweet .... special effects assistant (as Ted Sweet)
Patrick Tatopoulos .... robot designer
Melanie Tooker .... shop coordinator: Patrick Tatopoulos Designs Inc.
Attila Vaski .... special effects crew
Andrew Verhoeven .... motion base operator
Mike Vézina .... special effects director
Cam Waldbauer .... special effects workshop supervisor (as Cameron Waldbauer)

[Neil]

It's got to be the same effects house! The things looked too alike across the two films!

[Mike70]

here is the special effects credits from imdb:

i am legend
Special Effects

* CIS Hollywood (visual effects)
* Gentle Giant Studios
* Giant Studios (motion capture technology provided by)
* New Deal Studios (visual effects miniatures and photography)
* Patrick Tatopoulos Design
* Proof (pre-visualization)
* Quantum Creation FX (bodies and creature make-up consultation)
* Sony Pictures Imageworks (SPI)
* Svengali Visual Effects (additional visual effects)
* Tatopoulos Studios
* Tinsley Transfers (creature suits)

i robot
Special Effects

* Digital Domain (special visual effects and digital animation)
* Weta Digital (digital visual effects)
* Rainmaker Digital Pictures (visual effects) (as Rainmaker)
* Pixel Magic (visual effects)
* Forum Visual Effects (visual effects) (as Forum Visual Effects/DPS Film Roman)
* Modern VideoFilm (additional visual effects)
* Pixel Liberation Front (pre-visualization)
* Patrick Tatopoulos Design (robot design and fabrication)
* Dave Asling: Miniature Effects (miniatures)
* Grand Unified Theories
* Image Engine Design (pre-visualization)
* Lidar Services (scanning and modeling)
* Motion Analysis Studios (motion capture)
* Tatopoulos Studios


tatopoulos studios is listed on both.

[Khardis]

I went to see this the other night,really enjoyed it as well!very similar to 28 days later (but yes i know the story was written in the 50's so it came even before romeros films)
Only problem i had with it was the extreme over use of CGI,they could have made it much better by using folk in make up to be honest!

THAT story wasn't written in the 50's Mathesons tale was, and Mathesons "I am Legend" was superior on every level than this monumental let down.

[bassman]

I went to see this the other night,really enjoyed it as well!very similar to 28 days later (but yes i know the story was written in the 50's so it came even before romeros films)
Only problem i had with it was the extreme over use of CGI,they could have made it much better by using folk in make up to be honest!

I think that's everyone's complaint. Well....with the exception of people that whine because it's not an exact re-telling of the book.