The book ends with june and day together, running from the law and planning to go to the waterfront to pick up eden before crossing the border and going into colonies territory, which signifies a fresh. I am legend 2007 the basics hopefully all of you know the basic story behind i am legend. Instead of blowing himself and the hemocytes up with a grenade, neville discovers that the hemocytes actually came for the female he captured earlier in the movie. On a morning in january 1976, a man named robert neville walks around his house, carefully checking to see if its wellfortified. Instead of blowing himself and the hemocytes up with a grenade, neville. Both present the spectator with a differentalternative ending, far from what happen in the actual book. For those unaware, let me explain the concept of richard mathesons book to help clarify why this original ending was so amazing to finally see. I am legend alternate ending behind the scenes warner. The final book is called champion, so we just have to hope that this means that day and june will win out at the end. To ask other readers questions about i am legend, please sign up. One of the most influential vampire novels of the 20th century, i am legend regularly appears on the 10 best lists of numerous critical studies of the horror genre. The will smith i am legend once again fails to replicate this ending, but its alternate conclusion is much closer to the books message. I am legends alternate ending wrapped things up way better. Everything wrong with i am legend in 12 minutes or less duration.
The first, the true vampires, are corpses reanimated by vampiris. Yesterday, some intrepid soul posted an alternate i am legend ending to youtube. Why has no movie version of i am legend dared to keep the original. Lu has said that she was inspired by the movie les miserables and sought to recreate the conflict between valjean and javert in a teenage version. He relieves her of the cure and returns her to the hemocytes. I though the book was effectively i am legend and other short stories by richard matheeson. So i just finished i am legend by richard matheson. I am legend is a 1954 postapocalyptic horror novel by american writer richard matheson that. 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. The book s characters realization of their perspective is the whole point of the book. Putting all of that in a movie might not be possible or might not make a good movie, but the alternate ending for this one goes just about as far as it could in one scene. Goodreads helps you keep track of books you want to read.
This man, our protagonist in both the book and film, is robert neville. Differences between i am legend book vs movie page 1. Welcome to the litcharts study guide on richard mathesons i am legend. I am legend study guide from litcharts the creators of. After the initial shock of seeing another human wears off, neville becomes suspicious of ruth and is skeptical of her story. This summary of i am legend includes a complete plot overview spoilers included. Created by the original team behind sparknotes, litcharts are the worlds best literature guides. Sep 06, 2012 last night i finished reading i am legend. As the final lethargy engulfs him, he thinks, i am legend. 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.
In particular, the ending was changed for this version. I am legend is very short, not novel length, only 159 pages long, out of the 312 pages in the book. Jun 04, 2011 but when it comes down to it, is the book really better than the movie. They are humans, both living and undead, who were infected with vampiris. The infected people attack nevilles lab and he hands over the infected female hes been working on to the leader a. I am legends biggest change from the book broke the movie. First hardcover edition of the authors third novel, preceded by the paperback original. Though he has lost his fear of the vampires, these are afraid of him and want him dead. Near fine in an excellent dust jacket that shows only light wear.
Through his perspective, i am legend is a story of hope wrapped in a layer of postapocalyptic turmoil with religious overtones. He then takes a grenade and kills the darkseekers and himself, saving the cure. The rest of the book is a collection of short horror stories and not very good ones either. Now for a topic thats neither divisive nor prone to eliciting irrational anger and awkward discomfort.
This article is about the 2007 movie i am legend based on the book by the same name, written by richard matheson. The novel i am legend 1954, written by american author richard matheson, was adapted for the movie by screenwriters akiva goldsman and mark protosevich. In the original i am legend ending, robert neville discovers that he had captured the significant other of one of the vampires leaders. Although many people werent huge fans of it, i really enjoyed will smiths i am legend when it was released two years ago. I am legend 1010 movie clip alternate ending 2007 hd. In the book, the protagonist turns out to actually be the legend, as opposed to the vampires of myth. January, 1976 i am legend opens with robert neville inspecting his house on a cloudy day. The ending of the film was also altered to portray neville as sacrificing his life to save humanity, rather than being. But after finding my old copy on the shelf downstairs, ive. The novel was a success and was adapted into the films the last man on earth, the omega man, and i am legend. It turns out those changed into vampirelike creatures by the plague have formed their own society and are still mostly intelligent, and view neville as a monster, a kind of boogeyman they fear and loathe due to his killing of their species.
The 2007 film was partially based on the 1971 film as well as the original source. The decision to deviate from mathesons original badass ending to truly engage the audience with a. I am legend and other stories quotes showing of 32 after a while, though, even the deepest sorrow faltered, even the most penetrating despair lost its scalpel edge. They are mostly mindless creatures, searching for blood to drink and even resorting to cannibalism when other prey is scarce. The ending to the alternate theatrical version varies from the original ending. I am legend originally had an ending closer to the books, but that was changed after negative reactions from test audiences. And a tiein comic from dc comics and vertigo comics was created, i am legend. Its a full, polished ending, with complete special effects intact, so im assuming it was ripped from the special features on the imminent dvd. He clutches the pills in his hand and thinks, so long as the end did not come with violence, so long as it did not have to be a butchery. A concise biography of richard matheson plus historical and literary context for i am legend.
It was also an inspiration behind night of the living dead. It was based on a book on the same name which was released in the 50s. The ending in the book is completly diffrent the movie because they are diffrent stories. I know that hollywood often likes to sugarcoat stories as audiences often react badly to pessimism e. Is there an i am legend movie that actually preserves.
Neville comes across a seemingly uninfected woman, ruth, abroad in the daylight and captures her. In the book nevellie is given pills so he doesnt feel pain when executed by the infected who are fighting the infection to understand more go to read the plot and it will explain the whole book. Lets take a look at what actually happens at the end of it. But i went into reading i am legend knowing the ending, knowing the twist. Youtube has the ending of the movie i am legend, as it was originally planned. With that in mind, what some feel is a confusing ending becomes far more clear when you understand nevilles personal journey. Matheson wrote the original screenplay for this adaptation, but due to later rewrites did not wish his name to. In fact, the movie went through massive reshoots before finally being.
Litcharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in i am legend, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work. Jun 25, 20 i am meant to be writing a blog about how i am legend, by the late, immensely great, richard matheson, is the king of vampire novels. As he does so, something darkly amusing occurs to him. Another big part of the i am legend book thats never been adapted faithfully is its ending, which sees neville commit suicide rather than be executed for his apparent crimes. I am legend author richard matheson was himself a real legend. However, that wasnt the original ending of i am legend, as when the film hit. I didnt like the original endings twist on the legend aspect because of how cool the book ending was. I am legend is named vampire novel of the century books. Mathesons source material had done with its own overall plot. She then states in a voice over that neville sacrificed himself for humanity and that because of his cure humanity was able to rebuild, establishing his legend. Like many book to film conversions, the screenplay differed from the book. In legend, the first of a trilogy, both of the main characters are definitely famousthough for very different reasons.
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. 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. It had several short stories at the end that were unrelated to the original book. I am legend is a post apocalyptic vision by richard matheson, created in 1954 it tells the story of robert neville, the last surviving human in the world, surrounded by bloodthirsty vampires both living and undead. As richard mathesons third novel, it was first marketed as science fiction for although written in 1954, the story takes place in a future 1976. It is the first book in the legend trilogy, followed by prodigy and champion. Half way through the book just when it was getting somewhat interesting, i realized it was actually the ending of i am legend and the rest are all short horror stories, which are unfortunately quite awful. Richard mathesons i am legend is a masterpiece of horror that has spawned three film adaptations, none of which have quite captured the essence of what makes this book. See the alternate ending for i am legend that was too.
Is there any movie based on the i am legend novel by richard matheson that shares the same ending to the book. Were considering expanding this synopsis into a fulllength study guide to deepen your comprehension of the book and why its important. Darkseekers are vampires in the 2007 film adaption, i am legend. In the end, he confirms that he is the last man of his race, and at his death, he will be a legend, as vampires are now.
He checks the planks and boards that hes hammered in front of all the windows, and. Legend is a 2011 dystopian young adult novel written by american author marie lu. The books characters realization of their perspective is the whole point of the book. Years ago, you see, my husband had wanted to talk about the book, probably when the most recent adaptation to movie form had come out, and i am well known for not reading horror, so it wasnt an unreasonable assumption that i would never read this. This version of i am legend is the third movie adaptation of mathesons novel. Spoilers its not a bad movie, and it does have a certain charm. The story stops annoyingly suddenly, as if the rest of it has been missed off. Blogger adam katz sent me the link because of the book vs. The original book that led to the movies last man on earth, the omega man and i am legend and have i missed any. I am legend 2007 alternate ending as discussed by first showing and film, the alternate ending for i am legend is a better representation of the source material. Smith does a great job as robert neville, the protagonist, and despite some completely unnecessary cgi characters that looked old after a couple of years, its quite a pretty and w. But when it comes down to it, is the book really better than the movie. I am legend read online free from your pc or mobile. The two earlier films are the last man on earth 1964 and the omega man 1971.
I am legends alternate ending wrapped things up way. Differences between i am legend book vs movie page 2. The son of the original books author, richard christian matheson, also collaborated on the project. Alternate i am legend ending is far superior screen rant. I am legends alternate ending explained in the theatrical cut of i am legend, nevilles house is stormed by the vampires, right as he finally discovers a cure for their condition. Whats the difference between i am legend the book and i am legend the movie. Nov 19, 2012 somehow immune to an unstoppable, incurable virus, military virologist robert neville smith is now the last human survivor in new york city and maybe the world. Later adapted to film as the last man on earth in 1964, as the omega man in 1971, and as i am legend in 2007. This alternate ending to i am legend is imho far superior to the abrupt version in the theatrical release, and fits in better with something that happens in the film about midway through. Is there an i am legend movie that actually preserves the. I am legend isnt particularly long either, hardly even novel length. The first says, man, its just a badass vampire book.
I am legend characters from litcharts the creators of. I am legend is a novel by richard matheson in which robert neville struggles to survive as the sole remaining human in a world overrun by vampires robert neville is the only. Set in 1977, the omega man depicts the story of robert neville the same character used in both the original book and i am legend living in. I am legend director reveals he wished he had been more faithful to original story 7 horror movies to watch on hulu this weekend april 10th blumhouse productions enacting layoffs, pay cuts. Apr 03, 2012 i am legend is named vampire novel of the century. Without spoiling too much incase you want to read it, the entire purpose of the title i am legend is that in the book, robert neville actually is the last man on the planet.
There have been rumors that the ending to i am legend wasnt the only way theyd planned for the movie to turn out. Neville draws a vial of her blood and gives it to anna, before shutting ethan and her inside a coal chute in the back of the lab. How i am legends ending is different in the book screen rant. While those infected with kv who survive it develop primal behaviour upon succumbing to the virus and becoming a darkseeker, they do. He then realizes that his attempts to cure the monsters looked less like medical research and more like torture. 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. Usually the book is really good and people will warn each other about the movie not being as good, but this is the total opposite. Tim the book plotline is so different from the movie, i didnt really have a hard time with it. The alternate ending to i am legend where they respect him and growl at him in an acknowledging way is odd and feels out of place. There are two camps when it comes to discussing the issue of race in mathesons book. However, that wasnt the original ending of i am legend, as when the film hit home video in 2008, it came with the controversial alternate ending that brought us here today. I think its just a collection of short stories with the headliner being the most famous.
While his friends and family become vampires while his friends and family become vampires. I am legend is named vampire novel of the century this article is more than 8 years old richard mathesons 1954 novel bats off competition from anne rices interview with. Which is about as close as i am legend gets to the book. I am legend and other stories quotes by richard matheson. Its a full, polished ending, with complete special effects intact, so i m assuming it was ripped from the special features on the imminent dvd. Jul 04, 20 i assume you are referring to the 2007 film starring will smith and the controversial original ending special feature on the dvd release. The project drew upon collaboration from bill sienkiewicz, screenwriter mark protosevich, and author orson scott card. Book readers and fans of the miniseries will know that stan uris isnt going to healinside or. The son of the original book s author, richard christian matheson, also collaborated on. I am legend arrives on dvd march 18th and one of the bonus features is the films darker original ending, which we think is much better than the reshot one they ultimately went with.