The rest of the book is a collection of short horror stories and not very good ones either. The 2007 film was partially based on the 1971 film as well. The novel was a success and was adapted into the films the last man on earth, the omega man, and i am legend. 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 film, i am legend is a postapocalyptic science fiction film directed by francis lawrence and starring will smith. The margos are back and ready to get a little postapocalyptic with the 1954 classic novella i am legend from prolific storyteller richard matheson.
This film is actually the third adaptation of richard mathesons novel of the same name from 1954. Stories similar to i am legend books, stories, and novels like i am legend by richard matheson. We see manhattan three years after a deadly virus has killed every healthy human on the island, except one. How i am legends ending is different in the book screen. I am legend is a 1954 postapocalyptic horror novel by american writer richard matheson that. Richard mathesons 1954 novel i am legend, though not a massive success when first published, grew over time to be an influential piece of. In mathesons vampire classic i am legend, a plague has decimated the world and transformed the unfortunate survivors into bloodthirsty creatures of the night. The story was very interesting and is a good, short read. The film i am legend, based on the novel written by richard matheson in 1954, starred will smith, and was released a mere six years following the attacks in new york city. To ask other readers questions about i am legend, please sign up. Books that perform well based on their reader engagement are published by inkitt in different formats and channels. I am legend film analysis essay 1227 words bartleby.
The two earlier films are the last man on earth 1964 and the omega man 1971. There are 3 movies that i know of that are based on this book. 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. And yet the core characteristics of the nightwalkers in the 2007 film are relatively true to one strand of what we see in the 1950s story.
Of course, i had seen the movie, and i was intrigued when someone said the book was nothing like it. The story stops annoyingly suddenly, as if the rest of it has been missed off. Book vs movie i am legend the richard matheson novel vs. There are two camps when it comes to discussing the issue of race in mathesons book. I am legend truly is a great story, deserving of all the accolades and an inspired source of all the horror genre influence over the past 60 years, including stephen king. The film provides a unique comparison of an apocalyptic event to the post. I am legend written by richard matheson 1557 words cram. The movie stars will smith as virologist robert neville, the apparent sole uninfected survivor in a postapocalyptic version of new york city where. 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. With will smith, alice braga, charlie tahan, salli richardsonwhitfield. This version of i am legend is the third movie adaptation of mathesons novel. Taking care of the movies first, the best adaptation of this 1954 novel was 1971s the omega man. I find it refreshing that it was so different than the movie and also hollywood, wtf. As a vampire novel, the touchstone for am legend is, without a doubt, bram stokers dracula a novel which matheson mentions more than once over the course of the book.
He was named a grand master of horror by the world horror convention, and received the bram stoker award for lifetime achievement. Finally, unlike the movie, when you read the very last sentence to fully understand why its titled, i am legend. 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. Is the movie i am legend based on a book yahoo answers.
Stephen king matheson is one of the great names in. Set in 1977, two years after biological warfare wiped out the entire world population, except. Years after a plague kills most of humanity and transforms the rest into monsters, the sole survivor in new york city struggles valiantly to find a cure in this postapocalyptic action thriller. I am legend study guide from litcharts the creators of.
Richard matheson 192620 was the new york times bestselling author of i am legend, hell house, somewhere in time, the incredible shrinking man, now you see it, and what dreams may come, among others. To complicate things, due to a bacteria there are now vampires running amok who know where he lives. I am legend film, the 2007 film based on the 1954 novel. The 1956 i am legend book is a vampire story inspired by dracula. You probably have some vague notion that the new will smith viral apocalypse flick i am legend is based on another movie from 1971 called omega man. The book has inspired at least two other films, the last man on earth starring vincent price and the omega man starring charlton heston. I enjoyed how matheson brought seemingly uninteresting events to life, which made the book much more enjoyable. I remember enjoying the movie the omega man with charlton heston when i was young.
It is the third film based on a book whose original impulse was to oneup the screen vampires of an earlier era. The last man on earth 1964, the omega man 1971, i am legend 2007. Matheson this is technically a collection of short stories, but i am legend is the centerpiece, masterpiece, main event, etc. When i say that richard mathesons 1954 classic scifi vampire apocalypse novel i am legend given the vampire novel of the century award. It was also an inspiration behind night of the living dead. Stokers 1897 gothic horror novel tells the story of the evil count dracula, a vampire who sucks the blood of his victims. Books that have cozy feelings cabins, comfortable apartments, gardens, winter snow storms or long days of. Miles better than that horrible remake that has very little to do with the original source material. He stops by a house, carrying his wooden stake and mallet, and finds a woman whos asleep in her bedroomhe deduces that this woman is a living vampirea human being whos suffering from the vampire plague, but who hasnt actually died. I am legend is very short, not novel length, only 159 pages long, out of the 312 pages in the book. I had not realized this was written in 1954 until someone mentioned it. By day he hunts the vampires and kills them while they sleep, by night he inebriates himself and holes up in his house. Learn am legend book with free interactive flashcards.
I am legend is one of my favorite stories and to finally get all four issues in one graphic novel is the bees knees. 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. Lesser films were the last man on earth 1964 and i am legend 2007. One more thing, when i saw the movie i thought wow, the infected people are kind of. The streets are overgrown with weeds, cars are abandoned, the infrastructure is beginning to collapse. The first says, man, its just a badass vampire book. 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. The omega man is a science fiction thriller based on the 1954 novel i am legend by 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. Ive seen two other film versions of the book, the last man on earth. Its an intriguing moment of the complexity of influences. Here we have to talk movies and television as well as books. The successes and failures in adapting i am legend film inquiry.
The last man on earth was written by furio monetti, ubaldo ragona, and william leicester, directed by sidney salkow and ubaldo ragona, and released by. But actually both of those movies were based on a dark, angry book called i am legend, published in 1954 by richard matheson. Despite the book s popularity in hollywood, neither those first two adaptations nor this most recent one have been completely faithful to. Choose from 500 different sets of am legend book flashcards on quizlet. Naturally, i wanted to read the book that they were both based on. I am legend vs the last man on earth vs omega man vs i am. I am legend was written by richard matheson, and published by gold medal books, 1954. The opening scenes of i am legend have special effects so good that they just about compensate for some later special effects that are dicey. Richard mathesons i am legend is a short story about a man named robert neville, the last living human on the planet. It has a few other short stories by matheson, but i only read 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 modern zombie horror genre entire, introducing many of its core themes well before. The fine press limited edition of i am legend by richard matheson is presented in three states.
I am legend is based on a 1954 richard matheson scifi novel of the same name. I am legend is a post apocalyptic vision by richard matheson, created in 1954 it tells the story of robert neville, the last surviving human in the world, surrounded by bloodthirsty vampires both living and undead. Ive seen two other film versions of the book, the last man on earth starring vincent price and the omega man starring charlton heston. The books characters realization of their perspective is the whole point of the book. If, like this writer, you already own a wellthumbed paperback of i am legend, this deluxe edition is a worthy upgrade. Influencing great modern horror writers like stephen king, its one that will stick with you. Yes, its based on the book of the same name, i am legend. Spoilers its not a bad movie, and it does have a certain charm. Blending aspects of horror within a science fiction setting, the book is based in the relative future of 1976 but apart from the date there are no. I dont like vampire novels much, so i wasnt planning to read richard mathesons classic vampire story i am legend which was published in 1954, is also known by the title the omega man, and is, of course, the basis for the movie i am legend. Looking for another apocalyptic book that is a quick and fun read. Neville drives away from the cemetery, still excited with his discovery that sunlight kills the vampires, or at least some vampires. 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. I only managed to get through the first 100 pages or so.
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