I Am Legend

Films watched:

I Am Legend


Theatrical version
Not the I am Legend I ordered… poor ending!
5.5/10

Alternative version
Not a true adaptation, but not too bad. Better ending.
7/10

Okay, I have to add a few more words to this.

I Am Legend is one of my favourite books of all time, along with Day of the Triffids and 1984, so I was bound to be critical of this latest movie adaptation (it has also been made twice previously, both poorly). I was however, actually a little surprised to find that I didn’t completely hate it. It differs a lot from the book, but keeps a good few of the themes intact. I couldn’t help but feel that this would have benefited by keeping closer to the novel and also by keeping a lower budget with less big name stars.

What really irks however is that it is quite clear from watching the film that the alternative version (which really is just a different ending) was the original cut, which was likely changed after initial screenings (likely to a group of American kids). The original ending is actually closer in some respect to the book, although a lot less powerful. It also makes a lot more sense than the theatrical version, which really is nothing more than a stupid typical Hollywood ending.

What I have said in the past about this is that I Am Legend is called I Am Legend for a damn good reason… The book is simply fantastic and turns the whole story on it’s head in the last two chapters, whilst also explaining the proper significance of the title. The film (both versions) never properly explains this. The theatrical version tries and makes a botch job of it.

Really, is it that hard to make a proper adaptation of this fantastic novel? Maybe there will be a forth attempt sometime in the future, you never know…

Also, why the hell not just call the mutants vampires… that’s what they are after all!