I Am Legend

Moonwynd · Post by **Moonwynd** » July 4, 2007, 10:08 pm

Great book - and now a high budget movie. Looks like an interesting take on the story.

http://www.apple.com/trailers/wb/iamlegend/

If you have read the book you may have a hard time picturing Will Smith as Neville. Of course it looks like they threw most of the original plot out the window and tailored it to a movie going audience.

Midnyte_Ragebringer · Post by **Midnyte_Ragebringer** » July 5, 2007, 12:02 am

So this isn't at all related to I Am Robot?

Psyloche · Post by **Psyloche** » July 18, 2007, 3:26 pm

I finally got around to reading that short story (short novel?) and I really liked it. After having read it and watching the trailer, I'm not so sure I'll like the movie. There are slight changes that really bothered me for some reason. I'll have to reread the story again to make sure I didn't just skim over some details in the story that were added in the movie.

Fairweather Pure · Post by **Fairweather Pure** » July 18, 2007, 3:41 pm

This was already made once btw. It was called Omega Man and starred Charlten Heston.

Moonwynd · Post by **Moonwynd** » July 18, 2007, 6:30 pm

Fairweather Pure wrote:This was already made once btw. It was called Omega Man and starred Charlten Heston.

It was made into a movie twice.

The Last Man on Earth in 1964 - it was an awful movie.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0058700/

Kaldaur · Post by **Kaldaur** » October 25, 2007, 6:04 pm

I'm looking forward to it as well, Funk.

Sparty · Post by **Sparty** » October 26, 2007, 5:14 pm

I share an office with a guy who has been working this film. Hes making a lot of the zombie/vampire thingies. They look pretty damn cool. They've put a lot of time into the animation of these things as well. Think of super hero type movements.
Im not a big Will Smith fan, but this one might be alright. I enjoyed the previous 2 films based on the short story.

My name is Sparty

Canelek · Post by **Canelek** » October 26, 2007, 6:48 pm

My MOVIE REVIEW

The movie, I am Legend, is about a lone man who wakes up after spending several years in a coma. There is a nurse who shaves his beard and she is Brittish. In a miracle-type of event, the lone man wakes up and remembers how he got in the coma.

The man is FURIOUS and decides to train really really hard to exact revenge on the underworld mob-type thugs. The man knows aikido and can lay the assstomp on anyone who crosses his path. My favorite is the CLOTHESLINE. Part of his rehab included acupuncture and incense. After a brief montage, the man was ready to fight, fight for his losses!

the man also has a ponytail.

Nick · Post by **Nick** » October 27, 2007, 4:14 pm

Could have been a great film, unfortunately they picked Will Smith for the lead, which is retarded, and as such, this will probably end up being rubbish.

Aslanna · Post by **Aslanna** » October 27, 2007, 4:23 pm

Nick wrote:Could have been a great film, unfortunately they picked Will Smith for the lead, which is retarded, and as such, this will probably end up being rubbish.

Probably. Because we all know films suck solely based on the actors chosen. Everytime.

noel · Post by **noel** » October 27, 2007, 4:39 pm

Nick wrote:The Matrix (1) could have been a great film, unfortunately they picked Keanu Reeves for the lead, which is retarded, and as such, this will probably end up being rubbish.

Changed your quote here to prove Aslanna's point.

Spang · Post by **Spang** » October 27, 2007, 4:41 pm

Ironically, Will Smith turned down the role of Neo.

noel · Post by **noel** » October 27, 2007, 4:53 pm

That is ironic. Thanks, I didn't know that.

I wonder if Morpheus would have still been played by Lawrence Fishburne if Neo had also been an African-American. I thought he was really good in that role.

Nick · Post by **Nick** » October 27, 2007, 8:55 pm

I'm really sorry Aslanna for pointing out that I didn't like Will Smith, I didn't realise it would provoke such a ridiculously pissy response. Apologies once again.

noel · Post by **noel** » October 27, 2007, 9:03 pm

There are so many thin-skinned, whiney bitches on this message board anymore. Is it totally impossible for some of you to say something like...

Good point, I hadn't thought of that.

Her response was barely prissy.

Nick · Post by **Nick** » October 27, 2007, 9:18 pm

I would say that if I thought it had any relevance. As it stands, I think Will Smith is crap, god forbid, and wouldn't go and see a film with him in it, because it's a virtual certainty that it would be fucking lame.

By all means disagree and spend your money on him if you want.

And I'm not thin skinned you fuck!

Aslanna · Post by **Aslanna** » October 27, 2007, 9:18 pm

Nick wrote:I'm really sorry Aslanna for pointing out that I didn't like Will Smith, I didn't realise it would provoke such a ridiculously pissy response. Apologies once again.

What noel said.

To clarify: I don't care if you like him or not. What I was pointing out was that it's retarded to dismiss a movie simply based on who is in it. If my response was seen as "ridiculously pissy" you have some sensitivty issues.

noel · Post by **noel** » October 27, 2007, 9:28 pm

I'm not saying Will Smith is or isn't a bad actor. I'm just saying it's possible for a good director and good movie to get the best out of a mediocre/bad actor (ala Keanu Reeves).

Nick · Post by **Nick** » October 27, 2007, 9:42 pm

If my response was seen as "ridiculously pissy" you have some sensitivty issues.

It has fuck all to with "sensitivity issues", I was being as sarcastic as you were

Kwonryu DragonFist · Post by **Kwonryu DragonFist** » October 28, 2007, 2:11 am

Looks like a cool movie with some "vampire-action".

Fairweather Pure · Post by **Fairweather Pure** » October 29, 2007, 1:24 pm

I'm a little worried why the previews show nothing about the vampires other than hints. It seems it is being advertised as a "last man on earth" type of movie. I think people will be a little surprised to see vampires running around at night while Will Smith hangs garlic and mirrors around his apartment and makes stakes to drive through the hearts of vampires during the day.

I do think it looks decent, but only because I'm already familiar with the story.

Post by **Sylvus** » October 29, 2007, 1:30 pm

It's vampires, or zombies?

Fairweather Pure · Post by **Fairweather Pure** » October 29, 2007, 1:35 pm

Vampires. Complete with "they only come out at night", "they hate garlic and mirrors", and "they're killed with wooden stakes through the heart".

The only thing they have in common with the hollywood zombie is that they are pretty stupid. ie: they lack problem solving abilities and kind of just bash thier hands on boarded up windows instead of grabbing a hammer and taking it apart.

It's all explained in the book and other films, but the current trailer isn't even giving decent hints to those that don't already know the story. I would be thinking zombies based on the trailer as well.

Moonwynd · Post by **Moonwynd** » October 29, 2007, 2:51 pm

Actually, the latest trailer gives some pretty good inferences as to the vampire theme - they show the protaganist working out in the morning - they have him saying, "I will be at the South Street Seaport midday when the sun is highest in the sky" - then at night they show him having to "survive".

I think people who are fans of the book are going to like the movie (although it isn't staying true to the book by any means) - I think people who are not familiar with the book are going to see it based on the trailer and previews regardless as to what kind of *monsters* are in the movie.

The book is about 310 pages or so - it reads very, very fast. You should read it if you haven't done so before. This book single handedly got me started on the road to reading tons of post apocalyptic stories and novels.

Hesten · Post by **Hesten** » October 29, 2007, 3:26 pm

Just after this last post actually connected the trailer with the graphic novel, the trailer dont even hint anything about what the movie is really about.
Well, maybe theyre going for the Matrix effect, with not telling anyone anything from the trailer, but just show action...without the action part that is.

Bubba Grizz · Post by **Bubba Grizz** » November 5, 2007, 1:35 pm

I've seen both the Omega Man and Last Man on Earth and I really enjoyed both. I am hoping that this new movie will not end the same way the others did. There was a comic book when I was a kid that would make a really good movie I think, Planet of the Vampires. I think Winnow could find the covers for those. I believe it was a short series.

Personally I like Will Smith and enjoy pretty much all of his movies. I can however see Nick's point about not liking an actor enough not to go see a movie starring that actor. I feel the same way about Jim Carey. I won't go see movies that star this person. I did however like him as the Riddler. Everything else I pretty much just don't like or haven't seen because he is in it. Is it close minded? Sure but I don't care.

Aslanna · Post by **Aslanna** » November 5, 2007, 1:39 pm

Bubba Grizz wrote:Personally I like Will Smith and enjoy pretty much all of his movies. I can however see Nick's point about not liking an actor enough not to go see a movie starring that actor. I feel the same way about Jim Carey. I won't go see movies that star this person. I did however like him as the Riddler. Everything else I pretty much just don't like or haven't seen because he is in it. Is it close minded? Sure but I don't care.

That's not really what he was saying. He didn't say he wouldn't see it because Will Smith was in there he said it would "probably end up being rubbish" due to who they picked as the lead. Which isn't the same thing at all.

miir · Post by **miir** » November 5, 2007, 1:49 pm

Just reading the book on the streetcar to and from work, I finished it in a few days last week.
I really enjoyed it.
I'll definately be seeing this movie.

Post by **Sylvus** » November 5, 2007, 2:04 pm

I saw the full trailer in the theater last night for the first time, and it definitely looks very different from the book.

Granted, I expected they'd have to do quite a bit to update it from 1950's post-apocalyptic, dystopian future to that of the present-day, but it looks like some basic plot elements have been changed pretty heavily.

That said, it still looks like a movie I will very much enjoy.

Funkmasterr · Post by **Funkmasterr** » December 12, 2007, 12:45 pm

I am amazed there haven't been any posts about this.. There were already a few girls in the aisle next to mine at work bitching about how bad it was (compared to the book) yesterday, I totally expected to see something here.

Boogahz · Post by **Boogahz** » December 12, 2007, 12:50 pm

I think everyone here was already resigned to the fact that it would not be like the book...

Funkmasterr · Post by **Funkmasterr** » December 12, 2007, 12:55 pm

Oh I understand that.. I think it is unfair that people always set a movie to the book standards, you just can't do it.. I was just saying I thought there would be some kind of comment about it here by now.

Boogahz · Post by **Boogahz** » December 12, 2007, 1:08 pm

I personally added it to my "will see on DVD list." I'll let y'all know what I thought when it arrives

Funkmasterr · Post by **Funkmasterr** » December 12, 2007, 1:12 pm

Haha yeah, I think I will wait for that too. It takes a lot to get me to see a movie in the theater nowadays, it's too damn expensive

Canelek · Post by **Canelek** » December 12, 2007, 1:41 pm

Didn't realize this is out. Will make sure to see it even though it won't be as good as the book!

miir · Post by **miir** » December 13, 2007, 10:03 am

It's oficially out tomorrow.

Funkmasterr · Post by **Funkmasterr** » December 13, 2007, 11:35 am

miir wrote:It's oficially out tomorrow.

Ah, must have been a screener or something.

noel · Post by **noel** » December 15, 2007, 2:31 am

I just got back from seeing this.

First of all, Will Smith was REALLY, REALLY good. There as absolutely nothing that any other actor could have done that would have been better. He was incredible.

The movie itself is really good as well. Perhaps if you haven't read the book it's more difficult to follow or something, but I thought it was great. It is an adaptation, so it doesn't follow the movie completely, but it captures the spirit of the movie quite well.

About the only bad thing I could say about the movie would be to say that some of the effects didn't look great, but at no time did it bother me.

Summary: If you liked the book, this is a good adaptation in which Will Smith plays Robert Neville quite well.

Sartori · Post by **Sartori** » December 15, 2007, 3:55 am

You mean it doesn't follow ze book completely yo
Anyways, having never read the book...I like it, although it was kinda slow paced, and I agree on the effects. When it did pick up it was pretty tense in a good way. Hoping they do at least as good with World War Z if not better.

Kaldaur · Post by **Kaldaur** » December 15, 2007, 2:27 pm

Having read the book, I went in knowing it would be nothing like the book. With that said, I loved the movie.

[Show]: I knew as soon as Will Smith said that dogs only get the contact virus that Sam was going to die. Didn't stop me from crying like a baby when she did. And the way she protected Neville against three zombie-dogs, and then he had to suffocate her? Good Lord, I was weeping.

noel · Post by **noel** » December 15, 2007, 3:07 pm

Kaldaur wrote:Having read the book, I went in knowing it would be nothing like the book. With that said, I loved the movie.

[Show]
I knew as soon as Will Smith said that dogs only get the contact virus that Sam was going to die. Didn't stop me from crying like a baby when she did. And the way she protected Neville against three zombie-dogs, and then he had to suffocate her? Good Lord, I was weeping.

[Show]: Yeah that was many times worse than if she'd even just died. I had to hug my two yellow labs when I got home to cheer myself up.

redeemed · Post by **redeemed** » December 17, 2007, 6:33 am

I liked the movie, and even though I expected it to be different from the novella I felt let down by some of the missing elements

[Show]: especially the fact that the woman he met wasn't some new breed of infected but a "good guy" that changed the outcome in a completely different way ..

reading the last paragraph or so of the story verses watching the movie ending -- totally different feeling, preferred the read, but the film was good ;p

Winnow · Post by **Winnow** » December 17, 2007, 2:15 pm

The movie was OK overall but a few points bothered me enough to impact my enjoyment of the movie that may have made more sense if you read the book:

[Show]: I found it hard to believe that the woman, with a young kid in tow, rescued Robert Neville in the middle of the night in a huge city she wasn't familiar with. After this amazing, timely rescue in the middle of the night, when any survivor (that wasn't suicidal as Will Smith was at the time) would be locked up waiting for daylight, she managed to take Neville back to his home (how did she know where it was and she also had to get there in the middle of the night?) and then the following morning was cooking breakfast like she owned the place, as calm as can be.

The whole introduction of the woman didn't seem to flow well for me.

-----

The grenade that Will Smith killed himself with at the end must have been some sort of super grenade from the future to cause that big of an explosion. With the vamp things having gained access to the house/lab (which is out of the sunlight) why wouldn't they wait there for the woman and child to come out? I didn't get a good look at what the woman and child crawled into but was it a safe? I did't see a way to open it again from the inside.

Fairweather Pure · Post by **Fairweather Pure** » December 17, 2007, 2:29 pm

This movie beat Return of the King for best seasonal opening weekend. It made about 25 million more than the studio' best expectations.

I was a little suprised to read that.

I'll buy it but won't go to a theater to see it. Fewer and fewer movies actually draw me to sit in the theater these days.

Aardor · Post by **Aardor** » December 17, 2007, 2:40 pm

Fairweather Pure wrote:This movie beat Return of the King for best seasonal opening weekend. It made about 25 million more than the studio' best expectations.

I was a little suprised to read that.

I'll buy it but won't go to a theater to see it. Fewer and fewer movies actually draw me to sit in the theater these days.

Wow, I can't believe that true, but that's just because I have never been more excited for a movie tan RotK. I am hoping to see I am Legend this week, all the reviews I have gotten from people I have some relation with (so this board/friends who saw it) have been positive.

Winnow · Post by **Winnow** » December 17, 2007, 2:44 pm

I can believe the big box office numbers. This movie has been marketed/pumped in a huge way for the last six months.

Fash · Post by **Fash** » December 17, 2007, 2:44 pm

Ouch... why did I read that spoiler tag. I am an idiot

Psyloche · Post by **Psyloche** » December 17, 2007, 5:54 pm

Winnow wrote:The movie was OK overall but a few points bothered me enough to impact my enjoyment of the movie that may have made more sense if you read the book:

[Show]
I found it hard to believe that the woman, with a young kid in tow, rescued Robert Neville in the middle of the night in a huge city she wasn't familiar with. After this amazing, timely rescue in the middle of the night, when any survivor (that wasn't suicidal as Will Smith was at the time) would be locked up waiting for daylight, she managed to take Neville back to his home (how did she know where it was and she also had to get there in the middle of the night?) and then the following morning was cooking breakfast like she owned the place, as calm as can be.

The whole introduction of the woman didn't seem to flow well for me.

-----

The grenade that Will Smith killed himself with at the end must have been some sort of super grenade from the future to cause that big of an explosion. With the vamp things having gained access to the house/lab (which is out of the sunlight) why wouldn't they wait there for the woman and child to come out? I didn't get a good look at what the woman and child crawled into but was it a safe? I did't see a way to open it again from the inside.

[Show]: Yes, the ending seemed so fucking slapped together with a zillion holes in it. To be honest, I was actually OK with most of the changes up til near the end. I was actually not sure if they were going to follow the book's ending because she still could have been a plant and would have made much more sense to me if they had stuck to the original story with how they introduced her.

The grenade he used was also pretty stupid, I have no idea what he put them in, but I imagine they were going for a bomb shelter/panic room wtf I don't know. At that point in the movie, I was already just like... whatever. I really think that they could have held true to the book with almost all of the movie up until the point where that girl and her son come.

I made fun of Will Smith as a serious role for a while, but I actually think he did alright here. Best part of the movie was the dog, saddest part of the movie, also the dog.

Edit: I also just reread what you wrote Winnow, if you haven't read the story, the ending is entirely different and much better. Considering you probably read at a healthy speed, I'd suggest picking it up off here or something because the movie's ending really didn't do it justice imo.

Aslanna · Post by **Aslanna** » December 17, 2007, 7:17 pm

US Totals:

Weekend Chart RecordDate Rank Theaters Total Gross Days

I Am Legend - 12/14/2007 1 3,606 $76,535,000 3

Return of the King - 12/19/2003 1 3,703 $73,282,370 3

So pretty similar figures. IAL did make 3 million more with 100 fewer theatres. Could be inflation though!

Regardless, I'm sure it's pure rubbish because they cast Will Smith. Even though most of the reviews I've read, while not all glowing, usually state his performance was the best part of the movie.

(I'd much rather see the ability to embed tables here than stupid videos! That would actually be something useful.)

noel · Post by **noel** » December 17, 2007, 7:42 pm

Aslanna wrote:Regardless, I'm sure it's pure rubbish because they cast Will Smith. Even though most of the reviews I've read, while not all glowing, usually state his performance was the best part of the movie.