Day 2 is The Omega Man, released in 1971. It stars Charlton Heston and Anthony Zerbe and is based on the 1954 novel I am Legend by Richard Matheson.
The Omega Man is the 2nd film adaptation of the story, the 1st being 1964's The Last Man on Earth starring Vincent Price. The 3rd being I am Legend in 2007. I know it comes as a surprise since it's black & white, but I've actually seen the 1964 film.
The basic story is that some disaster has taken place, which kills most of the world's population, leaves some as some sort of monstrous creature that is highly sensitive to light, and very very few unaffected. Dr. Robert Neville (Robert Morgan, in the case of Price) is an army doctor who is for some reason immune to the disaster and now lives completely alone in a ruined city, surrounded by the monstrous "others" trying to find a cure for the affliction and save humanity. However, the others are just as intelligent and have formed their own society in the ruins of our society. I am Legend is one of the classic examples of the "The real monster is us" idea that often shows up in some of the more adventurous horror that attempts to have societal commentary
There are various differences between the 3 representations of the character being doctor or eradicator in various proportions. It's also very interesting how each treats the others, but I'd like to keep this short.
The movie is solid, but plays as action/survival and less horror. Unfortunately, this focus on action makes Omega Man the least interesting in the group. Any and all moral ambiguity is gone, it just comes down to Heston as "Good" vs. the "Evil" leader of the others, Matthias. Heston represents the modern world, technology, electricity, artificial light, guns and Matthias represents a movement deliberately away from these modern ideals. Add in a sprinkling of 70's era racial dynamic ("honky paradise" is one of the funniest lines in this movie) and you've got the movie. There's nothing to think about, it's just Heston vs. Matthias and Heston's eventual downfall as brought about by the fact the he helps the rag-tag jive-talkin' survivors and some of them betray him.
It's definitely entertaining, but for my money I think I am Legend with Will Smith tells the story best. It's just as fun to watch as Omega Man, but focuses more on drama and horror. It's got some very excellent creepy moments when Neville questions his sanity, some very good emotional moments with Neville and his dog, and some very good action moments. It's just more well rounded than the others.
Omega Man isn't a bad movie, and definitely worth watching on its own. It's just a bit flat compared to the other two. It offers a much stronger cult than The Order did.
Next up is The Believers (1987).
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment