I Am Legend

[FLAME_ON]

I was reading the article about I Am Legend's major Brooklyn Bridge scene. (which you can find here (http://www.joblo.com/legend-spends-big) or here (http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20070424/film_nm/newyork_legend_dc)) And it occurred to me that this is about the only news I've heard about this movie and it has supposedly wrapped filming (for a couple weeks now).
How's everyone feeling about the movie? :confused:

[Tuukka]

I'm looking forward to it. I didn't care that much for Constantine, but my problems were with the script. It was well directed. Smith is a good actor. This is a 150 million epic end-of-the-world vampire action movie.

Sounds cool to me.

I read an earlier draft of the script a year or so ago. It was quite good, and should make a fun movie. It didn't have that much to do with the original novel besides premise, but I don't care. I'll be happy as long as the movie works as a movie, which I think it has a good chance of doing.

[DareDevil]

Seems like a lot of recent high profile blockbusters have had expensive scenes with bridges, X-men 3, MI:3, FF, even the 1st Spider-man.

As for I Am Legend, the movie lost a lot of credibility when Johnny Depp dropped out, I'll wait for 1st trailer before I start to get excited.

[echo_bravo]

Ugh

Depp dropped out???

Wasnt aware of that.:(

[electriclite]

I'm kinda curious about the flick since one of my friends got to do PA work on the film for 2 weekends.


I just hope they don't make it some dumb action extravaganza like I Robot was.

[Tyler_Durden_208]

Originally posted by electriclite
I'm kinda curious about the flick since one of my friends got to do PA work on the film for 2 weekends.


I just hope they don't make it some dumb action extravaganza like I Robot was.
Well... Sorry, but from everything I've read so far, that's what this movie screams to me. I mean, I have no problem with that, I liked I, Robot, but on the other hand, I don't think I can stand a bastardization of one of my favorite books. (I think The Omega Man and The Last Man on Earth adapted it successfully in their own ways.)

[thedudeman69]

I think this might underpeform. I mean a budget of 150? whoa.

[adamjohnson]

I piss on this movie.

Three adaptations, and not one is like the book. Bah!

[EVILxxx]

Fuck this movie and it's mutant zombies.

They are VAMPIRES.

[outsyder]

At least the other adaptations had the courtesy enough to use a different name then the book they were 'basing' it on.

Fucking Hollywood.

[EVILxxx]

Originally posted by outsyder
At least the other adaptations had the courtesy enough to use a different name then the book they were 'basing' it on.

Fucking Hollywood.

Excellent point. I wouldn't have such a problem with the movie had they not changed the original story so much yet keep the title. The novel is perfection, and now if they want to do a true adaption with the same title it will be dubbed a remake.

[DareDevil]

I wonder if Will Smith will say "OH HELLLL NA!!!!" ?

[Tuukka]

Originally posted by electriclite
I just hope they don't make it some dumb action extravaganza like I Robot was.

As far as action movies go, I Robot was much smarter than most.

On another note, I always thought it was weird how some people were upset that I Robot wasn't loyal to the book. I guess that most of them probably hadn't read the book and were unaware of the fact that it's essentially a collection of short stories. Expecting the movie to be a collection of short movies would have been just silly.

And even in the opening credits the filmmakers made very clear that the film was INSPIRED by the writings of Asimov. It didn't even pretend to be a loyal adaptation of the book.

But for a Hollywood action movie it was smart. And it was stylish, well directed, well acted, and thematically stayed in tune with Asimov's writings. And Sonny was a fucking awesome character both in terms of writing and execution. Sure it had some flaws, the main ones being the cartoony car chase and a motivation for the scientists death which wasn't really that logical (I've watched the film three times).

A seriously underrated movie, and one of the best action flicks of this decade.

And of course I am Legend is going to be "dumb" action extravanganza. It's an epic Will Smith actioner, what do you expect? You should expect plenty of ass-kicking and heroic action set pieces. That's what it's all about, and that's what I will go to see.

[Danger^Cart]

Originally posted by Tuukka
As far as action movies go, I Robot was much smarter than most.


Asimov would so totally punch you in the head. ;)

[Silverload]

Originally posted by Tuukka
And of course I am Legend is going to be "dumb" action extravanganza. It's an epic Will Smith actioner, what do you expect? You should expect plenty of ass-kicking and heroic action set pieces. That's what it's all about, and that's what I will go to see.

I expect to see 'I am Legend', not a Will Smith action flick posing as 'I am Legend'.

[Tuukka]

Originally posted by Danger^Cart
Asimov would so totally punch you in the head. ;)

So you think that Asimov would disagree with the idea that I Robot the movie is smarter than your average action movie? I don't think Asimov was such a big fan of the action genre in the first place, so he probably wouldn't have an opinion either way.

[Tuukka]

Originally posted by Silverload
I expect to see 'I am Legend', not a Will Smith action flick posing as 'I am Legend'.

Why would you expect to see something that you already know you are not gonna see? Why not instead expect to see something that you ARE gonna see?

When I went to see the LOTR flicks, they had changed a HUGE amount of stuff, and they had added 50 times more action than what the books had. But hey, ass kicking is fun. It didn't really bother me that the films were action movies, even if the books lacked action. It didn't bother me that the the storylines and characters were different, because they were good.

You could just as well say that Peter Jackson's LOTR trilogy is not really Lord Of The Rings, but action-packed CGI monster movies posing as Lord Of The Rings.

But, the films were really fucking good. And to me that's what counts the most.

Really, quite a few classic movies have been adapted from books, and many of them have little to nothing to do with the books except for the the main premise. In that field even LOTR was relatively loyal. If absolutely necessary, I can collect a list of these and come up with a list of widely praised classic movies, that completely butchered the source material. Yet people don't seem to have problems with those, it's just the modern movies that somehow are supposed to follow the books. Isn't that a double-standard?

Also for example I Robot didn't even pretend to be an adaptation of the novel, where as LOTR did pretend to be an adaptation. So the criticism against LOTR should be much harder, yet it isn't. Granted there has been a lot of criticism, but generally people don't write the LOTR movies off because they are not loyal, yet people do exactly that with I Robot, and are planning on doing it with I Am Legend.

It doesn't in any way seem to me that I Am Legend would pretend to be an adaptation either. We'll see how they refer to the novel in the opening credits.

And here comes a newsflash for everyone:

This Will Smith movie is NOT a loyal adaptation of the book of the same name. It simply keeps the title and some story elements, but everything else has been changed.

Now that you know what kind of movie you are about see, then go see THAT movie. Don't go see a movie which doesn't even exist except in your own head.

BTW Silverload, I did a quick search and noticed that in November 2002 you stated that Minority Report was your favourite film of the year so far. Yeah the film is excellent, but it had nothing to do with Dick's original story except for the title and the general premise. It was a Tom Cruise action flick "posing" as Minority Report.

I also noticed that it was Electricite's favourite movie of 2002. Outsyder gave it 9.5/10. Dangercart gave it 9.5/10. So a lot of people in this thread who seem critical of I Am Legend really liked Minority Report.

How come it was ok for Minority Report to rape the original story, yet it's not ok for I Am Legend?

Yeah, I rule. Gotta love the search function. :)

[Tyler_Durden_208]

Minority Report also had the Beard behind it. And I, Robot at least had Alex Proyas.
However, I did quite enjoy Constantine, so I will be giving I Am Legend a chance. I just wish there would be faithful adaptation somewhere down the line. Cos it could make a very great, thought-provoking apocalyptic film with the right director.

[meccajay]

Originally posted by Tuukka
Sounds cool to me.

I read an earlier draft of the script a year or so ago. It was quite good, and should make a fun movie. It didn't have that much to do with the original novel besides premise, but I don't care. I'll be happy as long as the movie works as a movie, which I think it has a good chance of doing.

Agreed 100%!!

BTW, great job w/ the accurate comparison of this movie adaption, LOTR, and Minority Report... Where were you when I needed you in the upcoming horror movie-I Am Legend thread. Could have used your help ;)

Oh and for all the fans of the original 'I Am Legend' novel.. Most folks never heard of it. That book is only classic amoung a small niche of horror fans...Just ask your coworkers. This adaptation will be what everyone will remember from now on...for better or worse.

So, as Tuukka mentioned. Let's all hope for the best...we shouldn't waste time expecting to see something we know we aren't going to see!

[Dead Halloween]

I haven't heard of this movie for a while, I was hoping it was canceled. :(

[castlesave]

Originally posted by DareDevil
I wonder if Will Smith will say "OH HELLLL NA!!!!" ?

"welcome to earf"

[Silverload]

Originally posted by Tuukka
BTW Silverload, I did a quick search and noticed that in November 2002 you stated that Minority Report was your favourite film of the year so far. Yeah the film is excellent, but it had nothing to do with Dick's original story except for the title and the general premise. It was a Tom Cruise action flick "posing" as Minority Report.

I also noticed that it was Electricite's favourite movie of 2002. Outsyder gave it 9.5/10. Dangercart gave it 9.5/10. So a lot of people in this thread who seem critical of I Am Legend really liked Minority Report.

How come it was ok for Minority Report to rape the original story, yet it's not ok for I Am Legend?

Yeah, I rule. Gotta love the search function. :)

The adaptations you point out work because those films still carry the same heart & spirit as the source material, they ask the same questions, and in the end are same story.

I can handle change, but what really pisses me off about this new ‘I am Legend’ movie is the complete and total deviation from everything the book stood for. Instead, this movie focuses only on the post-apocalyptic concept. It destroys the original story by removing the vampires from the greatest vampire story ever told; by replacing them with mindless mutants, having other human survivors, and a guaranteed changed ending (which also destroys the entire point of the title).

Would you have liked ‘I, Robot’ if the movie had giant talking lizards instead of robots? Would Minority Report been as good if it had nothing to do with pre-crime or “minority reports”, and instead focused entirely on the novelty of a man running from the law?

Originally posted by Tuukka
Why would you expect to see something that you already know you are not gonna see? Why not instead expect to see something that you ARE gonna see?

I'm not going to see this :p
Well, the only thing that would get my ass in the seat is if at least the vampires were back in play, and even then I’d be very dubious.

[outsyder]

Originally posted by Tuukka
I also noticed that it was Electricite's favourite movie of 2002. Outsyder gave it 9.5/10. Dangercart gave it 9.5/10. So a lot of people in this thread who seem critical of I Am Legend really liked Minority Report.

How come it was ok for Minority Report to rape the original story, yet it's not ok for I Am Legend?


It's kind of like The Shining. Both Dick and Spielberg are incredibly talented creators, and both did well with their creations. I found for the majority of the story Spielberg kept the spirit intact, and while Dick went another path at the end, both stories are amazing. Spielberg's use of visuals and recurring themes was another reason I rated the film so highly.

Much like Blade Runner (which wasn't even the name of the book Dick wrote), the film is completely different from the book, but I felt most of the spirit remained intact. With I Am Legend, the news of all these big budget scenes as well as action sequences making it sound more like the Dawn of the Dead remake kind of disappoint me. The book is not really an action flick, and more of a psychological one. The filmmaker is not a very experienced one, like Ridley Scott or Steven Spielberg were when they made their respective films, so I do not have the absolute confidence that the film will remain true to its origins. The news of a $150 million budget is also a bit distressing, as this film will be under a lot of pressure to earn back it's cost, which I believe means they will try to take the easy way out on a lot of things in order to give it more mass appeal, such as drawn out action scenes, and expensive CGI effects.

I could be proven wrong, but at this point I'm not that confident I will be.

[bigred760]

Will Smith has done very little wrong in his career and this sounds like one of his big summer blockbusters that has made him a household name. It sounds like a kickass ride and a movie's budget has never bothered me before, so I don't see why one particular scene should make me care more or less now. Bring the kickass sounding movie on.

[IronMonkey]

When it comes to to the odds of picking good projects, Will Smith seems to have a good sense - just like Tom Cruise does

Stallone and Bruce Willis (more so Sly) could learn from them.

[chinton]

As long as it will get people to read the original novel I'm happy.

[EVILxxx]

Originally posted by bigred760
Will Smith has done very little wrong in his career and this sounds like one of his big summer blockbusters that has made him a household name. It sounds like a kickass ride and a movie's budget has never bothered me before, so I don't see why one particular scene should make me care more or less now. Bring the kickass sounding movie on.

Like Outsyder said the book is not a kickass action novel. Fans of the book want a true adaptation or they want a movie with a different title.

[Rukas]

Originally posted by chinton
As long as it will get people to read the original novel I'm happy.

After reading this thread Ive decided to go pick the book up next week. So be happy :D,

[Rukas]

Who cares about the title. Shakespear once wrote something about a rose, perhaps you remember it? I think it applies.

Personally, I think Vampires are a lot cooler than Zombies, so I for one wish they hadnt changed that; we've never gotten a massive Vampire action movie (Blade isnt really massive in scale as they are never out in the open). Ive always wanted a Dawn Of The Dead type movie with Vampires and when I heard about this project I hoped this would be it.

Sadly not. Personally Ill take it for what it is worth. If you want a story like in the book; read the book. This is a movie and a totally different creature and I hope it is good for what it is.

[Tagia_Romero]

Unfortunate that Depp dropped out. That takes away some of the selling factor for me.

[meccajay]

- So did Depp drop out, or was he ever really involved? Curious. Yes it would have been great to see him in this..especially if he was playing a baddie. I imagine it would have been along the lines of Denzel in Training Day...only with tons of blood.

- Will can open a movie like nobody's business, which will draw many many people to the book. Great book indeed, which will soon be out of the niche market and hopefully be loved by the masses. It's cool to think that after all these years people might be reading this book on the scale of Anne Rice or Stephen King's work. Good things!

- Maybe, just maybe, the movie, and the original book being repopularized will lead to an independant filmmaker making a "true" version for the big screen. or if the studio's don't bite, it could even be done by HBO.

- "Welcome to earf" Ok, so he's a military pilot with inner city origins, who was a NASA reject, and dated a striper. Ever seen some of our finest 'real' soldiers in Iraq interviewed? All walks my friend.

- Vampires vs Zombies. Originally I though the same thing...why change it? After thinking about it. I realized that all versions of this book, script or movie have a shared flaw...a pretty big flaw. And that is that Vampires are very smart. So smart that they totally ignore easy ways to kill Neville on purpose? It's like JamesBond villians..you've caught him, now just put a bullet in his brain! The book was written a long time ago, so it is forgiven.

Today, in this setting it would be impossible to believe that a world full of deadly vampires couldn't kill a single human. Regardless of security features and specialized weapons etc. Not believable! That might turn off moviegoers after week 1. I mentioned in the horror thread that the producers/writers may have realized this, and decided to make the change accordingly - In other words, Vampires are smart. Zombies are dumb. Vampires would wear protective gear and shoot 1,000 flaming arrows onto Neville's roof one night or poison his water supply(or shoot back..hello!) and the movie would be over in 10 minutes. Vampires are resourceful, indestructable, thinking beings. Could even Blade survive if he was the ONLY person left on earth against a city(or world) full of Vampires? Maybe, but not for long.

Zombies on the other hand can't think to put a plan together to kill there enemy. There strength is in numbers. Millions of them looking for just one thing - you!!! You'd have to be a pretty badass SOB to survive that. Although I will admit, Vampires are much much cooler! There's hope- In 28 Days Later, and the remake of Dawn Of The Dead, we got 'updated' new zombies...fast movers! Let's hope we get an even better zombie update here.

[The Heart Collector]

Originally posted by Tuukka
Why would you expect to see something that you already know you are not gonna see? Why not instead expect to see something that you ARE gonna see?

It's the principle of the thing. I know what I'm going to see is NOT "I Am Legend", and I am a little offended that it's being sold to me as "I Am Legend" because it is not, in fact, "I Am Legend".

Then, this is also typical Hollywood bullshit. Grab some source, turn it into an action flick with no resemblance to the source.

THEN, this basically means that there won't be an attempt to make a serious adaptation of "I Am Legend" for years.

In conclusion, stop defending this shit. If someone took James Joyce's Ulysses and made an adaptation that just *happens* to be about fishermen in north korea, I don't give a flaming fuck how good it would be, it's not fucking Ulysses and it has no business being called Ulysses.

[RandalGraves]

I can't wait for this flick...although I was bummed cause it was originally slated to star Schwarzengger, but I'm pretty happy with Will Smith in the lead. Can't wait to see a trailer!:cool:

[EVILxxx]

Vampires vs Zombies. Originally I though the same thing...why change it? After thinking about it. I realized that all versions of this book, script or movie have a shared flaw...a pretty big flaw. And that is that Vampires are very smart. So smart that they totally ignore easy ways to kill Neville on purpose? It's like JamesBond villians..you've caught him, now just put a bullet in his brain! The book was written a long time ago, so it is forgiven.

There were two types of vampires in the books. The more feral undead vampires with little reasoning power(the kind that waited for him at night) and the organized society of vampires.

[Tuukka]

Originally posted by The Heart Collector
It's the principle of the thing. I know what I'm going to see is NOT "I Am Legend", and I am a little offended that it's being sold to me as "I Am Legend" because it is not, in fact, "I Am Legend".

Then, this is also typical Hollywood bullshit. Grab some source, turn it into an action flick with no resemblance to the source.

THEN, this basically means that there won't be an attempt to make a serious adaptation of "I Am Legend" for years.

In conclusion, stop defending this shit. If someone took James Joyce's Ulysses and made an adaptation that just *happens* to be about fishermen in north korea, I don't give a flaming fuck how good it would be, it's not fucking Ulysses and it has no business being called Ulysses.

Sure, for several years after this movie nobody will try to do a film of the same name. But the book "I am Legend" has been around for 53 years. And so far nobody has made a serious adaptation of it. So I don't think the upcoming movie is the reason why nobody is making one. There is no serious adaptation simply because there hasn't been willingness to do one, it's not the fault of this movie. You're blaming this movie for something that wasn't gonna happen anyway.

And you have no reason to be offended, because in fact nobody is trying to sell this movie as Richard's Mathesons' "I am legend", they are selling it as it's own entity which shares the same name and a similar, but different premise. If they would pretend that it's direct adaptation of the novel, then you would have a reason to be offended. But like I said, that's not the case here. You act as if they would be trying to deceive you, but they are not doing such thing.

BTW, Ulysses is the original name for what we know as Odysseus, the hero of Odyssey. The story of Ulysses is thousands of years old, Joyce simply stole the name and made his own story around it. A story that is nothing like the original Ulysses. You could just as well argue that Joyce has no business calling his book Ulysses.

[Tuukka]

Originally posted by outsyder
It's kind of like The Shining. Both Dick and Spielberg are incredibly talented creators, and both did well with their creations. I found for the majority of the story Spielberg kept the spirit intact, and while Dick went another path at the end, both stories are amazing. Spielberg's use of visuals and recurring themes was another reason I rated the film so highly.

Much like Blade Runner (which wasn't even the name of the book Dick wrote), the film is completely different from the book, but I felt most of the spirit remained intact. With I Am Legend, the news of all these big budget scenes as well as action sequences making it sound more like the Dawn of the Dead remake kind of disappoint me. The book is not really an action flick, and more of a psychological one. The filmmaker is not a very experienced one, like Ridley Scott or Steven Spielberg were when they made their respective films, so I do not have the absolute confidence that the film will remain true to its origins. The news of a $150 million budget is also a bit distressing, as this film will be under a lot of pressure to earn back it's cost, which I believe means they will try to take the easy way out on a lot of things in order to give it more mass appeal, such as drawn out action scenes, and expensive CGI effects.

I could be proven wrong, but at this point I'm not that confident I will be.

Minority Report was a huge budget flick with drawn out action scenes and expensive CGI , adapted from a smaller scale psychological novel. And you were happy with that, yet you see those things as faults in this movie. And MR took the easy way out in order to have mass appeal, like giving a happy ending to the story.

That's not a very consistent argument in your part.

Sure Lawrence is not Spielberg, but I think it's too early to write him off as a hack. And Scott had made two films before Blade Runner, where as Lawrence has made one before this. There isn't such a big difference in experience.

[outsyder]

The Minority Report short story has a happy ending. It's a different happy ending, but nonetheless still a happy one. So I can't really see how the film 'took the easy way out' as they both end on a high note despite their different conclusions. It's simply not the same.

I'm just saying that the differences between what they are trying to do in the film version of I Am Legend seems very different from the book, where with Minority Report, it's the sort of book where it is easy to include action sequences between story elements. In I Am Legend, the book pretty much takes place at one location until of course, the end of the book. I Am Legend is not the kind of book I would really consider to be a big budget action flick.

[Tyler_Durden_208]

Originally posted by Tuukka
And Scott had made two films before Blade Runner, where as Lawrence has made one before this. There isn't such a big difference in experience.
Those films were The Duelists and Alien (pretty much THE best creature thriller ever). As much as I like Constantine, it doesn't really compare to either of those films, in my opinion.

[chinton]

Originally posted by Rukas
After reading this thread Ive decided to go pick the book up next week. So be happy :D,



I think I'll do a jig.

[ozinoz]

I am anticipating this new version, but I really have to say that I am greatly disappointed in the choice of lead, Will Smith is a lippy (and I am going to use the N word here) - No-Talent. Have not seen one pic worth mentioning. The role calls for great gravitas, something Charlton Heston was able to pull off, in a similar vein to the Planet of the Apes. It is about isolation and desperation and revelation, not (c)rap singing, lippy attitude. It is a story of desolation and I don't think Will Smith can pull it off. If they had to travel down the PC path, maybe Jamie Fox on the back of his Collateral and Ray Charles roles.

Still, seeing as I aint funding it, guess my opinion is worth all of what you have paid for it.

Cheers :cool:

[CyclicNightmare]

Tuukka sure pwned some n00bs in this thread.

[Dead Halloween]

Originally posted by Tuukka
As far as action movies go, I Robot was much smarter than most.

What's so smart about robots trying to take over the world? That's been done to death.

As for I am Legend this I guess I'll rent it some day and hope that some day they'll do a good adaptation to the book.

[Psychocandy]

Tuukka...i'm not convinced. I Am Legend is a book that had already been adapted twice and both times they screwed it up. Can you blame fans of the book for being irate that instead of choosing to bring the novel to the big screen intact the film makers have again decided to screw around with the premise? I'm not even saying that I won't enjoy the movie. I might. That's entirely possible. I'm a huge fan of Hellblazer but enjoyed Constantine a great deal even though it was a lousy adaptation. But I Am Legend is a book that is screaming out for a respectful adaptation. It's probably one of the most powerful books i've ever read irrespective of genre. The ending absolutely floored me and that's one thing I just know they are going to change. To turn it into an action/horror movie when it would be better served by a more meditative adaptation is an insult to what Matheson achieved in the book.

[Tuukka]

Originally posted by Dead Halloween
What's so smart about robots trying to take over the world? That's been done to death.

The film was quite more complex than that. In fact it wasn't even a movie about robots trying to take over the world, it was a movie about one single A.I trying to bring peace to mankind.

It had a lot of moral ambiguity. Sure, the themes it explored are fairly standard in scifi literature, but a summer event film actually bothering to explore those themes is rather unusual.

[Tuukka]

Originally posted by Psychocandy
But I Am Legend is a book that is screaming out for a respectful adaptation. It's probably one of the most powerful books i've ever read irrespective of genre. The ending absolutely floored me and that's one thing I just know they are going to change. To turn it into an action/horror movie when it would be better served by a more meditative adaptation is an insult to what Matheson achieved in the book.

It's not a very filmable book, thought. The book is largerly internal thinking, which is something that doesn't tend to translate well to screen.

It could work as a low budget arthouse piece, but that's not what this film is about. This flick is not a loyal adaptation, but something that was simply "inspired" by the book.

Generally speaking: I prefer to see a good film which is a an unloyal adaptation, than a bad film which is a loyal adaptation. This is not to say that a loyal adaptation of I Am Legend woud be bad by default, I'm just saying that seeing a GOOD MOVIE is my primary motivation when I go to the movies.

The book is still there, exactly like it has always been.

[EVILxxx]

Originally posted by Tuukka
It's not a very filmable book, thought. The book is largerly internal thinking, which is something that doesn't tend to translate well to screen.

It could work as a low budget arthouse piece, but that's not what this film is about. This flick is not a loyal adaptation, but something that was simply "inspired" by the book.

Generally speaking: I prefer to see a good film which is a an unloyal adaptation, than a bad film which is a loyal adaptation. This is not to say that a loyal adaptation of I Am Legend woud be bad by default, I'm just saying that seeing a GOOD MOVIE is my primary motivation when I go to the movies.

The book is still there, exactly like it has always been.

The book does have a lot on internal thinking but it also has quite a few settings to explore. His hunting, studying, and hobbies to maintain his sanity would translate well i think. A narrative would obviously be needed but I think with the right script, a true adaption would be great.

[adamjohnson]

Originally posted by Tuukka
It's not a very filmable book, thought. The book is largerly internal thinking, which is something that doesn't tend to translate well to screen.

It could work as a low budget arthouse piece, but that's not what this film is about. This flick is not a loyal adaptation, but something that was simply "inspired" by the book.

Generally speaking: I prefer to see a good film which is a an unloyal adaptation, than a bad film which is a loyal adaptation. This is not to say that a loyal adaptation of I Am Legend woud be bad by default, I'm just saying that seeing a GOOD MOVIE is my primary motivation when I go to the movies.

The book is still there, exactly like it has always been.

I actually dont mind them taking liberties to make it more of an action film. I think its a smart play - I'd personally like to see a really small, moody version of this by Aronofsky or someone, but I think it's a SMART move on the studios part.

That being said, They're ruining the basic premise of the film, and that is that he is HOPELESSLY ALONE. I know they un-hired Depp but I dont know if they wrote out his character - I hope they did.

[Silverload]

Like I said before, I can easily handle deviations from the source material. Hollywood changing things up doesn’t bother me at all, especially when it makes perfect sense like say Spider-Man’s organic web shooters. And I can handle them turning a horror/drama into a horror/action.

But what I hate is when every single thing that worked for the source material is changed. Like taking the vampires out and replacing them with mutants; why the fuck would they do that? The book is a vampire story; it’s like having Jurassic Park without dinosaurs, The Exorcist without demons, or Catwoman.

PS: I do have to agree 100% that ‘I, Robot’ is a lot smarter then people give it credit for.

Originally posted by adamjohnson
I'd personally like to see a really small, moody version of this by Aronofsky or someone.

Good God! That would have been awesome, Aronofsky’s emotional powerhouse style would have been such a perfect fit for ‘I am Legend’.

[Superplasmatron]

Originally posted by Tyler_Durden_208
Well... Sorry, but from everything I've read so far, that's what this movie screams to me. I mean, I have no problem with that, I liked I, Robot, but on the other hand, I don't think I can stand a bastardization of one of my favorite books. (I think The Omega Man and The Last Man on Earth adapted it successfully in their own ways.)

I robot was a bastardisation of a great book!
the last man on earth is awfull, and i loved the omega man till i read the book, infact richard matheson, had his name removed from last man on earth .


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/I_Am_Legend

[LordSimen]

The movie will probably be in no way as good as the book, but, if it still turns out to be a fun Will Smith action movie like I, Robot, I'll probably still enjoy the hell out of it.

[Mr.HyDe807]

Originally posted by LordSimen
The movie will probably be in no way as good as the book, but, if it still turns out to be a fun Will Smith action movie like I, Robot, I'll probably still enjoy the hell out of it.

Exactly. Also, i dont underastand why everyone is automatically believing Will Smith is going to be this "AWWWW HELL NAW" type of attitude when all we have seen is a teaser. Mos tof you have read the book, and know that
:SPOILERS:

Neville's wife and daughter die in the book.

As i said in the other thread, i dont think Will is gonna have that type of attitude with that type of emotional baggage(if its even going to be in the movie, and from what i saw in the teasr, it looks like it i think). Sure, that type of shit happened in "i Robot", but maybe Will will downplay this time.

I dont know. Im being optimistic:D What i read from the book is awesome, and from what i saw from the teaser, it seems its going to be enjoyable

[Tyler_Durden_208]

Originally posted by Roy L Dennis
I robot was a bastardisation of a great book!
the last man on earth is awfull, and i loved the omega man till i read the book, infact richard matheson, had his name removed from last man on earth .


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/I_Am_Legend
Yes, but I, Robot still entertained me enough to forget about that. And The Last Man on Earth had Vincent Price. I'm kinda a sucker for him, so I was almost automatically sold on it.
And I still think Omega Man is a good movie. Again, it entertained me enough to where I could forget about its differences from the source material.
I just don't think I Am Legend will do that. Constantine, while still a good movie, in my opinion, still made me wish that they had stayed more faithful to the comics, and kept the focus more on Constantine because when it wasn't, the movie dragged. I think the same will be true of I Am Legend, that when it strays from the source material, it'll begin to drag.
I don't want a 100% faithful adaptation, as then there's no reason to watch it, as I've already read the book. But I still would like at least a faithful adaptation.

[Superplasmatron]

i love vincent price too, but i think of him more as a comedic actor last man on earth was not a good adaption cause they fucked with mathesons script till it was crap

[zippo]

Well, I for one is looking forward to this. The book is fantastic, a great character piece. I dont expect it to be transformed on to the silver screen the same way, or prehaps anywhere as near as indept as the book. But the simple fact that the 'general idea as a whole' is going to be put onto screen is exciting. Why is there a people moaning about vampires or zombies, fuck that.. the book is far more indept then these characters, which i saw as an added plot to the story of Nevilles lonesome fight for life with no other communication. This isnt going to be portrayed on screen, but who cares, its going to be fantastic never the less. And whats this talk about jonny D? why the fuck would you want him to play gritty, hardened Neville?? I was more excited by Arnold S playing Neville. He wouldnt need to speak much (as neville is alone) and arnold sure could look the part as an aging hardened corse and gritty man. That was my biggest upset. (but looking on the brightside, arnold cant act or speak for shit. so theres a plus point i guess).

Anyhow, bring it on, im excited :) 2007 sure kicks 2006's ass at films in the cinema. Loads of stuff going on.
Also i must admitt D-War looks wicked too, although when i watched the so called trailer, rather then commenting on the plastic tanks, im more shocked at how it was presented...??? Was that a trailer?

[DarkAngel]

I saw that teaser the other day with Ocean's 13 and aside fromt he fact I think Smith is a good actor, I love these futuristic Apolyptical kinda shit. I think it looks decent and interesting.

What is the big deal about his "Ahh, Hell Na" line? I dont understand how anyone can get upset or have a bad opinion of a movie based on just something like that. IMO.

[NuclearMisfit]

I dont have a problem with Will Smiths acting, he has shown that hes got the skills when it comes to movies. Bagger Vance, The Pursuit of Happiness. I honestly dont care if they dont go page by page of the book just keep the ending the same because they change the ending then the title "I am Legend" does not work. And the script that I read changes it all together. Thats my biggest complaint.










*Mega book spoiler*










Neville becomes basically a legend, the boogeyman to the rest of the world he sees that while he dies that, He is a legend.












*End spoilers*

[Preston_79]

The book was good and all, but it was full of holes. It explains some things and leaves you completely in the dark about others. Some things in the story made no fucking sense, like


SPOILER ALERT:













Why don't the infected that are still intelligent and want Neville dead just burn his house down at night? Problem solved, all accept now you've got a book that's only a couple chapters long.

Neville would come across other homes that would be fortified against attacks with the intelligent vampires living inside because some of the infected were dangerious even to each other, plus they'd be afriad Neville would kill them during the day.

All the infected were once human so you'd think they'd somehow make contact with Neville given how many years pass in the book to say "Hey, were not all evil. Stop hunting us."

Wouldn't he also discover new babies of the infected and wonder if he should kill them or not?

[NuclearMisfit]

Originally posted by Preston_79
The book was good and all, but it was full of holes. It explains some things and leaves you completely in the dark about others. Some things in the story made no fucking sense, like


SPOILER ALERT:













Why don't the infected that are still intelligent and want Neville dead just burn his house down at night? Problem solved, all accept now you've got a book that's only a couple chapters long.

Neville would come across other homes that would be fortified against attacks with the intelligent vampires living inside because some of the infected were dangerious even to each other, plus they'd be afriad Neville would kill them during the day.

All the infected were once human so you'd think they'd somehow make contact with Neville given how many years pass in the book to say "Hey, were not all evil. Stop hunting us."

Wouldn't he also discover new babies of the infected and wonder if he should kill them or not?








*spoilers*




It kinda seemed like there was different social classes amongst the people. Ones who feared Neville as a threat and left him alone while those who attacked his place didnt see him as that. Most of the attacks were lead by Cortman who was friends with Neville before infection.

Could the reason why Cortman and company kept Neville inside at night because his blood could have been the cure and that would have taken away their new abilities? You could have had scientists in the new world trying to cure it, yet they did not know of Nevilles immunity to it.

So basically at the end of the book they sent in a swat team type deal, killed their own people and took Neville in. Ruth could have been amonst the people who wanted to stay infected.



*end spoilers*

[EVILxxx]

SPOILERS!!!!!!




The Vampires who waited for Neville outside his house were feral/zombie like vampires. In the book Neville finds that the germ could even survive in dead bodies, whish is why when he stuck a stake through one particular zombies heart he practically disintegrated.
They had little to no reasoning ability.
The others learned to live with the disease, and still maintained their humanity. They didn't know where Neville lived only that he was a monster that stalked them while they slumbered. That is why they sent to woman to search for him.

[Gullom]

I just got done reading the book today, and I am no literary major or analyst by any means.

Let me preface my post by saying I had no knowledge about this story's length until I was done reading it. I knew it had vampires, and I had a general idea of what it was about from The Omega Man.

::SPOILERS::

-Ok for starters I was terribly disappointed to find out this was not a novel, but a short story.

I got to page 171 and started reading the next short story, and only after I'd gotten through the 2nd short story, after finishing I Am Legend did I realize that I was no longer reading about Robert Neville.

So, needless to say I was confused, until I re-read the last paragraph while Neville is in the building, with all the...intelligent vampire's, I guess.

After he was captured I was fully expecting an all out war with the intelligent vampire's and him using all MacGyver-like means necessary to escape while destroying them in the process...NOPE *sigh*

If I had known this was a short story, I probably would have thought better of this story.

-Also, it felt more like an intellectual thriller than a horror story. In fact I finished it and felt no sense of dread or horror...it just left me wanting more.

There's nothing horror enducing about the mental battles of someone that is trying to stay one step ahead of a group of vampires. There was no description of the dog being sucked of all it's blood, there's nothing really that was of a horror element...at least that satisfied my mind.

I personally don't see why this is beloved as it is. There was nothing memorable or scary about this book. I found I Am Legend more thought provoking than anything.

Please don't throw stones at me for this. ;) Based on my lack luster opinion of the story, I'm really hoping they deviate far away from the ending and make the ending a really big action sequence...however I fully expect Nevile to die in the process.
I'd be pleased if Will Smith pulls of a Kamakahzy action sequence that sets him up to take down as many of the vampire's as possible, because he knows he's never going to survive, so he might as well take as many with him as possible.

[Cop No. 633]

I can see how you were disappointed with I Am Legend Gullom. But those reasons you disliked it are exactly the reasons why it's been heralded as a brilliant piece of fiction. When I Am Legend was published in 1954, horror novels at the time (except for the classics) were seen as crap. An excuse for writers to write about grotesque imagery, lurid subject, etc. But what Matheson did was flip the genre on its head. Instead he wrote an intelligent novel that focuses on a three dimensional character who has to deal with isolation. That's his biggest problem. He kills vampires not because he's going to save the world. He does it because he has nothing else to do. He can't go talk to a friend, he can't go see a film on a Friday night. He goes out and kills for the sake of it because what else can he do? After a while, Neville could stand the Vampires. He actually grows to like his neighbor Cortman because he brings comedy to his dull, boring life. He even contemplates fucking a female Vampire. I mean, this is some great material right here.

Matheson also took away the mythology behind the cross with the vampire. He went in the psyche of the Vampire and stated that the aversion to the cross was purely psychlogical. It was also ahead of its time in that it tried breaking down the vampire in a scientific way. This was unheard of with most novels dealing with the super natural. There's chunks of the novel dealing solely with Neville trying to find a cure to the problem through science. Not like every other story where it was the simple "kill the master" solution. Also, he intentionally didn't focus on the gore or action because that was the cliche of the genre. The horror genre at the time was an excuse for that, it always put the characters second before the plot or action. Matheson did the exact opposite. Not only that, part of the novel involved Neville trying to reach a fucking dog! You know how crazy that must have been to write in 1950's? A Vampire novel where a good chunk of the story is about a man trying to get close to a dog? That's fucking beautiful man. That right there is gold to people like me who get tired of the, "let's go find a special amulet to defeat so-and-so." I guess it's not something that would excite many people, but I loved that section.

The anticlimactic ending was done purposely because it's what Matheson wanted. He went for something more realistic and authentic. The ending was the reason the novel is titled I Am Legend. But I personally wouldn't mind if he goes out in a battle for the film since that would be more cinematic. But if they change the ending for the film, that would be single most dumbest mistake any filmmaker could make next to putting nipples on the bat suit.

Oh, to the fellow who asked why the smarter vampires didn't burn down Neville's house... the reason is because they wanted to kill Neville before the new civilization. They wanted to make him an example in front of everyone, that this was going to be the start of a new beginning.... so would they rather kill him at his house with maybe 5 or 10 people watching, or in front of a massive audience? I think they'd opt for the second choice. Not to mention, Neville's house was swarmed with the primitive vampires.

Oh, and for my two cents... I personally never cared for Will Smith. I don't think he's that good of an actor. Happyness was an overrated film with mediocre performances. Ali was just him imitating the real great man, but imitation isn't acting in my opinion. Honestly, Smith's best role was his first, and he hasn't lived up to it. His career is smothered with nothing but trite, mediocre films that are big hits because well, let's face it, America is filled with... eh, don't let me go there.

[adamjohnson]

Originally posted by Gullom
I

I personally don't see why this is beloved as it is. There was nothing memorable or scary about this book. I found I Am Legend more thought provoking than anything.




Uh, well, THATS why its so beloved, dummy. Congrats on actually reading it htough.

[Gullom]

Well, like I said I'm no analyst or literary expert, so I don't read between the lines and I didn't understand that Matheson's horror style was refreshing, so thanks for helping me understand what made this stand out to horror fan's.

Thanks for congratulating me. I've read more in the past 12 months, with books turning into movies, then I have the whole rest of my life growing up. So, this is really kind of refreshing to be reading so much.

[yorrick brown]

some new pictures are online


will gets ready to download some porn.
http://img300.imageshack.us/img300/1173/iamlegend5ab7.jpg (http://imageshack.us)


http://img63.imageshack.us/img63/8182/iamlegend7vs1.jpg (http://imageshack.us)



http://img63.imageshack.us/img63/3303/iamlegend4fr3.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

http://img63.imageshack.us/img63/7688/iamlegend2gp2.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

http://img360.imageshack.us/img360/6862/iamlegend3yc7.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

[JJFlamingo]

cute dog...

[abraa cadaver]

Will Smith is not a believable choice. A rapping scientist that says "awww hell no!" every five minutes?

And this is supposed to take place in in Los Angeles.

[dennisv]

I read the book and I can already tell it will be a disappointment because well... different location and... the main character is supposed to be white...

[Cop No. 633]

While I usually don't care about ethnicity in a character, thematically, Robert Neville is supposed to be a middle class white male because the subtext of the novel was that the "vampires" were really African Americans, Latinos, Asians, basically minorities who were "growing" in size and thus eradicating the concept of the white male being dominant living being in the U.S. This coincides with Matheson's interesting choice of setting the story in Inglewood, which is a apart of LA, but still considered its own city where it is now a predominantly Black and Asian community. I don't know what it was like in the 1950's when Matheson wrote it, but I think he really hit the nail in the head in terms of foreshadowing.

Of course, the novel is a vampire novel, but there's strong subtext to suggest otherwise. Matheson's a smart writer who doesn't get a whole lot of credit when it comes to having an underlying subtext to his work... it's supposed to be the death of the old way of living, and the birth of a new society made up of people who have evolved. I just happen to think it's not merely vampires, but he was suggesting that white people in the 1950's better get used to the growing class of minorities and integrate with them or else, they will become "legend" as the novel suggests.

But I bet Lawrence and company didn't think too much about the novel. It's very clear to me that Will Smith was chosen because he's extremely popular and always makes a return for a big budget film. I've said it before, but I can't stand Will Smith as an actor... he's very boring to watch because you can see through his craft so easily. Please don't bring up Pursuit of Happyness. That's one sappy, "Can I get my Oscar now?" Kind of movie I'd rather forget.

The fact that he's Black, I couldn't care less about at this point because I would've taken anybody else who could act better. But knowing Smith, this project will be emotionally vacant... And the script? I don't know why everybody kept raving about Pestrovich's script... he made it very clear that he didn't get the novel at all and used it as an excuse to make a big budget film where the hero wins. I bet that's what Matheson originally intended when he wrote it 50 years ago!

[Scarfather]

This movie is going to be fucking terrible.

[meccajay]

I just re-read the short story again a couple weeks ago, and Im glad I did. All I can say is that I am so soooooo very glad they did not film that book as is!

That said, I love the book. it did take a totally different approach. The racial implications some have mentioned don't work for me because King Kong had already done that sort of thing, and Planet Of The Apes did it more effectively after that. Again, the book was good, I just know it would have never ever translated to the screen as it stood. A couple examples- If they did the dog sequences the same as the book, then the movie would have no dialog except for the flashbacks. Cortman sleeping in a chimney everyday for 2 years? Then hanging out at Neville's everynight allnight waiting for the door to open.. Huh? Whaa? So when did Cortman actually feed? It's not silly in the sense of aurra & scale of the book, but those sort of things just wouldn't work in a movie.

This update looks like what the doctor ordered. The Pestrovich's script which was good with some flaws, has been fixed. The 'tone' of the original book is there, and despite people's hang-ups in this website, Will Smith is the most believable actor for a movie like this.

You don't have to believe me, just listen to the American public who have made him the most sucessful male actor thru speaking with there wallets. No he's not John Malcovich, or Sidney Poitier, or even Don Cheadle as an actor. He's Will Smith, and being Will Smith is actually an advantage over all of those others in that he's the most trusted action star in hollywood by the American public.. And at the same time he's become widely accepted in dramatic rolls because of movies like Ali, and Pursuit Of Happyness. It took Clint Eastwood almost half a century to accomplish that!

This movie should be just fine!

[Cop No. 633]

I just re-read the short story again a couple weeks ago, and Im glad I did. All I can say is that I am so soooooo very glad they did not film that book as is!

You don't have to believe me, just listen to the American public who have made him the most sucessful male actor thru speaking with there wallets. No he's not John Malcovich, or Sidney Poitier, or even Don Cheadle as an actor. He's Will Smith, and being Will Smith is actually an advantage over all of those others in that he's the most trusted action star in hollywood by the American public.. And at the same time he's become widely accepted in dramatic rolls because of movies like Ali, and Pursuit Of Happyness. It took Clint Eastwood almost half a century to accomplish that!

Everybody's entitled to their opinion and you have yours. My only beef is that you state that because the American public has made him popular, it's supposed to qualify him better than other actors. I have to disagree. Those two "dramatic" films you mentioned showed how limited Smith is as an actor. Ali was nothing but pantomime. It takes more than doing Ali's shuffle and swagger to pull off a performance. It was also one of Mann's weakest film and it was recognized as such... most of it was a montage anyway. I'm getting tired of hearing about that film Happyness... please, give me another example of Will Smith doing something with weight because if that's the he best he has... then no, I don't want him fucking up more films.

Honestly, when has the American public ever been right about anything? This is the same public who thought Pauly Shore was cool enough to get a few starring roles in film. I generally tend to believe that the majority in this country have tastes equivalent of middle school kids. I mean, look at the usual top films and songs... again, I say usual because some times a fluke happens to sneak in... it's nothing but crap. And people may say it's nothing, but music and film reflect culture just as dress, food, language, politics, and customs... so if Will Smith is the "best" pick due to his box office gross, than boy, we sure have sunk really low in terms of quality. Much like the majority's choice in the "best" bands and artists of this modern age.

[Boner X-Ray]

This movie will rule...


























...because rumor has it that we get the trailer for The Dark Knight in front of this.

[meccajay]

Thanks Cosmic Puppet for a respectful reply. I'll try to answer in the same respectful manner of course.

-In terms of a dramatic piece other than Ali and Happyness. Well, admitedly that's tough. It's tough because the 1st thing you realize when you list his films is that there aren't a lot of dramatic roles to choose from. He just hasn't done a lot of serious movies. Sure there's Bagger Vance to fall asleep to, and there's also 'Six Degrees' to pick, but we rest in the knowledge that Will's "hunger" and confidence carried him thru that role. That said I'll give you that Ali was more mimick than real deep acting. I'll also give you that it wasn't one of Mann's best efforts. I'll ask you to give me the fact that Will was one of the few things that went right in that movie. All in all, my preference for that role years before it was made was a young Terrance Howard.

Regarding Pursuit Of Happiness... may not have been your style, and yes it was Oscar bait, but that said, Will went faaaar beyond anything weve seen of him before that, and did actually put in one of the better(not best) performances of the year. Again, I'm no expert, but the Academy agreed with me.

-On 'qualifying' as a better actor due to box-office reciepts. No, it's not that he's better. I gave examples of much better actors. What I was trying to say that it makes Will is the most trusted action star by the public, while now also being legitimate as a dramatic actor. Something this particular movie('I am Legend') requires. So say what you want about 'Happiness', but it did teach Will how to "quiet it down".
A long time ago Arnold was considered for this role. Things didn't work out. Now can you seriouly think what kind of movie that would have been? Could Arnold emote true sadness. Desperate loneliness? I may be wrong but I'm thinking the entire movie would have been Arnold in dirty torn clothing, 4 machine guns, 10,000 rounds, and 1,000 Vampires giving chase for 2 straight hours. Probably still a good movie though-Just much much different. In that light, this will be a good movie too. Great action, with the emotional tones represented in the book, and a much deeper performance than we'd expect from an A list action star.

-Oh, and pauly Shore was great... when he was on MTV! ;)

[Scarfather]

I just re-read the short story again a couple weeks ago, and Im glad I did. All I can say is that I am so soooooo very glad they did not film that book as is!

That said, I love the book. it did take a totally different approach. The racial implications some have mentioned don't work for me because King Kong had already done that sort of thing, and Planet Of The Apes did it more effectively after that. Again, the book was good, I just know it would have never ever translated to the screen as it stood. A couple examples- If they did the dog sequences the same as the book, then the movie would have no dialog except for the flashbacks. Cortman sleeping in a chimney everyday for 2 years? Then hanging out at Neville's everynight allnight waiting for the door to open.. Huh? Whaa? So when did Cortman actually feed? It's not silly in the sense of aurra & scale of the book, but those sort of things just wouldn't work in a movie.

This update looks like what the doctor ordered. The Pestrovich's script which was good with some flaws, has been fixed. The 'tone' of the original book is there, and despite people's hang-ups in this website, Will Smith is the most believable actor for a movie like this.

You don't have to believe me, just listen to the American public who have made him the most sucessful male actor thru speaking with there wallets. No he's not John Malcovich, or Sidney Poitier, or even Don Cheadle as an actor. He's Will Smith, and being Will Smith is actually an advantage over all of those others in that he's the most trusted action star in hollywood by the American public.. And at the same time he's become widely accepted in dramatic rolls because of movies like Ali, and Pursuit Of Happyness. It took Clint Eastwood almost half a century to accomplish that!

This movie should be just fine!

No, it's really going to be fucking terrible.

[meccajay]

No, it's really going to be fucking terrible.


Well that's $10 they won't be getting from you bro.

[yorrick brown]

its $15.50 here for a ticket.

if we get somes shot that don`t have will smith in them i might watch this.who`s playing the bad guy or girl?.

i liked castaway but theres only so much i can take off the one actor on screen.

[yorrick brown]

At the San Diego Comic-Con, attendees received the first chapter in an on-going prequel to the Will Smith-starring I Am Legend which is aptly titled "I Am Legend: Awakening."

Published by Vertigo Comics, the story swings back before the events of Richard Matheson's source story...before Robert Neville seemingly became the last man on Earth...before the world's population was wiped out by a deady virus - leavin' Will Smith large and in charge. Boo-yah.

Apple is currently hosting the fourth chapter in the series (not sure what happened to parts two and three) called "Sacrificing the Few for the Many." The piece, which runs a little over three minutes.

Keep it here for further updates on the upcoming Warner Bros. film as we approach its December 14th release date.

http://www.apple.com/trailers/wb/iamlegendawakening/small.html

[JJFlamingo]

sounds fascinating...