The most egregious thing Hollywood did to Matheson's story is changing the whole point of the title. Robert Neville does not become a legend because of his valiant fight against the vampire hordes. Explaining the meaning would require spoiling the ending slightly, but suffice it to say that it's darker and more ironic than Hollywood's more "heroic" version, just as the vampires in Matheson's novel turn out to be more complex than the mindless rage-zombies they are in the movies.
I couldn't agree with you more. I LOVE this book. THIS is vampire books done right, IMO. One of my biggest pet peeves when I saw I Am Legend (2007) was that they changed the entire point of the title. It just...ruined it for me. I could have lived with all the other changes, but the ending. -shakes fist-
The ending they started out with was more in tune with the whole point of the book, as you can clearly see it hinted throughout the movie, but the test audiences didn't take to it well so the studio made a more... streamlined ending.
It's in the DVD deleted scenes, but sadly the world at large saw that schlock of an ending they made in reaction to utter stupidity. It does become slightly more bearable if you examine the movie as something more akin to, "What is the life of that crazy old man, who always helps/betrays the heroes at exactly the right moment, like?"
My sister read me the ending, ruining all the suspense the book tried to build up when I started reading it. =p Never finished it.
Comments 2
I couldn't agree with you more. I LOVE this book. THIS is vampire books done right, IMO. One of my biggest pet peeves when I saw I Am Legend (2007) was that they changed the entire point of the title. It just...ruined it for me. I could have lived with all the other changes, but the ending. -shakes fist-
Good review =]
Reply
It's in the DVD deleted scenes, but sadly the world at large saw that schlock of an ending they made in reaction to utter stupidity. It does become slightly more bearable if you examine the movie as something more akin to, "What is the life of that crazy old man, who always helps/betrays the heroes at exactly the right moment, like?"
My sister read me the ending, ruining all the suspense the book tried to build up when I started reading it. =p Never finished it.
Reply
Leave a comment