Hollywood has come up with various ways to end the world, although this is how most life on Earth will end. The big screen has hosted loads of apocalypses, along with several post-apocalyptic shows to stream on OTT platforms. One story that’s been revisited multiple times is from a Richard Matheson novel from 1954. The groundbreaking sci-fi horror novel “I Am Legend” follows Robert Neville, the only survivor of a virus that has wiped out most of the population and turned the rest into what he believes to be vampires. Leading the army of the undead is Ben Cortman, Neville’s former neighbor, who is constantly trying to convert Neville to the new way of things. It’s a short, incredibly bleak read that blends science and the supernatural, with a tragic hero caught in the middle.
In 1964, the story was adapted into “The Last Man on Earth,” starring Vincent Price. Unfortunately, the outcome wasn’t to Matheson’s liking, and he asked to have his name removed from the project and to be listed under the alias Logan Swanson on the credits. Thankfully, Hollywood and audiences were a little kinder to the subsequent iterations. In 1971, Charlton Heston starred in “The Omega Man” and, eventually, a few decades later, we got “I Am Legend” starring Will Smith. While both took the core detail of one man against the rest of the world, both tapped into Matheson’s haunting read in very different ways, bringing very different breeds of monsters along with them.
The Omega Man had Charlton Heston killing cultists in California
The Omega Man might’ve aged a bit since its initial release, but there’s certainly a lot to be had from Charlton Heston’s heroic battle at the end of the world. Turning Robert Neville into a military man as opposed to a mild-mannered civilian stuck in a living nightmare, Heston’s hero is a trigger-happy one struggling to keep hold of his own sanity. If that wasn’t bad enough, Neville spends his days hunting down members of “The Family,” a cult-like order that has been transformed by the virus into murderous albino mutants that still have their sentience, but can’t withstand daylight.
Directed by Boris Sagal, the film turns the villains into slightly weaker but vastly different foes for Heston to mow down. Running through scenes in black cloaks and sunglasses, they’re certainly a visually striking bunch. They’re also led by a manipulative nemesis, Jonathan Matthias (Anthony Zerbe), who feels like a variant of Ben Cortman. Most importantly, though, the film does a great job of showing Neville’s psychological decline as he tries to process being the last man on earth. It was this essential element that was explored in greater detail in 2007, when Will Smith gave us his take on Robert Neville, only this time in New York City.
I Am Legend was a hit that has somehow earned a sequel
Taking a cue from the tagline of Heston’s film, it’s clear that the last man on Earth is not alone in Francis Lawrence’s notable adaptation that sets Neville’s post-apocalyptic nightmare in New York City. This time, Neville bumps into a U.S. Army virologist who has stayed behind to search for a cure to the virus that has devastated the world. Providing another big star the chance to go solo for most of the film, Smith is the biggest draw in a movie that isn’t without its issues. The “Darkseekers” Neville hunts are disappointing CGI beasties that aren’t as scary as even the monsters Heston faced off against.
More barbaric and blander than before, they’re not as unsettling as the breaking of Neville’s sanity. It’s because of this that the film made enough of a mark to earn a sequel now in development. After deciding to go with the film’s alternate ending that saw Neville survive, an “I Am Legend” follow-up will see the original star set to appear alongside Michael B. Jordan in a new chapter. The last update on the project was that “Creed II” director Steven Caple Jr. was in talks to direct it (via Deadline). Either way, it’s clear that even after all these years, there are still stories to be told at the end of the world, especially if they involve Robert Neville.
