TheLast Man on Earthis the first cinematic adaptation of Richard Matheson's classicnovel IAm Legend.With its unique premise and intelligent deconstruction of the vampiremyth, Matheson's book brought something fresh and exciting to thehorror genre (Stephen King, Steve Niles and George Romero, amongstmany others, have cited it as a big inspiration on them). But howwell does this film version compare to the novel that inspired it?The answer, unfortunately, is not very.
Thefilm stars genre icon Vincent Price as scientist Robert Morgan, theseemingly sole survivor of a plague that has turned most of the worldinto vampires. At night they emerge to lay siege to Morgan in hisboarded up home, which he has reinforced with crosses, mirrors andgarlic to keep them at bay. He moves around by day repairing thedamage to his house, searching for supplies in the city and killingwhatever vampires he comes across. By the time we meet Morgan in thestory he's been alone for three years and comes across asthoroughly jaded with his lonely, monotonous existence. He'ssurviving just to survive, and he may as well be one of the livingdead himself. But when he encounters another survivor, she gives himthe first ray of hope he's had in a long time. But is she all sheseems?
WhileTheLast Man on Earthis pretty faithful to the book with some minor deviations (RobertNeville becomes Robert Morgan for example), something has been lostin translation. Adapting any book to the big screen is a trickyproposition but since IAm Legend issuch an inherently cinematic book it's a real shame that theexecution here is so damn lackluster. And in this case thefaithfulness to the book only serves to highlight what a missedopportunity the film really is.
Forexample, one of the most memorable sequences in the book is whenNeville is trapped outside after dark and must race home before thevampires come out. In the book, it's a terrifying sequence,starting from the moment Neville realizes his watch is broken andcontinuing all the way through his frantic race home as he must plowthrough a horde of pursing vampires. Anyone who's read the bookwill remember this scene as one of its highlights. But in the filmit's a clumsy, plodding action scene with little urgency. WatchingVincent Price dodge some slow moving extras does not make for a heartracing sequence.
Andagain in the book the relationship Neville has with the stray dog isone of the most emotionally involving passages but in the film eventsare condensed to the point where it has little impact. If it had beencut entirely it would make no difference to the narrative. Andfinally the ending of the film lacks the gut punch of the booksfinale. Neville discovers something shocking about the vampires andwithout dipping into spoilers this leads to a surprise ending wherethe reader find out how coldly ironic the title IAm Legendis. But since this line and its meaning have been stripped out, itrobs the film of a lot of dramatic weight in its final moments.
Giventhat a film about the last man alive obviously lives or dies based onits central performance, the casting of Vincent Price is both a helpand a hindrance. In the scenes where Price is alone the combinationof his trademark voice and haunted eyes really help sell Morgan'sisolation and loneliness. He is particularly effective in a scenewhere Morgan watches a home movie. One moment he's laughinghysterically before bursting into tears the next, and Price nailsthat broken quality. But on the flipside when it comes to scenesportraying him as a family man with a wife and daughter it's alittle harder to buy. He can come across as unintentionally sinisterinstead of loving and concerned. Price is never less than acaptivating screen presence but he feels out of place in such anordinary role.
Andseeing as Price's voice was one of his greatest assets itsurprising to note that the film's reliance on voice over becomesso grating. It feels the need to explain EVERYTHING that we seeMorgan doing. If we see him in a mirror store, looking at mirrors andthen taking some with him, we can safely assume he's replacing thebroken mirrors outside his home without needing it explained. Voiceover can be an effective tool and it's hardly a chore listening toVincent Price talk but when it's so on the nose it can become veryirritating.
Clunkyexposition as a whole is a problem with the film. Whereas the novelwove the flashback segments seamlessly into the narrative the filmhas one long bloated flashback sequence dumped right into the middle.It presents the information in the bluntest way possible (the originsof the plague, the death of his family, his relationship with hisbest friend etc) whilst failing to capture the emotional impact itneeds to have to make it work. It should be a tragic window into theend of the world, not a bulletpoint summary of exposition.
Alsonot helping matters is the low budget. There is precious little flairto the cinematography, set design or camera work. But one accidentalbenefit of this flat style is that it heightens our feeling ofMorgan's joyless existence, making it feel even more drab andoppressive. The film also suffers from some sloppy editing andcontinuity. Morgan's choice of car can change between shots andduring the sequence where he must rush back to his house at nightthere is a shot of him driving where it's clearly daytime,immediately robbing the scene of tension.
Thevampires themselves don't prove to be much of a threat, consistingmainly of nondescript extras slapping the walls outside Morgan'shouse (That said looking at these night time sieges it's easy tosee where George Romero got the seeds of Nightof the Living Dead).And likewise where there should be a large gang of vampiressurrounding the house it feels like there are never more than 10 atany given time. But the film does inspire the occasional spinetingling moment. The creepiest scene by far is when Morgan's wifecomes back from the dead and the combination of her whispered voice,the rattling doorknob and the slowly building music make it a realhair-raising scene. The film as a whole could have benefitted fromsome more suspenseful sequences such as this.
Whileit might be the most faithful adaptation (later versions TheOmega Manand the Will Smith vehicle IAm Legendmore or less ignore the story entirely), ultimately TheLast Man on Earthstands as a missed opportunity to bring a classic novel to life.Although it's not without its merits the combination of a lowbudget and sloppy storytelling makefor an unsatisfying experience. If you're a fan of the book orVincent Price give it a look, but I can't say it comes highlyrecommended.