Simply Perfect

A story that's too fascinating to pass by...

A great movie, one of the best of this year. There was a bit of confusion at one point in the plot, but nothing serious.

The story, direction, characters, and writing/dialogue is akin to taking a tranquilizer shot to the neck, but everything else was so well done.

There are three movies of the same story I am aware of: The Last Man on Earth with the great Vincent Price from 1964, The Omega Man with Charlton Heston from 1971 and I am Legend (2007) with Will Smith. I like all three of them and if you got the time I recommend that you watch all three of them.Charlton Heston plays Dr. Robert Neville, who thinks he is the only survivor of an apocalyptic war. The other survivors are infected people who hunt him at night, only in daylight he can go out of his fortress because the infection made the infected very sensitive to the light. (In The Last Man on Earth the infected are like vampires, not only fearing light but also garlic and Mr. Price hunts them with stakes).The movie centers on the despair of a lonely and lost man and his fight to survive against all odds. A classic dystopian movie.

This is one of three cinematic versions of the "I am Legend" book Richard Matheson wrote, it's the second one to be more specific. This adaptation stars Charlton Heston as potentially the last man on earth after Russia and China destroyed mankind during a global chemical war. Prior to finding himself alone he was a scientist working on a cure before the virus wiped everybody out, but he was too late. Now he spends his time wandering the city, avoiding groups of mutated undead family members, and chess with a mannequin. Surely he can't be the last person alive? Sit back and find out. The acting is decent and while the film looks dated it still stands up as one of Heston's better films.

"The Omega Man" will always stand as one of Charlton Heston's greatest films and also for being the best adaptation of the Richard Matheson book, "I Am Legend." This film has great dialogue as well as action. The music by Ron Grainer is outstanding and worthy of inclusion in anyone's music collection. As with the previous film adaptation, "The Omega Man" conveys a genuine sense of isolation and unease. As Colonel Robert Neville, Charlton Heston has had to endure a life as the only human being who is completely immune to the effects of disease that was caused by Germ Warfare. By day, he hunts and stalks the mutants who bear the effects of the war that destroyed the world. By night, Neville retreats to his fortified home on the top floor of an apartment block and prepares to protect himself from his mutated pursuers. The film makes a bold statement about the real looming threat of Nuclear weapons and of the incalculable devastation they would leave in their wake. As a result of this, "The Omega Man" can't really be passed off or considered to be a film of escapism. To some film fans, Charlton Heston's acting style can be of a slightly acquired taste. He does alright in this film though. "The man of action" approach is the correct one. Anthony Zerbe is magnificent as the psychopathic leader of the mutants. He has very good diction, he alternates between being deceptively calm and angry very well and is totally believable. Paul Koslo - usually a bit of an irritating you-know- what - actually plays a very affable and honest character for a change. I will go so far as to state that he is cast against type! Rosalind Cash makes for a good and tough leading lady who knows how to survive. I first saw "The Omega Man" on video back in 1993 and was immediately intrigued as soon as I glanced at the video sleeve. A classic 1970s American movie and a classic of Science Fiction.

As a result of a virus released during a war between China and the Soviet Union, an army scientist named "Robert Neville" (Charlton Heston) drives along the deserted streets of Los Angeles during the day doing pretty much what he wants because there isn't anyone left alive to stop him. The night, however, belongs to a band of mutants who shun the light and despise him for being one of the few people on Earth who hasn't been affected. So they try to kill him during the night and he does his best to return the favor during periods of daylight. Then one day while inside a clothing store he discovers a young woman named "Lisa" (Rosalind Cash) who appears to be similarly unaffected but runs off before he has the chance to get to talk to her. Needless to say, this changes everything—and not just for him but for everyone else as well. Now from what I understand this film is a remake of the 1964 movie "The Last Man on Earth" which starred Vincent Price in the lead role. That said, having seen both of these films, I would have to conclude that this particular picture is slightly better than its predecessor due in large part to the acting of Charlton Heston who seemed better cast for the role than Vincent Price. Likewise, the fact that this movie probably had more resources to draw may have helped in some degree as well. Be that as it may, I happened to like this particular movie and I have rated it accordingly. Above average.