karlie

I read David Walker's DVD review of I Am Legend at http://www.dvdtalk.com/reviews/read.php?ID=32670 and...
I would give it a "Rent it" at best.
I'Robot was better, if such a word applies to any of those two movies.

Shannon Nutt

Sounds like the alternate version is much more satisfying than the one that played in the theaters (even though the DVD Talk reviewer didn't like it, either). I felt the theatrical version was about 1/2 of a "great" movie (with the "great" being the first-half).

harosa

It's not unreasonable to think that Anna and the boy could have got on a boat and crossed the river into Manhatten ( something as simple as a rowboat would suffice) to find the source of Neville's broadcast and got a car once on land, not that much of a stretch. To me the best cut would have combined the more human elements of the creatures from the alternate cut with the ending of him dying. And KArlie, both movies could be summed up jokingly as Will Smith fighting CG creatures for most of the movie.

dvdmovie1

I do agree with David Walker's review of the movie, but personally I wasn't too fond of the alternate ending, which seemed - how do I put this without spoiling it - to not fit with the previous 95 minutes or so. It's a sudden change that just doesn't work. Or didn't work for me, at least. But I liked the movie.

harosa

Thats the rub, for the alternate ending and cut to work more convincingly you need more scenes showing the creatures evolving, not just edit room scraps cobbled together.

starseed1981

Somebody wanna spoilerize the alternative ending. Thx.

harosa

Dont know the whole invisible text thing so SPOILER ALERT!!!





The alternate ending I saw had the main creature bashing on the glass door then he stops and makes a butterfly palm print on the glass, Neville looks at the female and sees a butterfly tattoo on her shoulder, realizing that she's the mate of the main bad guy. He wheels her out, we see the scene from the trailer with the creatures all around him with their mouths open. The main guy barks at the others to leave Neville alone as he takes his "wife" away, issuing a final bark to his soldiers to leave with him and screams one final time accusingly at Neville for being a monster(thats my assumption). Neville collapses on the floor with all the polaroids of his test subjects in the background, it finally dawning on him that he was blind to what he was doing. We finally see Neville and the two survivors driving away from the city, passing the lion family on their way out.

QuePaso

Alternate ending was horrible beyond belief. Theatrical ending was fine.

harosa

I agree the theatrical ending was better, no matter how it happens in the book or in this version, him dying makes the title so its automatically better.

Jason Bovberg

Lotta hyperbole there. Actually, the alternate is more in the spirit of the book and is therefore more satisfying to me. Overall, I think the movie could have been much better, but this alternate ending makes it a lot more palatable.

theonemacduff

The book title means that as the darkwalkers evolve and become social, Nevile becomes the outcast, not them. He is the legendary dark monster of their nightmares, preying on them for no reason (that they can see), so it's his realization that he is a monster that makes the title work: I am become legend. The theatrical ending tries to work in the word "legend" but there's no substance behind it; the alternate ending (so-called) is truer to the whole arc of the tale. Note also all those polaroids in Nevile's lab, deliberately placed and shot to remind us of the way in which the Cambodian mass murders of the Khmer Rouge photographed their victims before executing them. The first time the audience sees those photos, it's abundantly clear that they are more human than Nevile gives them credit for, and the rest of the movie is about his coming to be aware of this.

harosa

In simplest terms i just meant him dying makes him a legend, in whatever context you want, either in the book or in the movie. As for him realizing that they were more human than he gave them credit for in the alternate cut, its safe to say they chose to excise that from the movie, as it was also a pertinent part of the book and makes him more of a monster, I guess its easier to just make a human versus monsters movie and keep it as simple as that.

Nickofdoom

Anna tells Nevelle that she came by boat when they are talking at the table.

harosa

Shit, Im going by remembering what I saw in theatres, but it was mostly a response to people bringing up the bridges being down, even in the review. Good call Nick. Gave a quick view, doesnt say she arrived by boat but I guess you can surmise she meant it by saying they heard his message when her and 4 others docked for supplies.