jtr7 on 21/1/2008 at 20:40
She apologised for the eggs being powdered and said something like: "But you know that. They're yours."
But yeah, even frozen, a lot of that food should've gone bad.
jtr7 on 21/1/2008 at 22:55
Yeah, the bottled stuff lasts awhile, especially if it's stored out of the light and kept cool. Plus, if it had the pop-up lid, he could check it before using it. If he had had his shelves stocked with that canned food that claims to have a 25-year shelf life--for apocalyptic events, or economic collapses, or the paranoid--it would've been more believable than bacon and the big deal made of it. I know there are exceptions to the rule, but I've always understood that frozen meat shouldn't be kept for over a year. It wouldn't taste so good, anyway, since freezing only slows the decay down, not stops it.
R Soul on 21/1/2008 at 23:42
I don't see why they couldn't have just used vampires like in the book.
And since they were outside his house every night taunting him, they could have helped convey a lot of the background story by shouting things like "Aren't you lonely in there Neville?" and "Don't you get bored, locking yourself up every night?".
I'm not one of those obsessives who gets angry when the film doesn't adhere rigidly to the book, but there are enough parts of the book that I think could have been quite accurately copied in the film. If they'd used the same dog situation from the book, just imagine the effect that would have had on the audience.
To explain things like how he was immune, and his ideas on what was causing the vampirism, and the difference between the dead ones and the alive ones etc, he could have just made a few recordings (he'd talk just to hold on to a bit of sanity). Maybe he could have used the radio to broadcast his theories in case others were out there also trying to find a cure.
To keep the pace up, they could have spent less time on his research (it shouldn't take long to explain the relevant parts), and extended the bit at the end when the vampires got themselves organised and decided to arrest him rather than eat him. Perhaps he could have fled instead of waited.
I agree with those who've said it started well then became an ordinary Hollywood film. If they wanted to end on a positive note, it wouldn't have strayed too far from the book to end with Neville and the woman (whose name escapes me) talking about how a new almost-human society was now beginning, and compared to how humans have behaved in the past (e.g. witch-hunts), the vampires were not much worse.
catbarf on 21/1/2008 at 23:50
Quote Posted by R Soul
I don't see why they couldn't have just used vampires like in the book.
And since they were outside his house every night taunting him, they could have helped convey a lot of the background story by shouting things like "Aren't you lonely in there Neville?" and "Don't you get bored, locking yourself up every night?".
I agree. That was one thing The Omega Man did well- and it certainly adds another layer to his mental breakdown due to isolation, since he isn't truly alone.
icemann on 22/1/2008 at 03:13
Quote Posted by Subjective Effect
I curse you Hollywood for being unable to make a single good faithful adaptation of any sci-fi or fantasy novel, ever.
Bladerunner kicks ass. And that is one of the biggest adaptations from a book ever.
jtr7 on 22/1/2008 at 03:16
But so unfaithful--though in a good way.
Scots Taffer on 22/1/2008 at 03:45
I think Blade Runner is everything but a good movie. The good news is that we've stopped talking about I Am Shit.
SubJeff on 22/1/2008 at 05:51
Really Scots? I very surprised. In my opinion it is not only the best sci-fi movie, but also the only one that is actually any good.
But, as pointed out, it is not a faithful adaptation.
I suppose A Scanner Darkly was a good interpretation, but it make for a better book than film.
The reason I Am Legend is a disappointment is that the plot is COMPLETELY different. The "vampire" culture, the reason he is "legend" - all gone. Why go for this feelgood vapid nonsense. One could even argue that the night culture IS a saving of humanity, since in the book it's only the vamps at his house that are crazy insane for blood, but that's because they can't help it.
Tsssss.
Scots Taffer on 22/1/2008 at 06:52
If we're talking about Blade Runner, it has atmosphere, acting and a plot, but it doesn't congeal for me - it may be a result of the various butcherings it received in studios throughout its life but it never really held up as a movie for me, it feels like several short scenes from different movies sewn together. I'm not sure why, but I'll give it one last chance with The Final Cut.
KublaiKrim on 22/1/2008 at 08:04
Quote Posted by jtr7
One of the themes of the movie is a decent into madness. The head didn't really move. It was what Neville saw.
A very confusing way of understatement then, if you watch it for the first time. Someone has uploaded the entire movie in 13 parts to youtube btw, it won't stay there much longer.
