In the original book the protagonist walks around killing sleeping vampires/people infected with a vampirism virus on a daily basis so they come up with a plot taking advantage of his emotional isolation to overcome him - and eventually he realizes that _he is legend_ now for the vampires, a creature of nightmares killing you while you're asleep. The status quo had shifted and a new society had emerged, of people as afraid of him as humans had been of them. He became legend.
@@Swampdonkey796 Kinda like how John Carpenter's The Thing was awesome because it followed Campbell's "Who Goes There?" story pretty closely, unlike its predecessor. The main difference there was that the ending was less ambiguous and more of a "near miss" feeling with the Thing very nearly building itself a jetpack to escape, while Carpenter's Thing left it a bit more up in the air what happens.
@@Swampdonkey796 You're thinking of Vincent Price in The Last Man on Earth. Charlton Heston also starred in an adaption of the book called The Omega Man.
@@WynneL Too bad Carpenter didn't similarly follow the book when he made John Carpenter's Vampires. The book behind it, Vampire$ by John Steakley is really good (with some slow parts).
I remember reading the book in middle school. The vampires were super intelligent and I remember at some point there was one vampire that openly taunted neville as he slept in his house. So he sound proofed his house
Most were intelligent. There was a leader and a massive group that sat outside of his house every night. (He had UV lights set up so they couldn't attack him) They would taunt him, tempt him with females, and basically did anything to make him fall apart.
Waiting to hunt for food when you're out of food is a sure way to starve to death, or die from making mistakes while hunting because of lack of nutrition.
Vincent Price's version is WAY better and actually justifies the tittle of "I am Legend" The infected just kept their almost normal lives during the night and the main character became like a legend they told among themselves and many didn't even believe he existed. In the end, the main character realizes he has been the villain in THEIR story.
This makes way more sense than them constantly killing people and then suddenly in the end it's "Oh we're just a little different, we do no harm frl frl"
It's the King and the poisoned well fable. I agree Vincent Price's Version is better. Price starred in some fantastic roles during his career. An all time great actor. A Legend!
The comic-book style shorts that were on my dvd really creeped me out as a kid. They follow other people during the beginning of the outbreak, including some people who become infected and it's wild to see how they begin to think differently and they talk about just how HUNGRY they are, hungry enough to attack their uninfected families
I like the one where we get to see from the point of view of the creatures. The one where the girl disregards her parent's orders to stay in the bunker with them but instead she decides to go out and see her boyfriend which leads to her getting infected. Then the infection warps her reality and causes her to think that her family are monsters which leads to her killing and consuming them.
@@OGEdgerthat one was so cool! i remember watching all the features on the DVD while self-isolating and it made me go back and re-watch the film with that perspective in mind.
He exposed himself to sunlight because he had feelings for the zombie that was being captured by Neville, so it was groundbreaking for him because the monster did show signs of human emotions like caring for one another, not cos they were low on food
That's what he SHOULD have realized, but it isn't what he thought at the time. I just watched it and thought Neville was really dumb with his analysis. He says, _"*an infected male exposed himself to sunlight today. Now, it's possible decreased brain function or growing scarcity of food is causing them to ignore their basic survival instincts. Social de-evolution appears complete."_ The alternate ending makes him realize they aren't just brainless, emotionless infected. I think you might have been referring to that in your comment. I just thought it was so goofy for such a brilliant scientist to completely miss the mark SO bad; clearly they weren't socially devolved. *Edit for formatting
If they’re doing a sequel based on the alternate cut, I hope they open with the alternate ending to establish the context, so people in the theater that remember the “grenade ending” won’t be confused on how Will Smith’s Robert Neville lived through a grenade explosion 😂 Not everyone got the DVD after seeing it in theaters and I believe when it was on streaming it still went with the theatrical ending.
This isn’t a big hurdle because most were mad at ending anyway and wanted a sequel regardless even if it meant a retcon of ending which is why they released the alternate cut immediately with DVD.
they have been working on I am legend sequel for nearly two decades. it always starts and gets canceled for some reason or another. I dont hold any hope.
Had a back surgery, I went downstairs to this small theater room we’re had. I took pain medication, put in this dvd , turned down the lights all the way….. and I was hooked. The mixture of the ambiance, pain killers, darkness, and the movie was a once in a lifetime viewing experience. That opening scene in surround sound was something else…something I haven’t expected since.
In the theatrical version, I thought Nevill had already gone entirely insane before Sam was killed. I thought that he set the whole Fred/trap thing himself and walked into it because he was completely out of his mind.
Oh yea that makes sense. He tried to catch one of these darkseekers before and probably pit Fred as a bait for the darkseekers. Man I remember watching this scene it had so uncanny vibe to it.
i also thought the same thing when i was watching the movie for the first time, that he was just splitting, and thought again that he got into his early set trap that he forgets about.
The scene he had to kill Sam in 100% made me cry as an 11 year old. My dad and I went to see it in theaters and we were so excited for it. I remember loving the movie to that point, and even my war hardened, never cries only shows anger when sad dad even got upset by that scene. We both finished watching the movie but we were visibly upset when we both got home. My sister and grandma were waiting for us and we both just went to bed.
I think the scene that stuck to me the most yet it's really trivial is when Robert goes on a supply run and enters this random apartment, all laid out really selling that this was someone's home. He sees Christmas decorations and newspaper clips on the fridge's door about the infected being afraid of sunlight. Eventually Robert ends up stumbling on this door with a paper note saying something like "don't open before Christmas" and it's a baby's bedroom. You can really feel the emotional gut punch he gets at this moment.
Reminds me of fallout games where you see things that happened years ago as if they just fell over it’s creepy but makes the scenes better when you piece things together for yourself
In the book Robert Neville’s legend was in becoming the thing that goes bump in the night, the monster that would snatch children and kill people in their sleep, a la Count Dracula. It was a way to shift the perspective and understanding of horror stories of the past. The vampires would evolve and create their own society, systems of justice, etc. and eventually set out to hold Neville accountable for the horrors he inflicted upon the innocent vampires just trying to live their lives. I was always disappointed that the movie moved away from this idea.
Not really if the vampires saw an innocent person doing no harm to them then they would definitely kill it and eat him, he was doing everything he could to survive
Thats bollocks They kill and eat people, THEY started this and now THEY should get their own society? Fuck that, when they decide to stop chomping hands and faces, Then we can have aconversation about civilizations
I still love this movie to this day. The themes of isolation, loneliness, grey morality, nature taking over... It's just very interesting and thought provoking to watch. I never knew about the alternate ending (which sounds much better and more in-line with the themes), so thanks for letting me know about that. Funny story: This movie is also how my sister's dog got his name. I was watching him for a weekend and this movie came on TV. I let him outside to the bathroom before the infamous "Fred!" scene. He wouldn't come back inside, so I started imitating Robert and shouting "Fred! What are you doing, Fred? Get over here right now!" He immediately ran into the house, happy as could be. "Fred" was the only name he listened to after that day.
The butterfly symbolized his daughter that’s why it was emphasized so much with the daughter and the dog in the beginning, and throughout it. The daughter, who died, represented the butterfly that you saw before she died as well.
The butterfly was the symbolism of hope. His daughter was the hope of his current life, then after she died the butterfly tattoo and the hand smear butterfly are symbols of hope for his current life. This is what makes it more difficult for him afterward to use the cure.
The butterfly was a symbol of the evolution we go through when we connect jumper cables to our nips. The writer had been shocked this way many times and he just wanted to show that he is now the butterfly he was meant to be after a lot of jumper cable sessions.
The infected was killing ppl before ROBERT used a gun on em. I understand the point Robert is the monster but they never showed mercy to the ppl they killed or changed. They're monsters. I don't see the ending as mercy but fair trade. A life for a life.
@@thethriftytypewriter But that comparison leaves out the infected killing people so it's not applicable. Maybe if you killed some aliens a few years ago and then later got abducted.
@@thethriftytypewriter Except the darkseekers aren't comparable to people abducted by aliens in my book. They woke up and immediatly started murdering everyone. I get that it was a food source for them, so in that sense, one could argue that it is justified. But that doesn't make Neville the monster anymore than a buffalo is for killing a lion that is hunting it. Neville was defending himself against a predatory species, that would have killed him without hesitation, whether he was trying to hurt them or not. The darkseekers aren't evil for hunting for their food, but neither are humans for defending themselves against a predator. I think the "natural order" comparison was apt, since nature is notoriously violent while simultainiously morally neutral.
@@TheTMschannel I'd argue that Neville is as much of a monster as people who use animals as test subjects for all sorts of products, many of which lead to their death.
I remember when I first saw this movie. I was in foster care and on my birthday I was allowed to spend the whole day with my mom without supervision of the social worker. I got sick the day before so I unfortunately spent most of my birthday sick but happy I was with my mom. My mom made me a chicken soup and asked if I wanted to see a movie. She had bought I Am Legend the day before so we would both see it for the first time. I was always a scaredy-cat for horror movies, but for some reason this movie made me fall in love with it. It’s been nearly 16 years since my mom beat the foster system and got me back, but every time I see this movie I get transported back to when I spent that day with my mom, how happy I was for that one day only for it to end at 6pm (just before the sun set like in the movie) and return to my foster home only to see my mom again whenever a court date came up (sometimes once every 3 months or 6 months). It’s a bittersweet feeling, that’s for sure.
That was a moving story, well told. Ever thought of writing as a career? The pay is awful (except for a tiny minority) but the personal rewards are vast. You convey your truth with perfect pacing, avoiding mawkish sentimentality which, ironically, is what makes it all the more touching. I’m glad it had a happy ending, for you and your mom. Having worked as a Residential Social Worker (in the UK) for 6 years, in a previous life, I know that there were those who were bad at their jobs and not quite as many who were good at it. I wouldn’t wish the care system, fostering or care homes, on any child. I spent the next 6 years of my life as a Family Therapist, dedicated to preventing children being taken into care in all situations possible, where the child’s interests could be protected. That involved everything from family sessions to court appearances and mountains of paperwork. Trying to fix the impossible for a living, whilst neglecting my own loved ones, lead to my having a breakdown and being hospitalised. I learned that the only people who last in those kinds of jobs are sociopaths and those who just don’t really care. But, my story has a happy ending too, as it gave me a lot to write about and live comfortably on thereafter. I know this is not about me, and I’ve really gone on a bit, but I just wanted to share the fact that there are people out there who really do care about people like you. We rarely got the chance to see what became of the adults we left behind as children. People like you, who write so well and affectingly about your experience, are needed and give people like me hope. Not a day goes by when I don’t think about the kids we worked with and the emotions are always bitter, if not bittersweet. But, the system was reckless and indifferent back then. Now, I don’t know to be honest. It’s clear from the way you express yourself that some people made it okay. Thank you for sharing that intimacy with the world. And all good things to you and yours. God bless.
My parents were foster parents. So I'm a foster brother. The only reason you were taken away was your mom was in a bad way at the time. People can and do get better. I'm happy for you that your momma came out of it. God bless my friend.
This has always been one of my favorite movies too. It has just the right amount of gray in the story that feels so real for both him, humanity, and the darkseekers. It also did a really good job making the viewer think about what they were seeing. Was the mannequin alive, was he loosing it? Was there hope? Point in the cure? It presented questions, both real and philosophical. I look forward to continuing this story.
I disagree even in the alternate version before the Humans were testing on the darkseekers the darkseekers were still attacking and killing humans when infected.
Yeah. The whole “the darkseekers aren’t monsters” idea goes out the window once you realize they still consume peoples blood/eat them. The motion comic special feature on the BluRay even show how the darkseekers once infected eat their family members. Petty monstrous.
@@stellviahohenheimwhat are you on about. You can get lucky and escape but you see in the movie how they go after nevills blood. Theyre still monsters to humans. Like just because a gazelle sees that the lion has a cute family and little cubs doesnt mean that to the gazelle its any less of a monster wtf.
Well, in their minds they probably aren’t eating people they’re curing them or something idk lol, they def don’t fully eat anyone since there are other darkseekers, they suck their blood, or if they’re mad at you they’ll fully murder you and tear you apart In the book, it kinda came off to me like they woke up as new people? Like, they showed the society aspects a bit more of the vampires or implied it at least, it’s been a bit since I read, but they had names, they dressed a lot nicer than darkseekers, had lives n shit, so idk if like, they die and wake up and adopt new lives or if they remember their previous lives and miss them or feel as if it’s just a continuation of the same life, like, idk, the vampire life and society was talked about so bluntly by the end it read as (not literally tho) “this dude Neville is a human, he’s a human and he’s being like, pretty fuckin rude, we gotta bring him before a circuit judge he keeps messing up our block parties” Old school vampires didn’t just drink human blood btw, they drank animal blood, so to me it felt like in this story once all humans are gone, even just in the area, if everyone forgets their previous life, a society arises, they eat animals at night and literally never see humans because humans are either all gone besides this rude dude Neville up the block killing vampire junkies after they pass out in the street drunk or they aren’t in the area anymore, stay in small groups and don’t come out at night, they become a legend, Neville is a legend, yada yada And with the context of the short story you can read the movie the same way, they’re probably eating those same deer, Neville is the outlier, the peeps that save him are one of those not so small groups separated from the city(ies) the darkseekers have taken over , they just made the vampires more silicone zombie lookin wearing tattered clothes and only showing how they act during the day or during scenes of them chasing after people in a horde, we don’t see any of them casually hanging out at night, roaming the street without a care, they may be a lot more normal than we know because all we see through is Neville’s and other humans lenses during times of chaos lol
Idk man, I don’t buy the whole “the vampires are the next stage of humanity” idea and that they are supposed to be the good guys. Neville himself said they “killed, and fed on EVERYBODY.” They sound like monsters to me. I still love the original theatrical cut, I think Neville sacrificing himself so they could get the cure out is very emotional and heart wrenching.
It was like that at the start cause majority of the initial vampires weren't smart enough for advance cognitive actions, eventually though some vampires started to become more human and less animalistic.
Yes, of course they are monsters, they are vampires. But the point of the book was that after it was all over, and the vampires took over, there was one human left, who would come and kill them in their sleep. Hence the title, "I am legend". Because now that vampires rule the world, they will forever tell the story of that human who hunts them when they are at their weakest. As if to say, it's all cyclical, just as we have legends of vampires, vampires would have their own monster stories.
@@hohenzollern6025the vampires are objectively the bad guys they killed the entirety of humanity and would do it again because they are a predator species of humanity, so yes humanity is the good guy and the vampires can eat shit in hell were they all belong
I had a German Shepherd the year this came out. We let him out in the backyard one morning. Unbeknownst to us, somebody had cut a wire off of a gate that was holding it shut. He escaped and ran off - on Christmas Eve. My family celebrates on the Eve. We ended up spending the morning driving around looking for him, and putting up signs in the neighborhood. It was one of my worst Christmas's ever. Trying to celebrate with family, but trying and failing to hold off tears the entire time. We tried to make a go of living the following days. Including deciding to go see a movie. We picked this movie, not knowing about the dog. As soon as she appeared onscreen, I started weeping and couldn't stop throughout the entire film. When he had to put her down, I just started crying even heavier. The guy sitting next to me offered me napkins to dab my tears, not knowing the story behind them. We did get our dog back after a week. Somebody up the road had taken him in, and took him to a lost and found event at the police station. There happened to have been a police officer driving around the neighborhood when I was putting up signs, and he said he'd keep an eye out for my dog. He was at this event and recognized him, and brought him to me. Very happy ending, but definitely one of the worst weeks in my life. I've had difficulty re-watching this movie ever since, which sucks because I actually really like it. Except, of course for what happens to the dog.
Have you ever seen the bonus extras that were on the dvd? There's some cool stories from other people during the outbreak like a family in India that gives perspective from an infected as they lose the recognition of humanity towards their family. You gotta make a video covering that stuff. Its so cool.
How can the night seekers be innocent "good guys" when they were slaughtering people in the beginning of the movie? They wear rags and don't build their own shelters and never speak. So how can they be an advanced human being? I dunno man, I can't see where you're coming from on all this.
They’d have to relearn self control having a new primary motive in life. It would take awhile to redevelop that skill set. That’s my guess 🤷 It could also be the general nature of the ever changing human personality.
they were monsters for each others Will's character was killing them in their sleep and doing all sorts of experiements while they were killing people for food which was a monster to a regular human. Neither of the 2 groups were good or bad but both in one package ... they are the same sh-t
They’re not good guys or bad. They’re sick and their bodies have been altered to the point that they need to consume human flesh. They’re just surviving, same as Neville. But Neville saw them as monsters and vice versa. They do have intelligence, but they’re feral as well. They communicate with each other, they survive with the dogs, they command the dogs, they form emotional bonds, they’re social, they hunt together, they’re vengeful, they’re forgiving, they have a hierarchy, they rest together, live together, they can build traps, they somewhat understand human psychology, they strategize.
The only ending I ever saw was the one where he gave her a vial of his blood and blows himself up to save her and the boy. I didn’t know there was a version where he lived. Which version was he planning to make the sequel with?
@@notatheist the sequel is going to use the alternate ending whee he survives. The DVD & Blu-Ray should have the alternate ending in the special features if you have a copy of it.
I always thought the night seeker and the girl one was a dad and daughter and the butterfly relates to familial bonds and daughters. He saw Sam as a sort of replacement for the love he lost when his daughter died and that’s why there was a butterfly near Sam too
They should have added a perspective shot during the final basement scene through the glass. It is implied, but maybe not super clear that the dark seekers see Nevil as a monster, we only really see that through nevils eyes they're monsters. Perhaps a view through the eyes of the head dark seeker where you see a man with your love interests restrained doing medical test (basically lethal injection) to his wife with a scoreboard of his fellow dark seekers (maybe his friends) from the past behind Nevil. Idk I know that's very on the nose, but when I saw the movie back then I saw them as monsters, still to this day I see them that way, however we were only IMO a scene or two from having enough info to believe they were more cognitive than just mindless monsters
The scene just gets me every time. For the entire movie the only friend Nevil had left that was with him from the beginning, killed by him. Rip Fred. Oh yeah, there's the dog too.
This movie also effected me when i was younger, it was one of the first movies that had a moment that emotionally destroyed me, and that was the scene with sam. To this day that is still one of the most heartbreaking scenes ever to me. It was one of the first times a movie genuinely made me feel for a character. I cant remember how old i was, but i remember that night i slept on the couch with my dog and wouldnt let go.
@BuddyRIP oh man I'm super sorry. My bad for hurting your feelings. I'll get r8ght on keeping my mouth closed for you, just as soon as I'm not allowed to publicly reply to a public comment.
So my friends and I called them Cancer Vamps when we first saw this movie because the beginning stated it was a supposed cure for cancer, also they had characteristics of vampires from hiding from the sun and craving blood and we had no idea what they were called. Also I remember back when my friends and I first saw this movie in theaters, we all only saw one trailer and thankfully it didn’t show the creatures so that part when he goes into the dark building to save his dog and it showed them huddled up, we all looked at each other thinking “what the hell are they ?”
Im not that stupid pot head, but i love getting stoned and watching youtube stuff like this. I feel like im here with all of you taking a break from my crazy life. Its so relaxing and help my mind be creative and think abot atiff other than money. Thanks ❤
This movie scared the HELL out of me for 3 straight years until we got past the point where the virus breaks out in the movies timeline. I was so convinced it was going to happen. I was like 9 when this movie came out lol
@@Angelface11I was 7 when I seen this movie (to be fair, my mom was with my shitty ex stepdad and he let me see it) but also my real dad has let me watch stuff too
Fellow obsessive fan of the movie here, I absolutely loved your interpretation and how much thought you've put into every scene of the movie. While the video was a very fun watch, I've always had my own take on the movie that I'd like to share here, though I do warn anyone scrolling past that it will be very long. I always preferred the theatrical version, but not because I prefer seeing the Darkseekers as 'mindless monsters deserving of death'. My take is that even with the Darkseekers' intelligence and emotion, this virus is one that severely impacts their ability to coexist with us humans and lead happy, fulfilling lives in the process. Instead they live only to survive, much like Robert Neville does... But at the end of the day, like any human with a debilitating sickness, the cure is something that *all* of the Darkseekers need in order to live in peace without fear for their own lives, even if they simply can't comprehend how it would benefit them. No matter what way you spin it, the Darkseekers are what brought the world to ruin, and any humans who try to make peace with them will far more often be eaten for sustenance than what we saw in the Alternate Ending. Such is why to me, Robert Neville is not at all the villain, but he is certainly flawed and realizes such in different ways in both versions. Alternatively, the Darkseekers aren't the 'villains' either, simply a branch of human with a terrified perspective who are surviving the only way they know how. Not every good story needs a sense of good and evil, and once you do away with that structure, it can result in something far more tragic; two sides both doing what they must for the good of their people, humans killing humans in a morbid excuse to save them all. I do 100% agree that the theatrical cut doesn't do quite enough to emphasize the intelligence and emotions of the Darkseekers, not enough to display them as humans with compassion and desires just like us. It could have used a lot more details akin to the Alternate Cut to show us more of how the Darkseekers can act and think like any normal human when unprovoked. But even still, I prefer the theatrical cut because its ending feels much more complete and fitting for Robert Neville; he is a man suffering from crippling loss, an old wound reopened after losing the only family he had left. To put it simply, he has nothing left to live for other than the cure, an antidote that would allow those suffering people to live in peace once again. For him to suddenly turn his back on the cure entirely and simply allow the Darkseekers to live as they are only because they 'aren't monsters' feels disingenuous to me, such completely ignores the fact that the Darkseekers are still suffering simply through the blood-thirsty existence they have been forced into. It leaves Neville's world-saving work to be for nothing, and he is left to cope with the loss of his family and nothing to show for it. (And I'm gonna say it here; If Neville ends up forming a romance with Anna in the second movie, that to me feels like the WORST decision and would simply not fit his character in my eyes lol)... I'm not at all upset that the canon ending has allowed him to survive and for me to get a second movie, since both endings shine in their own ways as far as I'm concerned. But in terms of my preference, the way he gives up his late life's work just to let the Darkseekers continue their current lifestyle feels very out of character, and the way he sacrifices himself for the cure is additionally a very sweet moment when you look at it from the perspective of Robert Neville getting to see his long lost family once again. Thanks for coming to my Ted talk :D
I love this movie and was today years old when I learned there was an alternate ending, and wow it sounds so much better than the theatrical cut and makes so much more sense, I’ve always wondered why they dropped subtle clues about how the infected were actually intelligent and could think and plan but then just never goes anywhere with it, I need to see this alternate ending now
Why wait until your supplies are gone?! No matter how much food you have in your pantry, it will go empty without a store to refill it. You hunt to stretch out supplies and add variety to your diet.
14:50 completely understand, my dog during my childhood was named after sam from this movie, this movie forever is a comfort because it reminds me of him everytime.
I only watched the theatrical cut and i always thought the nightseekers were intelligent and had fellings, an hierarchy and relationships. Look at what the leader of them does just to get his girlfriend back. And neville having to kill them also would make sense, since they were so angry at him for taking them. It works in both cuts 🤷🏽♂️
Exactly, he talks as if only the alternate version sends that message, when the theatrical version does also imply they're intelligent beings capable of reasoning and having feelings. He blows himself up not because "good guy take down bad guy", but because he realized they're vindictive enough to kill them even if they get the girl back, so he sacrifices himself to save the cure.
I was about 7 when this movie came out. My dad came home talking about it and how good it was, so that got me interested. He was out of town a lot, so it felt like a decent way to bond with him. I could watch the movie and then talk about it with him when he came back in town. My mom and I also loved watching movies On Demand together and she always let me pick (she let me watch Wanted a year or two later😳), so I Am Legend was what we rented. I think I watched it maybe a dozen times throughout the following few months. I showed it to friends, watched it alone, and honestly in hindsight my mom should’ve just bought the damn movie, cause they probably spent close to $100 on me renting it. But yeah, I’m surprised to find out it has such a big following all these years later. I’ve seen it several times since as well, so I’d estimate I’ve probably seen it 20 times or so. It brings me nostalgia too. I might need to go watch it again.
I had no idea there was even a alternative ending and I loved the film when I was younger but It always did feel in complete so now seeing they other ending and your explanation of it all it makes so much more sense!!
The metamorphoses from caterpillar to butterfly analogy is a perfect way to sum up this entire film. It's a beautiful way of looking at it and I never made that connection before.
I don’t think the ending changes anything. It’s predator vs prey. Humans are the Nightseekers’ prey, they feed off humans so even if he was to leave them be they’d still attack and feed off humans. Prey is not gonna just sit there and allow itself to be eaten or be surrounded by predators.
Have you read the book? It's very different - I can't say that Neville was likeable - but very good. Much less action-oriented and goes hard on the thought-provoking aspects. It's short and can be easily read in a day. I think I took it down in one night when I was on a post-apocalyptic literature kick. Enjoyed your analysis of the film and the alternate endings.
I was obsessed with this movie when I was younger. I knew there was an alternate ending to it but never got around to see it. I've got to say, the theatrical version is nothing compared to the alternate ending! Everything made sense, how he got caught in that trap, the butterfly that formed on the glass when the leader of the darkseekers was just mindlessly banging his head against it. Thanks for this video!
This is related to the topic of the movie so let me just rant about it...I loved this movie as a kid (way too young btw like 6-7 years old) so I was so excited to learn there was more stories from the universe, in the form of comic shorts on the bonus CD. Those shorts...scared the ever loving shit out of me. There's one short called Shelter (there's actually a few snapshots of it in this video, 12:39 and 21:56) and watching that short made me physically ill. That short, I am not joking, gave me PTSD. Ever since then, I have had a phobia of zombies. I like zombie games (TLOU is one of my favorite games ever) but I will do anything to avoid watching a zombie movie. I refuse to even watch Zombieland. I often have nightmares that I am in a zombie apocalypse, being chased by zombies. So I watched the movies after a long time with my family and I came to the realization...they weren't actually zombies...I stg I questioned everything. My fear of zombies wasn't even derived from actual zombies. Wtf
I saw this film in theaters, and was a huge fan. Watched it multiple times. I never knew the Darkseekers set that trap. It went completely over my head. I just assumed it was his mental break making him forget about setting another trap. Thanks for this breakdown, and I agree the alternate cut is the superior cut.
i'm late to this video, but i'm up there with you on most rewatches of this movie, i heckin love i am legend so much, i think it's just the atmosphere for me. beautiful post apocalypse
I loved this movie! It's a Original idea that splits away from the typical zombie or vampire franchises. Wished we gotten a sequel or more lore. It's an apocalyptic gem.
@@RawNWigglin great movie....if there is going t be a last man on earth it's charlton heston, but it too was a remake of 'the last man on earth' with vincent price (1964)
I see Will as his characters from: Fresh Prince, MiB, Bad Boys, Wild Wild West, Hancock, and this movie. I'm being 100% serious when I say that this movie is also one of the most nostalgic movies of all time for me (I'm not gonna argue which of us appreciates it more, I just know that I absolutely consider this one of my favorite movies ever and one of maybe 3 potential sequels I can think of that I would actually go to a movie theater for nowadays.) I saw this in theaters the week it released, I believe I was in 6th or 7th grade when that happened. I still have a DvD copy and a separate Blu-ray copy that I purchased later 😂 truly can't articulate how much I love this movie
I have never ever knew another version existed of this masterpiece. I have always only watched the theatrical, the sad and heartbreaking yet fulfilling one. I have no idea how i never came across this alternative ending.
I always thought that both endings were slightly on impact, and they actually feel better to me if you cut them both right before. For the original ending: cut on the white out from the grenade explosion. This way you get a heroic sacrifice and ambiguous hope that the future could be saved. For the alternate ending: cut on the fade to black when Will Smith looks at the wall and realizes all the torture and killing he's done to the darkseekers. It mostly comes down to if you want a hopeful ending or a thematically appropriate sad one.
Totally relate with what you said about being nostalgic about this film, it’s one of my favourites for sure. My mum also bought me it (when I was probably too young) it terrified me but I became obsessed with it
I have watched so many movies all my life, and I enjoy learning about its background and history, whether it’s true or fiction. I never knew there was an alternate version of I AM LEGEND?!?! What?! 👁️👄👁️
I actually love the theatrical version. DOn't get me wrong it's sad AF but Robert giving him to save the world is absolutely incredible and so powerful!
It really, really isn’t. It was a really bad film and completely missed the point, which is all the more disappointing because the book is so, so good.
@@dinocollins720 and you and I are talking about the theatrical release. Which had one cliched and predictable ending that you described as, “…absolutely incredible and so powerful!”
Hey man, me too. It was crazy. I watched I Am Legend when it came out, and I couldn't even sleep for 3 days. But I kept going back to the movie and became obsessed with the concept of a zombie virus. You're basically me.
I think the butterfly has more to do with choice and consequences. He started the torture in that lab and ended up being tortured more than anyone in the film. The butterfly effect taking place, the theatrical version goes the most violent and spectacular route but the alternate ending makes more sense for a sequel.
Shock to see no mention of the "Omega man" movie with Vincent Price, that was also based on this book, however in this version they are cannibal mutants. But the point stands as similarly Neville realizes that he has become the monster the mutants fear, leaving the world to their new inhabitants.
This guy spends the entire video going through the plot of the story and then in the end goes "I think the butterfly means that everyone should be loved" and you are SHOCKED he didnt do the basic little research analytic youtubers usually do?
Pandorum is that movie for me. I was raised on great timeless classics like Stand By me and Lost boys but Pandorum is my "I am Legend." The reality of the unreal circumstances of time travel that is isnt time travel but is thousands of years passed and the exploration of space mind and loss. It is a horror movie, thriller, action and thought provoking sci fi. I am Legend is in the top 10 for movies I can watch on repeat. The Mist makes it in there for being sci fi, horror, thought provoking and biblical with a narrator that you do not even realise is foretelling the story the entire time until you have seen it 10 times and begin to realise the end is the beginning and there is no way the outcome can change. Neville as a character is amazing. Many could have played it differently but Will Smith was meant to be Neville the same as Vin Diesel is Riddick.
I was hoping for them to delve deeper into the woman he was curing. I thought it would be interesting if she became a intermediary between the monsters and humans and she became conflicted with her new life vs her old life vs her old old life (before she was infected) They haven't been infected for long so their old life would still be fresh in their minds. Then through that they find a way to live together. That would really show that the monsters had higher cognitive function. The alternate version was always my favourite too. Great video mate. Very interesting.
7:06 - Damn, even watching the recap this scene gets me. The most heart-wrench part of the entire film. Also, I sure wish I had the good fortune to watch the 'alternate' version first. It's so far superior to the theatre version, there's no comparison.
Watched the movie as a kid, read the short story a few years later, found all of it really interesting, I liked the movie before I read the story but I really appreciated the short story as I read it recently after watching fright night, so like, the vibe hit, Sam was awesome and the dynamic with Will was great, and the death hit harder than in the book, but even in the book the dog was used really well in the story to show his mental timeline? Idk, great video, great book, great movie (liked the alt ending better)
So glad someone covered this movie this way. I loved this movie as a kid and still enjoy it to this day. The song by James Howard will always be memorable for me. The theatrical cut should've been kept but both endings were good
The special featured comic book style short animations that come with the movie really help build the lore of the world of I Am Legend. I remember always watching all of them everytime after i watched the movie
From my understanding in the book the survivors that Robert meets turn out to actually not be human; which pushes the idea that HE is the monster even further.
I think the reason we don't have a line in the alternate cut saying, "I chose to leave the cure behind," is because the movie isn't trying to pick who is a 'good guy' and who is really the 'bad guy.' Especially with its themes of nature taking over, Mother Nature is a brutal overseer of the natural realm where you kill or be killed. Robert Neville isn't the villain for killing Darkseekers; they are responsible for the complete destruction of human society--and that's worse if they've been intelligent this whole time. No, what I like about the alternate cut is that it does bring the themes of the movie closer to those of the book (as well as bringing the theme of the movie together cohesively). In the book, Neville doesn't come to the realization that 'Maybe I'm the baddie.' Instead he sees that the vampire society is developing and filling in the cracks of society left by the humans, and that he has become the boogeyman to them. He is not the villain in that story, but he realizes that it is doing more harm than good, for him to continue his systematic eradication of the vampires. If I remember correctly, book Neville wasn't even a scientist working on a cure--he was just surviving. The climax has him letting go of his survival so the new budding civilization of intelligent vampires can move past him. The movie sequel probably should explore the cure and the ethics of using it on the Darkseekers, especially now as they are known to be intelligent (to some degree, definitely not shown to yet be akin to the vampires in the book). And I think there should definitely be survival/thriller of the two civilizations engaging in violent conflict against each other. Neither side is villain, neither is the hero per se, because Mother Nature is a concept of Darwinian 'kill or be killed.'
The scene where his dog becomes infected and he knows he has to put him down still tears me up to this day. They never show what he does just his facial expressions and I still can barely watch that scene. Puppers are Gods gift to us especially his dog. Can't imagine the loneliness setting in after that.
I love this film - I think on average I watch it like once every couple weeks. That said I have it in that mental category where it's a completely separate, yet coincidentally identically-named, entity to the book. Will Smith would have been a good Neville.
I don't know why but finding out Sam is a girl still breaks my heart and then of course what happens to her 😢 I always wanted to go through people's apartments like he does and go through people's stuff.
It's very interesting that you had I Am Legend as your big nostalgia movie based off of the novel "I Am Legend" by Richard Matheson. For me, it was Charlton Heston's "The Omega Man." I was a little kid when Smith's version came out and I had both movies on DVD, but I always thought Omega Man was the better movie and as an adult, I still think it's better. The soundtrack is my favorite in any media ever and Heston zapping the mutants with his M76 is so satisfying. And the opening title scene of him driving through a downtown LA that somehow manages to look abandoned despite it being the middle of the day was some excellent camerawork. Regardless of which is "best," they both kick the shit out of Vincent Price's adaption. God, what a bad movie lol.
I have always loved this movie myself. I can see that it's flawed and why a lot of people don't like it but I don't care. I used to watch it over and over again myself. Especially the first act where Neville is just going around surviving. I also really enjoyed the book. I know it kind of makes me uncultured but I couldn't really get into Omega Man or The Last Man On Earth.
Whenever a dog dies in a movie, I don’t ever really watch that movie again. Or have a difficult time rewatching it. I’m too sensitive to dogs dying, and it rips my heart apart every time. Watching Marley and Me for the first and only time years ago…. Oh man I was an absolute wreck. I think it’s beautiful you found some peace in this movie after losing your pup. Whatever helps you cope and heal 💚
You have such a beautiful heart. If you can, check out Jimmy Stewart's poem, A Dog Named Beau. I can't link, cuz "TH-cam" If you lost your dog, his poem is very cathartic. Stay safe friend, I'm no one.
A friend of mine startet watching game of thrones ans Stopped cause of how oftwn horaea ans dogs/wolfs got killed . . . . Like red wedding whatever, NOT THE WOLF!!!
For a follow-up, how about commenting on "The Last Man on Earth (1964, Vincent Price) and "The Omega Man" (1971, Charlton Heston)? These also were film adaptations of Matheson's story.
The explanation where he calls humans animals and suggests that saving the human race is a BAD ending made the movie better for you? The future is not looking so good
I loved this movie when I was little and I had no clue there was another version besides the original bad one. I love this new version makes much more sense and makes the movie more interesting
I never even knew there was an alternative cut, and I was surprised when I heard that will Smith was coming back for the sequel even though he had died haha
As an animal lover, the story of Sam was heartbreaking. I don't care who died in the film but losing Sam was tough. Abbey should have got an Oscar for the role, I totally believed her character and everything she did. It was nice to see her get a shout out here in the video.
I remember watching I Am Legend over the course of a few days in one of my middle school's English classes. We were doing a thing that class where after we would read a book, we would watch a movie adaptation of it afterwards and discuss changes between the two. I can't for the life of me remember which book we read before watching this, because all I know for certain is that it wasn't the I Am Legend book and the teacher had to stretch a little bit to relate whatever book we read to the movie. Suffice it to say, the movie was much more fascinating to me as a kid then whatever book I read.
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In the original book the protagonist walks around killing sleeping vampires/people infected with a vampirism virus on a daily basis so they come up with a plot taking advantage of his emotional isolation to overcome him - and eventually he realizes that _he is legend_ now for the vampires, a creature of nightmares killing you while you're asleep.
The status quo had shifted and a new society had emerged, of people as afraid of him as humans had been of them.
He became legend.
Can’t remember the name of it but the movie that actually followed the book was good
Last Man on Earth with Vincent Price.@@Swampdonkey796
@@Swampdonkey796 Kinda like how John Carpenter's The Thing was awesome because it followed Campbell's "Who Goes There?" story pretty closely, unlike its predecessor. The main difference there was that the ending was less ambiguous and more of a "near miss" feeling with the Thing very nearly building itself a jetpack to escape, while Carpenter's Thing left it a bit more up in the air what happens.
@@Swampdonkey796 You're thinking of Vincent Price in The Last Man on Earth. Charlton Heston also starred in an adaption of the book called The Omega Man.
@@WynneL Too bad Carpenter didn't similarly follow the book when he made John Carpenter's Vampires. The book behind it, Vampire$ by John Steakley is really good (with some slow parts).
Robert comfortably survived for YEARS on his own, but after meeting a woman, his ENTIRE world crumbled and was killed in less than 24 hours.
Bi%(hes. Am I right?😂😂😂
Can't live with them or without them
And steals his Bacon
Yep it all can be blamed on a woman lol 🤣🤣🤣
Funny fact this movie is actually a remake the original movie is called omega man in that movie they are vampires
I remember reading the book in middle school. The vampires were super intelligent and I remember at some point there was one vampire that openly taunted neville as he slept in his house. So he sound proofed his house
Most were intelligent. There was a leader and a massive group that sat outside of his house every night. (He had UV lights set up so they couldn't attack him)
They would taunt him, tempt him with females, and basically did anything to make him fall apart.
yeah I'll be honest, the movie to me is a poor adaptation of the original story.
@@ephasmwdym poor adaptation?
They didn't even tried to adapt it 🤣
Also pretty sure the female vampires tried seducing him and flashed him constantly from his front yard
One thing I don't get, why would the night seekers survive if humans are there to feed em
You simply don’t understand. You don’t hunt when you’re out of food, you hunt so you don’t run out of food.
Exactly backup.
Waiting to hunt for food when you're out of food is a sure way to starve to death, or die from making mistakes while hunting because of lack of nutrition.
@@jjones503So, running out of food is a good way to starve. Good to know.
Well not only that, fresh meat is nice, and it's not like he has anything better to do
Exactly!!
Vincent Price's version is WAY better and actually justifies the tittle of "I am Legend"
The infected just kept their almost normal lives during the night and the main character became like a legend they told among themselves and many didn't even believe he existed.
In the end, the main character realizes he has been the villain in THEIR story.
This makes way more sense than them constantly killing people and then suddenly in the end it's "Oh we're just a little different, we do no harm frl frl"
I forgot about Vincent Price's version. I grew up on Charlton Heston version in the 70s
It's the King and the poisoned well fable.
I agree Vincent Price's Version is better.
Price starred in some fantastic roles during his career.
An all time great actor.
A Legend!
Price's version is probably closest to the short story, that is, "I am Legend," but I kind of secretly enjoy the camp of Heston's "Omega Man."
@@michaellatta7699 The Omega man! Loved it😊
The comic-book style shorts that were on my dvd really creeped me out as a kid. They follow other people during the beginning of the outbreak, including some people who become infected and it's wild to see how they begin to think differently and they talk about just how HUNGRY they are, hungry enough to attack their uninfected families
I remember those. The one that real made me sad was the one of the girl in Japan or Korea who finds herself all alone. Real depressing haha
I like the one where we get to see from the point of view of the creatures.
The one where the girl disregards her parent's orders to stay in the bunker with them but instead she decides to go out and see her boyfriend which leads to her getting infected. Then the infection warps her reality and causes her to think that her family are monsters which leads to her killing and consuming them.
@@OGEdgerthat one was so cool! i remember watching all the features on the DVD while self-isolating and it made me go back and re-watch the film with that perspective in mind.
He exposed himself to sunlight because he had feelings for the zombie that was being captured by Neville, so it was groundbreaking for him because the monster did show signs of human emotions like caring for one another, not cos they were low on food
And I get the exact same feeling absolute nostalgia from this, used to have me absolutely on the edge of my seat
exactly i thought man that's some powerful statement that night seeker is making.
That's what he SHOULD have realized, but it isn't what he thought at the time. I just watched it and thought Neville was really dumb with his analysis.
He says, _"*an infected male exposed himself to sunlight today. Now, it's possible decreased brain function or growing scarcity of food is causing them to ignore their basic survival instincts. Social de-evolution appears complete."_
The alternate ending makes him realize they aren't just brainless, emotionless infected. I think you might have been referring to that in your comment. I just thought it was so goofy for such a brilliant scientist to completely miss the mark SO bad; clearly they weren't socially devolved.
*Edit for formatting
*vampire
They're not zombies lol
If they’re doing a sequel based on the alternate cut, I hope they open with the alternate ending to establish the context, so people in the theater that remember the “grenade ending” won’t be confused on how Will Smith’s Robert Neville lived through a grenade explosion 😂
Not everyone got the DVD after seeing it in theaters and I believe when it was on streaming it still went with the theatrical ending.
I'm ecstatic either way, but I totally agree; it'd be better if they did a "refresher" of sorts.
Watch Omega man fair better
This isn’t a big hurdle because most were mad at ending anyway and wanted a sequel regardless even if it meant a retcon of ending which is why they released the alternate cut immediately with DVD.
I have only seen the grenade ending so watching this video really blew my mind 😅
they have been working on I am legend sequel for nearly two decades. it always starts and gets canceled for some reason or another. I dont hold any hope.
Had a back surgery, I went downstairs to this small theater room we’re had. I took pain medication, put in this dvd , turned down the lights all the way….. and I was hooked. The mixture of the ambiance, pain killers, darkness, and the movie was a once in a lifetime viewing experience. That opening scene in surround sound was something else…something I haven’t expected since.
Something I did not expect to see in the comment section for this video:
An ad for narcotics.
♡
In the theatrical version, I thought Nevill had already gone entirely insane before Sam was killed. I thought that he set the whole Fred/trap thing himself and walked into it because he was completely out of his mind.
Oh yea that makes sense. He tried to catch one of these darkseekers before and probably pit Fred as a bait for the darkseekers. Man I remember watching this scene it had so uncanny vibe to it.
i also thought the same thing when i was watching the movie for the first time, that he was just splitting, and thought again that he got into his early set trap that he forgets about.
SAAAAMMMEEEE as a kid I always thought it was a trap he set for the monsters he forgot about since he was going crazy n sheit
EXACTLY!
And especially the "conversation" with Fred underlined just how far gone he really was at that point.
same
The scene he had to kill Sam in 100% made me cry as an 11 year old. My dad and I went to see it in theaters and we were so excited for it. I remember loving the movie to that point, and even my war hardened, never cries only shows anger when sad dad even got upset by that scene. We both finished watching the movie but we were visibly upset when we both got home. My sister and grandma were waiting for us and we both just went to bed.
i’ve been crying since (23 years old) 😂
We're only men sir, not machines, only men
Bro same exactly I saw it in the theaters too
I couldn't watch it because of that until I was 13
Y'all sweet as hell
I think the scene that stuck to me the most yet it's really trivial is when Robert goes on a supply run and enters this random apartment, all laid out really selling that this was someone's home. He sees Christmas decorations and newspaper clips on the fridge's door about the infected being afraid of sunlight. Eventually Robert ends up stumbling on this door with a paper note saying something like "don't open before Christmas" and it's a baby's bedroom. You can really feel the emotional gut punch he gets at this moment.
Reminds me of fallout games where you see things that happened years ago as if they just fell over it’s creepy but makes the scenes better when you piece things together for yourself
In the book Robert Neville’s legend was in becoming the thing that goes bump in the night, the monster that would snatch children and kill people in their sleep, a la Count Dracula. It was a way to shift the perspective and understanding of horror stories of the past. The vampires would evolve and create their own society, systems of justice, etc. and eventually set out to hold Neville accountable for the horrors he inflicted upon the innocent vampires just trying to live their lives. I was always disappointed that the movie moved away from this idea.
Not really if the vampires saw an innocent person doing no harm to them then they would definitely kill it and eat him, he was doing everything he could to survive
This is the I am legend I know
Thats bollocks They kill and eat people, THEY started this and now THEY should get their own society? Fuck that, when they decide to stop chomping hands and faces, Then we can have aconversation about civilizations
@pavy415 that's the whole point, the movie is BS. it makes no sense. The story actually had a point.
That's dumb, though.
As far as I'm concerned, they're not innocent if their very existence is part if the reason why my friends are dead.
I still love this movie to this day. The themes of isolation, loneliness, grey morality, nature taking over... It's just very interesting and thought provoking to watch. I never knew about the alternate ending (which sounds much better and more in-line with the themes), so thanks for letting me know about that.
Funny story: This movie is also how my sister's dog got his name. I was watching him for a weekend and this movie came on TV. I let him outside to the bathroom before the infamous "Fred!" scene. He wouldn't come back inside, so I started imitating Robert and shouting "Fred! What are you doing, Fred? Get over here right now!" He immediately ran into the house, happy as could be. "Fred" was the only name he listened to after that day.
That’s an incredible story 😂😂😂 it’s hard not to imitate that scene it’s so great
@@thethriftytypewriter - Be carefull as i don't really think you want a slap.
We named a pet after his daughter.
And then everyone clapped
This was a tad bit mean sory but I still find your comment dubious
That " keep my wife's name.." clip 😅was impeccably timed...and now I'm an instant subscriber
The butterfly symbolized his daughter that’s why it was emphasized so much with the daughter and the dog in the beginning, and throughout it. The daughter, who died, represented the butterfly that you saw before she died as well.
The butterfly was the symbolism of hope. His daughter was the hope of his current life, then after she died the butterfly tattoo and the hand smear butterfly are symbols of hope for his current life. This is what makes it more difficult for him afterward to use the cure.
The butterfly was a symbol of the evolution we go through when we connect jumper cables to our nips. The writer had been shocked this way many times and he just wanted to show that he is now the butterfly he was meant to be after a lot of jumper cable sessions.
:o i never put that together!
The infected was killing ppl before ROBERT used a gun on em. I understand the point Robert is the monster but they never showed mercy to the ppl they killed or changed. They're monsters. I don't see the ending as mercy but fair trade. A life for a life.
That’s why I made the comparison to getting abducted by aliens 👽
@@thethriftytypewriter I missed that part. I was mostly listening to it omw to work.
@@thethriftytypewriter But that comparison leaves out the infected killing people so it's not applicable. Maybe if you killed some aliens a few years ago and then later got abducted.
@@thethriftytypewriter Except the darkseekers aren't comparable to people abducted by aliens in my book.
They woke up and immediatly started murdering everyone. I get that it was a food source for them, so in that sense, one could argue that it is justified. But that doesn't make Neville the monster anymore than a buffalo is for killing a lion that is hunting it.
Neville was defending himself against a predatory species, that would have killed him without hesitation, whether he was trying to hurt them or not. The darkseekers aren't evil for hunting for their food, but neither are humans for defending themselves against a predator. I think the "natural order" comparison was apt, since nature is notoriously violent while simultainiously morally neutral.
@@TheTMschannel
I'd argue that Neville is as much of a monster as people who use animals as test subjects for all sorts of products, many of which lead to their death.
Thank you for showing me that this had an alternate cut cause i was confused as hell when they anounced i am legend 2
😂
@@ashley.taylor174why are you laughing you seem retarded
You are not alone! iRobot and Iam Legend have been some of my most watched movies throughout my life. Will Smith does a fantastic job in these movies.
They are good movies, but both absolutely butcher the original story, unfortunately.
@@jjones503I've heard a little about the original story of I am legend but not about irobot
@@jjones503the people who haven't read the book don't mind that though. And most haven't
@@ath477I think I robot was a clever mystery novel while the movie turned it into a more generic action flick
@@rishiy6183 oh ok got take care
I remember when I first saw this movie. I was in foster care and on my birthday I was allowed to spend the whole day with my mom without supervision of the social worker. I got sick the day before so I unfortunately spent most of my birthday sick but happy I was with my mom.
My mom made me a chicken soup and asked if I wanted to see a movie. She had bought I Am Legend the day before so we would both see it for the first time. I was always a scaredy-cat for horror movies, but for some reason this movie made me fall in love with it. It’s been nearly 16 years since my mom beat the foster system and got me back, but every time I see this movie I get transported back to when I spent that day with my mom, how happy I was for that one day only for it to end at 6pm (just before the sun set like in the movie) and return to my foster home only to see my mom again whenever a court date came up (sometimes once every 3 months or 6 months).
It’s a bittersweet feeling, that’s for sure.
That is sure a bittersweet story and I'm glad you got to be back with your mom completely at the end. I wish you the best in life
@@adityakashyap9283 W
That was a moving story, well told. Ever thought of writing as a career? The pay is awful (except for a tiny minority) but the personal rewards are vast. You convey your truth with perfect pacing, avoiding mawkish sentimentality which, ironically, is what makes it all the more touching.
I’m glad it had a happy ending, for you and your mom. Having worked as a Residential Social Worker (in the UK) for 6 years, in a previous life, I know that there were those who were bad at their jobs and not quite as many who were good at it. I wouldn’t wish the care system, fostering or care homes, on any child. I spent the next 6 years of my life as a Family Therapist, dedicated to preventing children being taken into care in all situations possible, where the child’s interests could be protected. That involved everything from family sessions to court appearances and mountains of paperwork.
Trying to fix the impossible for a living, whilst neglecting my own loved ones, lead to my having a breakdown and being hospitalised. I learned that the only people who last in those kinds of jobs are sociopaths and those who just don’t really care.
But, my story has a happy ending too, as it gave me a lot to write about and live comfortably on thereafter.
I know this is not about me, and I’ve really gone on a bit, but I just wanted to share the fact that there are people out there who really do care about people like you. We rarely got the chance to see what became of the adults we left behind as children. People like you, who write so well and affectingly about your experience, are needed and give people like me hope.
Not a day goes by when I don’t think about the kids we worked with and the emotions are always bitter, if not bittersweet. But, the system was reckless and indifferent back then. Now, I don’t know to be honest. It’s clear from the way you express yourself that some people made it okay.
Thank you for sharing that intimacy with the world. And all good things to you and yours. God bless.
Why you make me cry like that 🥹
My parents were foster parents. So I'm a foster brother. The only reason you were taken away was your mom was in a bad way at the time. People can and do get better. I'm happy for you that your momma came out of it. God bless my friend.
This has always been one of my favorite movies too. It has just the right amount of gray in the story that feels so real for both him, humanity, and the darkseekers. It also did a really good job making the viewer think about what they were seeing. Was the mannequin alive, was he loosing it? Was there hope? Point in the cure? It presented questions, both real and philosophical. I look forward to continuing this story.
I disagree even in the alternate version before the Humans were testing on the darkseekers the darkseekers were still attacking and killing humans when infected.
Yeah. The whole “the darkseekers aren’t monsters” idea goes out the window once you realize they still consume peoples blood/eat them. The motion comic special feature on the BluRay even show how the darkseekers once infected eat their family members. Petty monstrous.
If they were all killed then what made the darkseekers? use you brain
@@stellviahohenheimwhat are you on about. You can get lucky and escape but you see in the movie how they go after nevills blood. Theyre still monsters to humans. Like just because a gazelle sees that the lion has a cute family and little cubs doesnt mean that to the gazelle its any less of a monster wtf.
@@stellviahohenheim Human Corpses made the darkseekers.
Well, in their minds they probably aren’t eating people they’re curing them or something idk lol, they def don’t fully eat anyone since there are other darkseekers, they suck their blood, or if they’re mad at you they’ll fully murder you and tear you apart
In the book, it kinda came off to me like they woke up as new people? Like, they showed the society aspects a bit more of the vampires or implied it at least, it’s been a bit since I read, but they had names, they dressed a lot nicer than darkseekers, had lives n shit, so idk if like, they die and wake up and adopt new lives or if they remember their previous lives and miss them or feel as if it’s just a continuation of the same life, like, idk, the vampire life and society was talked about so bluntly by the end it read as (not literally tho) “this dude Neville is a human, he’s a human and he’s being like, pretty fuckin rude, we gotta bring him before a circuit judge he keeps messing up our block parties”
Old school vampires didn’t just drink human blood btw, they drank animal blood,
so to me it felt like in this story once all humans are gone, even just in the area, if everyone forgets their previous life, a society arises, they eat animals at night and literally never see humans because humans are either all gone besides this rude dude Neville up the block killing vampire junkies after they pass out in the street drunk or they aren’t in the area anymore, stay in small groups and don’t come out at night, they become a legend, Neville is a legend, yada yada
And with the context of the short story you can read the movie the same way, they’re probably eating those same deer, Neville is the outlier, the peeps that save him are one of those not so small groups separated from the city(ies) the darkseekers have taken over , they just made the vampires more silicone zombie lookin wearing tattered clothes and only showing how they act during the day or during scenes of them chasing after people in a horde, we don’t see any of them casually hanging out at night, roaming the street without a care, they may be a lot more normal than we know because all we see through is Neville’s and other humans lenses during times of chaos lol
One of my favourites from when I was younger! Intrigued but sceptical about this ‘sequel’
There's a sequel???
@ravencarino6115 right? I had no idea.
@@ravencarino6115 supposedly yeah, only rumours so far though
also supposedly with michael b jordan, and will smith comes back as well
I'm definitely challenging u to the person who's seen this the most. I used to watch it everyday as well and I think I got u
Idk man, I don’t buy the whole “the vampires are the next stage of humanity” idea and that they are supposed to be the good guys. Neville himself said they “killed, and fed on EVERYBODY.” They sound like monsters to me. I still love the original theatrical cut, I think Neville sacrificing himself so they could get the cure out is very emotional and heart wrenching.
It was like that at the start cause majority of the initial vampires weren't smart enough for advance cognitive actions, eventually though some vampires started to become more human and less animalistic.
Yes, of course they are monsters, they are vampires. But the point of the book was that after it was all over, and the vampires took over, there was one human left, who would come and kill them in their sleep. Hence the title, "I am legend". Because now that vampires rule the world, they will forever tell the story of that human who hunts them when they are at their weakest. As if to say, it's all cyclical, just as we have legends of vampires, vampires would have their own monster stories.
@@hohenzollern6025 the video is trying to paint humanity as the bad guy which is what I’m saying is objectively false.
@@michaelguernsey1206
He is the bad guy, to the vampires. So no, it's SUBjective.
@@hohenzollern6025the vampires are objectively the bad guys they killed the entirety of humanity and would do it again because they are a predator species of humanity, so yes humanity is the good guy and the vampires can eat shit in hell were they all belong
I had a German Shepherd the year this came out. We let him out in the backyard one morning. Unbeknownst to us, somebody had cut a wire off of a gate that was holding it shut. He escaped and ran off - on Christmas Eve. My family celebrates on the Eve. We ended up spending the morning driving around looking for him, and putting up signs in the neighborhood. It was one of my worst Christmas's ever. Trying to celebrate with family, but trying and failing to hold off tears the entire time.
We tried to make a go of living the following days. Including deciding to go see a movie. We picked this movie, not knowing about the dog. As soon as she appeared onscreen, I started weeping and couldn't stop throughout the entire film. When he had to put her down, I just started crying even heavier. The guy sitting next to me offered me napkins to dab my tears, not knowing the story behind them.
We did get our dog back after a week. Somebody up the road had taken him in, and took him to a lost and found event at the police station. There happened to have been a police officer driving around the neighborhood when I was putting up signs, and he said he'd keep an eye out for my dog. He was at this event and recognized him, and brought him to me. Very happy ending, but definitely one of the worst weeks in my life. I've had difficulty re-watching this movie ever since, which sucks because I actually really like it. Except, of course for what happens to the dog.
Yo cool story bro 👍
😆
Wow dude... So sorry 😐
Have you ever seen the bonus extras that were on the dvd? There's some cool stories from other people during the outbreak like a family in India that gives perspective from an infected as they lose the recognition of humanity towards their family. You gotta make a video covering that stuff. Its so cool.
The anime shorts were sick!
The one with the daughter and her family and her bf messed me up. Kinda sad.
How can the night seekers be innocent "good guys" when they were slaughtering people in the beginning of the movie? They wear rags and don't build their own shelters and never speak. So how can they be an advanced human being? I dunno man, I can't see where you're coming from on all this.
Yeah the book did a better job at depicting the night seekers as actual civilized group, they're more like a group of wolves in the movie
@@steel749they’re like wolves but they have dogs too ☠️ so they can’t be that much like wolves they’re smarter
They’d have to relearn self control having a new primary motive in life. It would take awhile to redevelop that skill set.
That’s my guess 🤷
It could also be the general nature of the ever changing human personality.
they were monsters for each others
Will's character was killing them in their sleep and doing all sorts of experiements while they were killing people for food which was a monster to a regular human.
Neither of the 2 groups were good or bad but both in one package ... they are the same sh-t
They’re not good guys or bad. They’re sick and their bodies have been altered to the point that they need to consume human flesh. They’re just surviving, same as Neville. But Neville saw them as monsters and vice versa. They do have intelligence, but they’re feral as well. They communicate with each other, they survive with the dogs, they command the dogs, they form emotional bonds, they’re social, they hunt together, they’re vengeful, they’re forgiving, they have a hierarchy, they rest together, live together, they can build traps, they somewhat understand human psychology, they strategize.
Will Smith has CONFIRMED that he is going to start production on a sequel soon. He also stated that it will pick up from the ALTERNATE ENDING.
Where proof?
@@SirAlex- search it up he did said this
@@CaptainSalvi k
The only ending I ever saw was the one where he gave her a vial of his blood and blows himself up to save her and the boy. I didn’t know there was a version where he lived.
Which version was he planning to make the sequel with?
@@notatheist the sequel is going to use the alternate ending whee he survives. The DVD & Blu-Ray should have the alternate ending in the special features if you have a copy of it.
I always thought the night seeker and the girl one was a dad and daughter and the butterfly relates to familial bonds and daughters. He saw Sam as a sort of replacement for the love he lost when his daughter died and that’s why there was a butterfly near Sam too
The instant cut to "God's Plan" had me audibly laughing in my kitchen.. Gotta subscribe.
They should have added a perspective shot during the final basement scene through the glass. It is implied, but maybe not super clear that the dark seekers see Nevil as a monster, we only really see that through nevils eyes they're monsters. Perhaps a view through the eyes of the head dark seeker where you see a man with your love interests restrained doing medical test (basically lethal injection) to his wife with a scoreboard of his fellow dark seekers (maybe his friends) from the past behind Nevil. Idk I know that's very on the nose, but when I saw the movie back then I saw them as monsters, still to this day I see them that way, however we were only IMO a scene or two from having enough info to believe they were more cognitive than just mindless monsters
The scene just gets me every time. For the entire movie the only friend Nevil had left that was with him from the beginning, killed by him. Rip Fred. Oh yeah, there's the dog too.
WAIT THERES TWO ENDINGS???
Yes you been living under a rock ?
@@pnuttyinthacuttyCommon knowledge to you=/= common knowledge to everyone.
I had no idea either.... I always thought he blew himself up??? Huh, how about that.
Yea, I was like "THERE'S A BETTER ENDING!?"
Yup, there’s also the book ending as well
This movie also effected me when i was younger, it was one of the first movies that had a moment that emotionally destroyed me, and that was the scene with sam. To this day that is still one of the most heartbreaking scenes ever to me. It was one of the first times a movie genuinely made me feel for a character. I cant remember how old i was, but i remember that night i slept on the couch with my dog and wouldnt let go.
It emotionally destroyed you? That's a bit much but ok. It's rated pg 13. I suppose you should have waited till you were an adult just to be safe lol.
@@outofpowder hey, why don't you shut up if you don't have anything nice to say? Did you even read the comment?
@BuddyRIP oh man I'm super sorry. My bad for hurting your feelings. I'll get r8ght on keeping my mouth closed for you, just as soon as I'm not allowed to publicly reply to a public comment.
I completely relate to this even now after all these years I haven’t rewatched this movie in a long time because of that scene.
So my friends and I called them Cancer Vamps when we first saw this movie because the beginning stated it was a supposed cure for cancer, also they had characteristics of vampires from hiding from the sun and craving blood and we had no idea what they were called. Also I remember back when my friends and I first saw this movie in theaters, we all only saw one trailer and thankfully it didn’t show the creatures so that part when he goes into the dark building to save his dog and it showed them huddled up, we all looked at each other thinking “what the hell are they ?”
Zombies
Im not that stupid pot head, but i love getting stoned and watching youtube stuff like this. I feel like im here with all of you taking a break from my crazy life. Its so relaxing and help my mind be creative and think abot atiff other than money. Thanks ❤
This movie scared the HELL out of me for 3 straight years until we got past the point where the virus breaks out in the movies timeline. I was so convinced it was going to happen. I was like 9 when this movie came out lol
Well you are nine who the heck let you watch such a movie at 9:00
@@Angelface11 my mom didnt care what i watched lmao. She totally should have
@@Angelface11I was 7 when I seen this movie (to be fair, my mom was with my shitty ex stepdad and he let me see it) but also my real dad has let me watch stuff too
I had no idea, there were 2 endings! The alternate one is so much better. Makes the movie even greater
Fellow obsessive fan of the movie here, I absolutely loved your interpretation and how much thought you've put into every scene of the movie. While the video was a very fun watch, I've always had my own take on the movie that I'd like to share here, though I do warn anyone scrolling past that it will be very long.
I always preferred the theatrical version, but not because I prefer seeing the Darkseekers as 'mindless monsters deserving of death'. My take is that even with the Darkseekers' intelligence and emotion, this virus is one that severely impacts their ability to coexist with us humans and lead happy, fulfilling lives in the process. Instead they live only to survive, much like Robert Neville does... But at the end of the day, like any human with a debilitating sickness, the cure is something that *all* of the Darkseekers need in order to live in peace without fear for their own lives, even if they simply can't comprehend how it would benefit them. No matter what way you spin it, the Darkseekers are what brought the world to ruin, and any humans who try to make peace with them will far more often be eaten for sustenance than what we saw in the Alternate Ending. Such is why to me, Robert Neville is not at all the villain, but he is certainly flawed and realizes such in different ways in both versions. Alternatively, the Darkseekers aren't the 'villains' either, simply a branch of human with a terrified perspective who are surviving the only way they know how. Not every good story needs a sense of good and evil, and once you do away with that structure, it can result in something far more tragic; two sides both doing what they must for the good of their people, humans killing humans in a morbid excuse to save them all.
I do 100% agree that the theatrical cut doesn't do quite enough to emphasize the intelligence and emotions of the Darkseekers, not enough to display them as humans with compassion and desires just like us. It could have used a lot more details akin to the Alternate Cut to show us more of how the Darkseekers can act and think like any normal human when unprovoked. But even still, I prefer the theatrical cut because its ending feels much more complete and fitting for Robert Neville; he is a man suffering from crippling loss, an old wound reopened after losing the only family he had left. To put it simply, he has nothing left to live for other than the cure, an antidote that would allow those suffering people to live in peace once again. For him to suddenly turn his back on the cure entirely and simply allow the Darkseekers to live as they are only because they 'aren't monsters' feels disingenuous to me, such completely ignores the fact that the Darkseekers are still suffering simply through the blood-thirsty existence they have been forced into. It leaves Neville's world-saving work to be for nothing, and he is left to cope with the loss of his family and nothing to show for it. (And I'm gonna say it here; If Neville ends up forming a romance with Anna in the second movie, that to me feels like the WORST decision and would simply not fit his character in my eyes lol)... I'm not at all upset that the canon ending has allowed him to survive and for me to get a second movie, since both endings shine in their own ways as far as I'm concerned. But in terms of my preference, the way he gives up his late life's work just to let the Darkseekers continue their current lifestyle feels very out of character, and the way he sacrifices himself for the cure is additionally a very sweet moment when you look at it from the perspective of Robert Neville getting to see his long lost family once again.
Thanks for coming to my Ted talk :D
I love this movie and was today years old when I learned there was an alternate ending, and wow it sounds so much better than the theatrical cut and makes so much more sense, I’ve always wondered why they dropped subtle clues about how the infected were actually intelligent and could think and plan but then just never goes anywhere with it, I need to see this alternate ending now
Why wait until your supplies are gone?! No matter how much food you have in your pantry, it will go empty without a store to refill it. You hunt to stretch out supplies and add variety to your diet.
Yeah that was one of the dumbest things I have ever heard and then this guy says it twice as if he found a flaw in the movie or something.
14:50 completely understand, my dog during my childhood was named after sam from this movie, this movie forever is a comfort because it reminds me of him everytime.
The Sam death scene makes me cry everytime. Amazing movie, I agree. Must've seen it 20< times too lol
Every single time, yeah, I own two german shepherds. Neither are trained as well but i’d lose a piece of my heart if anything happened to them.
I only watched the theatrical cut and i always thought the nightseekers were intelligent and had fellings, an hierarchy and relationships. Look at what the leader of them does just to get his girlfriend back. And neville having to kill them also would make sense, since they were so angry at him for taking them. It works in both cuts 🤷🏽♂️
Exactly, he talks as if only the alternate version sends that message, when the theatrical version does also imply they're intelligent beings capable of reasoning and having feelings. He blows himself up not because "good guy take down bad guy", but because he realized they're vindictive enough to kill them even if they get the girl back, so he sacrifices himself to save the cure.
I was about 7 when this movie came out. My dad came home talking about it and how good it was, so that got me interested. He was out of town a lot, so it felt like a decent way to bond with him. I could watch the movie and then talk about it with him when he came back in town. My mom and I also loved watching movies On Demand together and she always let me pick (she let me watch Wanted a year or two later😳), so I Am Legend was what we rented. I think I watched it maybe a dozen times throughout the following few months. I showed it to friends, watched it alone, and honestly in hindsight my mom should’ve just bought the damn movie, cause they probably spent close to $100 on me renting it. But yeah, I’m surprised to find out it has such a big following all these years later. I’ve seen it several times since as well, so I’d estimate I’ve probably seen it 20 times or so. It brings me nostalgia too. I might need to go watch it again.
I had no idea there was even a alternative ending and I loved the film when I was younger but It always did feel in complete so now seeing they other ending and your explanation of it all it makes so much more sense!!
The metamorphoses from caterpillar to butterfly analogy is a perfect way to sum up this entire film. It's a beautiful way of looking at it and I never made that connection before.
I don’t think the ending changes anything. It’s predator vs prey. Humans are the Nightseekers’ prey, they feed off humans so even if he was to leave them be they’d still attack and feed off humans. Prey is not gonna just sit there and allow itself to be eaten or be surrounded by predators.
Thank you! Agreed.
Have you read the book? It's very different - I can't say that Neville was likeable - but very good. Much less action-oriented and goes hard on the thought-provoking aspects. It's short and can be easily read in a day. I think I took it down in one night when I was on a post-apocalyptic literature kick. Enjoyed your analysis of the film and the alternate endings.
The book & original movie was great! Love charlton Heston
Ima need some recommendations for post-apocalyptic books to read my fellow human
@@prelien4690Swan Song, Between Two Fires, The Girl with all the Gifts are all really good.
I was obsessed with this movie when I was younger. I knew there was an alternate ending to it but never got around to see it. I've got to say, the theatrical version is nothing compared to the alternate ending! Everything made sense, how he got caught in that trap, the butterfly that formed on the glass when the leader of the darkseekers was just mindlessly banging his head against it.
Thanks for this video!
This is related to the topic of the movie so let me just rant about it...I loved this movie as a kid (way too young btw like 6-7 years old) so I was so excited to learn there was more stories from the universe, in the form of comic shorts on the bonus CD. Those shorts...scared the ever loving shit out of me. There's one short called Shelter (there's actually a few snapshots of it in this video, 12:39 and 21:56) and watching that short made me physically ill. That short, I am not joking, gave me PTSD. Ever since then, I have had a phobia of zombies. I like zombie games (TLOU is one of my favorite games ever) but I will do anything to avoid watching a zombie movie. I refuse to even watch Zombieland. I often have nightmares that I am in a zombie apocalypse, being chased by zombies. So I watched the movies after a long time with my family and I came to the realization...they weren't actually zombies...I stg I questioned everything. My fear of zombies wasn't even derived from actual zombies. Wtf
I saw this film in theaters, and was a huge fan. Watched it multiple times. I never knew the Darkseekers set that trap. It went completely over my head. I just assumed it was his mental break making him forget about setting another trap. Thanks for this breakdown, and I agree the alternate cut is the superior cut.
He wasn't the last man on Earth. He remained in the quarantined part of NY to find patient zero to find an antidote.
Did you read the book?
@@tylerlogan4747 No. But the video is about the movie. not the book.
@@tylerlogan4747not everyone is a nard like u
@@tylerlogan4747did you watch the movie?
i'm late to this video, but i'm up there with you on most rewatches of this movie, i heckin love i am legend so much, i think it's just the atmosphere for me. beautiful post apocalypse
I loved this movie! It's a Original idea that splits away from the typical zombie or vampire franchises. Wished we gotten a sequel or more lore. It's an apocalyptic gem.
It was originally made in 1971 as The Omega Man.
This
@@RawNWigglin great movie....if there is going t be a last man on earth it's charlton heston, but it too was a remake of 'the last man on earth' with vincent price (1964)
I see Will as his characters from: Fresh Prince, MiB, Bad Boys, Wild Wild West, Hancock, and this movie. I'm being 100% serious when I say that this movie is also one of the most nostalgic movies of all time for me (I'm not gonna argue which of us appreciates it more, I just know that I absolutely consider this one of my favorite movies ever and one of maybe 3 potential sequels I can think of that I would actually go to a movie theater for nowadays.)
I saw this in theaters the week it released, I believe I was in 6th or 7th grade when that happened. I still have a DvD copy and a separate Blu-ray copy that I purchased later 😂 truly can't articulate how much I love this movie
I was in love with this movie and have watched it countless times. That is because it is my dream life lol. To me the whole scenario is perfect
Richard Matheson killed it when he wrote Iam legend. As well as all the other stories in that book.
I have never ever knew another version existed of this masterpiece. I have always only watched the theatrical, the sad and heartbreaking yet fulfilling one.
I have no idea how i never came across this alternative ending.
iRobot, Independence day, Enemy of the State, Wild Wild West. There’s so many other great films you could’ve mentioned lol
I always thought that both endings were slightly on impact, and they actually feel better to me if you cut them both right before. For the original ending: cut on the white out from the grenade explosion. This way you get a heroic sacrifice and ambiguous hope that the future could be saved. For the alternate ending: cut on the fade to black when Will Smith looks at the wall and realizes all the torture and killing he's done to the darkseekers. It mostly comes down to if you want a hopeful ending or a thematically appropriate sad one.
Totally relate with what you said about being nostalgic about this film, it’s one of my favourites for sure. My mum also bought me it (when I was probably too young) it terrified me but I became obsessed with it
seeing sam being infected after fighting against those infected dogs really brought me in tears when i was a kid, seeing it now still does make me cry
I have watched so many movies all my life, and I enjoy learning about its background and history, whether it’s true or fiction. I never knew there was an alternate version of I AM LEGEND?!?! What?! 👁️👄👁️
I actually love the theatrical version. DOn't get me wrong it's sad AF but Robert giving him to save the world is absolutely incredible and so powerful!
It really, really isn’t. It was a really bad film and completely missed the point, which is all the more disappointing because the book is so, so good.
@@theincrediblefishsandwich2162 you're wrong
@@dinocollins720 sure, if you like cliched and predictable endings it was great I guess.
@@theincrediblefishsandwich2162 literally had two endings lol
@@dinocollins720 and you and I are talking about the theatrical release. Which had one cliched and predictable ending that you described as, “…absolutely incredible and so powerful!”
Hey man, me too. It was crazy. I watched I Am Legend when it came out, and I couldn't even sleep for 3 days. But I kept going back to the movie and became obsessed with the concept of a zombie virus. You're basically me.
I think the butterfly has more to do with choice and consequences. He started the torture in that lab and ended up being tortured more than anyone in the film. The butterfly effect taking place, the theatrical version goes the most violent and spectacular route but the alternate ending makes more sense for a sequel.
I feel you in the nostalgia realm man this movie was a big part of my childhood as well lol
I am legend is the first apocolyptic themed movie I ever watched and it's the number one reason I enjoy this genre so much 15 years later
Shock to see no mention of the "Omega man" movie with Vincent Price, that was also based on this book, however in this version they are cannibal mutants. But the point stands as similarly Neville realizes that he has become the monster the mutants fear, leaving the world to their new inhabitants.
The Omega Man (1971)starred Charlton Heston. The Last Man On Earth (1964) Starred Vincent Price. Think you got a bit mixed up😊
Thank you! Was thinking this the entire time
When I first saw this movie, I immediately thought that it was a remake of The Omega Man.
This guy spends the entire video going through the plot of the story and then in the end goes "I think the butterfly means that everyone should be loved" and you are SHOCKED he didnt do the basic little research analytic youtubers usually do?
That “ Keep My Wife’s Name “ part had me dying 😂😂😂
He snuck it in real nice and smooth 😂
@@blion2225 I swear 🤣
Pandorum is that movie for me. I was raised on great timeless classics like Stand By me and Lost boys but Pandorum is my "I am Legend." The reality of the unreal circumstances of time travel that is isnt time travel but is thousands of years passed and the exploration of space mind and loss. It is a horror movie, thriller, action and thought provoking sci fi. I am Legend is in the top 10 for movies I can watch on repeat. The Mist makes it in there for being sci fi, horror, thought provoking and biblical with a narrator that you do not even realise is foretelling the story the entire time until you have seen it 10 times and begin to realise the end is the beginning and there is no way the outcome can change.
Neville as a character is amazing. Many could have played it differently but Will Smith was meant to be Neville the same as Vin Diesel is Riddick.
The Last Man on Earth starring Vincent Price was the 1964 original film version. The Omega Man starring Charlton Heston was another 1971 film version.
I was hoping for them to delve deeper into the woman he was curing. I thought it would be interesting if she became a intermediary between the monsters and humans and she became conflicted with her new life vs her old life vs her old old life (before she was infected) They haven't been infected for long so their old life would still be fresh in their minds. Then through that they find a way to live together. That would really show that the monsters had higher cognitive function.
The alternate version was always my favourite too.
Great video mate. Very interesting.
7:06 - Damn, even watching the recap this scene gets me. The most heart-wrench part of the entire film. Also, I sure wish I had the good fortune to watch the 'alternate' version first. It's so far superior to the theatre version, there's no comparison.
Watched the movie as a kid, read the short story a few years later, found all of it really interesting, I liked the movie before I read the story but I really appreciated the short story as I read it recently after watching fright night, so like, the vibe hit, Sam was awesome and the dynamic with Will was great, and the death hit harder than in the book, but even in the book the dog was used really well in the story to show his mental timeline? Idk, great video, great book, great movie (liked the alt ending better)
So glad someone covered this movie this way. I loved this movie as a kid and still enjoy it to this day. The song by James Howard will always be memorable for me. The theatrical cut should've been kept but both endings were good
The special featured comic book style short animations that come with the movie really help build the lore of the world of I Am Legend. I remember always watching all of them everytime after i watched the movie
From my understanding in the book the survivors that Robert meets turn out to actually not be human; which pushes the idea that HE is the monster even further.
I think the reason we don't have a line in the alternate cut saying, "I chose to leave the cure behind," is because the movie isn't trying to pick who is a 'good guy' and who is really the 'bad guy.' Especially with its themes of nature taking over, Mother Nature is a brutal overseer of the natural realm where you kill or be killed. Robert Neville isn't the villain for killing Darkseekers; they are responsible for the complete destruction of human society--and that's worse if they've been intelligent this whole time.
No, what I like about the alternate cut is that it does bring the themes of the movie closer to those of the book (as well as bringing the theme of the movie together cohesively). In the book, Neville doesn't come to the realization that 'Maybe I'm the baddie.' Instead he sees that the vampire society is developing and filling in the cracks of society left by the humans, and that he has become the boogeyman to them. He is not the villain in that story, but he realizes that it is doing more harm than good, for him to continue his systematic eradication of the vampires. If I remember correctly, book Neville wasn't even a scientist working on a cure--he was just surviving. The climax has him letting go of his survival so the new budding civilization of intelligent vampires can move past him.
The movie sequel probably should explore the cure and the ethics of using it on the Darkseekers, especially now as they are known to be intelligent (to some degree, definitely not shown to yet be akin to the vampires in the book). And I think there should definitely be survival/thriller of the two civilizations engaging in violent conflict against each other. Neither side is villain, neither is the hero per se, because Mother Nature is a concept of Darwinian 'kill or be killed.'
The scene where his dog becomes infected and he knows he has to put him down still tears me up to this day. They never show what he does just his facial expressions and I still can barely watch that scene. Puppers are Gods gift to us especially his dog. Can't imagine the loneliness setting in after that.
I really loved I am legend it feels underrated like the music, the story, the actors, acting, and the location like I just love all of it.
I love this film - I think on average I watch it like once every couple weeks. That said I have it in that mental category where it's a completely separate, yet coincidentally identically-named, entity to the book. Will Smith would have been a good Neville.
I have 18 Beautiful German shepherds-
Him loosing Sam was so devastating.
That was the worst part for me.
Other than that - a very good movie
Love this movie. The dog scene was the only thing in a film ever to make me tear up
I don't know why but finding out Sam is a girl still breaks my heart and then of course what happens to her 😢 I always wanted to go through people's apartments like he does and go through people's stuff.
You said you was 5 years old when your mother got you this movie. It made me feel old af!
It's very interesting that you had I Am Legend as your big nostalgia movie based off of the novel "I Am Legend" by Richard Matheson.
For me, it was Charlton Heston's "The Omega Man." I was a little kid when Smith's version came out and I had both movies on DVD, but I always thought Omega Man was the better movie and as an adult, I still think it's better. The soundtrack is my favorite in any media ever and Heston zapping the mutants with his M76 is so satisfying. And the opening title scene of him driving through a downtown LA that somehow manages to look abandoned despite it being the middle of the day was some excellent camerawork.
Regardless of which is "best," they both kick the shit out of Vincent Price's adaption. God, what a bad movie lol.
I have always loved this movie myself. I can see that it's flawed and why a lot of people don't like it but I don't care. I used to watch it over and over again myself. Especially the first act where Neville is just going around surviving.
I also really enjoyed the book.
I know it kind of makes me uncultured but I couldn't really get into Omega Man or The Last Man On Earth.
Whenever a dog dies in a movie, I don’t ever really watch that movie again. Or have a difficult time rewatching it. I’m too sensitive to dogs dying, and it rips my heart apart every time.
Watching Marley and Me for the first and only time years ago…. Oh man I was an absolute wreck.
I think it’s beautiful you found some peace in this movie after losing your pup. Whatever helps you cope and heal 💚
You have such a beautiful heart.
If you can, check out Jimmy Stewart's poem, A Dog Named Beau.
I can't link, cuz "TH-cam"
If you lost your dog, his poem is very cathartic.
Stay safe friend, I'm no one.
A friend of mine startet watching game of thrones ans Stopped cause of how oftwn horaea ans dogs/wolfs got killed . . . . Like red wedding whatever, NOT THE WOLF!!!
It's impressive how yall care more about a dog's death rather than a human.
@@anonimanonimus3620 I was thinking the samething
For a follow-up, how about commenting on "The Last Man on Earth (1964, Vincent Price) and "The Omega Man" (1971, Charlton Heston)? These also were film adaptations of Matheson's story.
Crazy it wasn't mentioned in the video.
You truly opened my eyes about this movie! Thank you for this video man. This was my all time favorite movie and you just made it better!
The explanation where he calls humans animals and suggests that saving the human race is a BAD ending made the movie better for you?
The future is not looking so good
I loved this movie when I was little and I had no clue there was another version besides the original bad one. I love this new version makes much more sense and makes the movie more interesting
I never even knew there was an alternative cut, and I was surprised when I heard that will Smith was coming back for the sequel even though he had died haha
As an animal lover, the story of Sam was heartbreaking. I don't care who died in the film but losing Sam was tough. Abbey should have got an Oscar for the role, I totally believed her character and everything she did. It was nice to see her get a shout out here in the video.
this movie is also very special to me (and the book while vastly different is very cool as well) so thank you for this video :)
4:10 talking like he would be totally fine eating mainly canned food all this time
Um, 0:45, The Fresh fucken Prince of Bel-Air???
No shit lol you must be old too
I remember watching I Am Legend over the course of a few days in one of my middle school's English classes. We were doing a thing that class where after we would read a book, we would watch a movie adaptation of it afterwards and discuss changes between the two. I can't for the life of me remember which book we read before watching this, because all I know for certain is that it wasn't the I Am Legend book and the teacher had to stretch a little bit to relate whatever book we read to the movie. Suffice it to say, the movie was much more fascinating to me as a kid then whatever book I read.
15:16 he loses the Will to Smith