The other day I read an article on I Am Legend and it described it as a remake of The Omega Man but made no mention of the original book. The article irked me, but after watching the movie I’m unirked, and find the disconnect appropriate, given the disconnect that is the new movie.

If they referred to the movie as “OTHER TITLE : A wicked loose ‘adaptation’ of the original, very sweet novel, ‘I Am Legend’”, I would be able to appreciate the movie for what it is … a Hollywood fun time money-maker. By using the original title, however, they set me up to expect some level of respect for the book. Not so much. In fact, the whole point of his being “Legend” in the book was completely absent.

So how is the move actually like the book?

1. It shares the name
2. The main dude is named Robert Neville
3. There is a lady and a dog, for what they are worth

How are they different?

1. Everything else

If you do not have high expectations you will likely enjoy this movie. It is a fun watch once you get past the ridiculous “lions eating huge herds of deer in NYC opening scene”. After you finish watching it, do yourself a favor and read the book if you have not already.

And now I will move on to The Omega Man and
The Last Man on Earth and see what they have to offer.

P.S. I enjoyed the trailer comments over at Digg.