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Dan Owen reviewsI Am Legend (screenplay)(c) 1997, John Logan
But the book and the movie are different beasts. In many peoples' minds the book has never been successfully translated onto the big-screen, although the premise has been pilfered in many subsequrnt movies, such as: The Quiet Earth and the recent Danny Boyle Brit-flick 28 Days Later. I Am Legend is a screenplay written in 1997 by John Logan, one of the busiest screenwriters in Hollywood these days (Gladiator, The Time Machine remake, Star Trek Nemesis and The Last Samurai.) His attempt at I Am Legend is less an adaptation of Matheson's novel and more a rewrite of the highly-regarded Mark Protosevich (The Cell) screenplay from the early-90s.
Protosevich's screenplay has been one of Hollywood's Greatest Unfilmed Movies, and has been attached to such illustrious names as Ridley Scott and Arnold Schwarzenegger. It's just never been made, although concept artwork has been drawn and rumours continue to surface continuously. John Logan's 1997 rewrite was obviously an attempt to streamline the concept down to something more marketable, focused, and interesting. I Am Legend then had the likes of Will Smith and Michael Bay (Armageddon) circling. But it still remains unmade six years later... Perhaps the pre-millennial tension has dissipated in audiences - who are far more concerned with current problems than high-concept apocryphal science-fiction? Maybe filmmakers are concerned the premise (despite its remake status) will simply come across as old-fashioned and unoriginal? Whatever the reason, there's no denying that I Am Legend would, in my opinion, make a great movie.
The story concerns Robert Neville, the last man alive on Earth (or is he?) following the worldwide extinction of humanity after a blood contagion. Unfortunately for Neville, some of those infected transformed into unnaturally agile vampire-like predators dressed in robes, who stalk the world feasting on fresh blood. Logan's screenplay studies the loneliness and isolation Neville feels, living alone inside a high-tech fortress by night having French conversations with pre-recorded tapes, and scavenging the ruined city of Los Angeles by day. His life is struggle for survival, interspersed with grieving over the death of his wife Virginia and hope that a looped radio transmission will alert other survivors to his existence. Of course, being a sci-fi action film at heart, a great deal of the screenplay features an assortment of attacks by the bloodthirsty Hemocyte creatures, led by their leader - the "Cacique". What's wonderful about almost any screenplay dealing with a post-apocalyptic suburbia is the description of the dystopian world; burnt-out cars, apocryphal graffiti, overgrown gardens, rotting food, stray dogs, wild horses, etc. The descriptive passages in Logan's I Am Legend are excellent, and the assuredly clipped style of Logan's prose lends an immediacy and visual punch that ensures the movie literally "plays in your mind". There's hardly any dialogue, amazingly, and tension is built and delivered with some fraught chase and fight sequences. While Protosevich's screenplay tended to focus on Neville's compound far too much, deflecting wave after wave of attack, Logan opens the movie out to allow for a number of L.A-based set-pieces that make the story seem much more expansive and less claustrophobic to read. Interestingly, Logan decides against giving Neville a dog companion (further isolating him) although personally I missed the dog's involvement. Also, Protosevich's screenplay wasn't as entertaining to read, but it did have a more hardcore approach to the violence, which Logan tends not to copy - instead going for more a stylish and agile approach to the attacks.
In an ideal world I'd keep Logan's screenplay, but add Neville's dog back in, add more of Petrosovich's scientific explanations for the disease (which Logan almost ignores entirely), and then rewrite Protosevich's finale. While both screenplays falter towards the end, I think Protosevich's is more satisfying and scary than Logan's - which really just amounts to a climactic one-on-one punchup. Overall, John Logan has successfully breathed fluid life into Protosevich's bogged-down script and successfully translated Matheson's novel for modern audience. With some creative combining of both plots, I think I Am Legend has the potential to be one of the best apocryphal movies. I really hope Ridley Scott directs Arnold Schwarzenneger in this, as Arnie is perfect for the role and it doesn't really require him at his physical peak. Can somebody just make this movie... please? Review copyright © Dan Owen, 2003.E-mail Dan Owen
DVDs reviewed by the editor are watched on a Panasonic TXW32R4 32" widescreen TV connected to either a Creative Dxr2 DVD-ROM player or Microsoft Xbox and played through a Sony STR-DB930 amplifier. PC games reviewed by the editor are on:
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One of actor Charlton Heston's most famous movies is The Omega Man, one
of his three big science-fiction hits (the others being Soylent Green
and Planet Of The Apes). The Omega Man was based on the novel by
celebrated author Richard Matheson, and told the story of the last man
left alive on Earth after a devastating plague kills the entire
population.