The alternate ending to I Am Legend, sucked. (Spoiler Alert)

[w@velength]

Alternate, original, darker, whatever.

Phil gave his usual entertaining opinion on this back in the day and it was easy enough to overlook the typical plethora of indignant snobbery left behind in the feedback section (because nothing is funnier than people who passionately discuss moving pictures) but then my friends started debating which ending was better and my forehead was getting sore from slapping it so I figured I'd make my first post on the subject so the mislead among you can stop critiquing zombie movies and go back to taking things at face value.

Zombpire: "Oh we don't want to kill you all of a sudden Neville, we just want the girl"

Neville: "I will believe you even though it this behavior is totally out of context with your behavior early in the film"

Zombpire: "I am a misunderstood monster showing affection to another of my kind. There is absolutely nothing confusing or cliched about this act"

Neville: "Yeah no I totally understand. And that whole wiping out the remainder of the human race thing, don't worry about it."

Zombpire: "Well, you know, even monsters need sex"

Neville: "Sure it's not like she was my first big break for a cure in a decade, give her a good pinning for uncle sam"

Etc.

Also, this nonsense about how a cure is useless because everyone is already infected. Hey, know what the definition of Cure is, people? Look it up. They could even turn it into a gas or aerosol or something. So that's my review. 3/5 stars, 1/5 for the public reaction. Just a movie folks

[Noclevername]

Phil gave his usual entertaining opinion on this back in the day and it was easy enough to overlook the typical plethora of indignant snobbery left behind in the feedback section (because nothing is funnier than people who passionately discuss moving pictures) but then my friends started debating which ending was better and my forehead was getting sore from slapping it so I figured I'd make my first post on the subject so the mislead among you can stop critiquing zombie movies and go back to taking things at face value.

Wha??

Er, welcome, but I have no idea what you're saying here. What does discussing a movie have to with "taking things at face value?" And aren't you critiquing it right here?

[Doodler]

Must be a pain trying to hear yourself think with your head shoved that far up your rear end, but more power to you for pulling it off...


The kicker to the alternate ending was reasonable faithfulness to the original storyline. Near as I can figure, they weren't zombies. Zombies tend to lack personality, don't do very well rigging traps, and I haven't seen a Romero movie yet where any of his shamblers suffer third degree sunburn. Personally, having seen a couple variations on this theme, this version teased at the idea of the Infected having human levels of intelligence, but then dumped it for the sake of a heroic sacrifice on the part of Neville, which utterly cheapened the film to a level of adrenaline rushed tripe that someone with a kneejerk chest thumping attitude not unlike yours might be more sympatico to. In other words, it dumbed the whole concept being set up down to a mindless level that didn't require any thought on the part of audiences, ensuring its success among average Americans.

[Daffy]

Hated the original ending the moment I saw it. Loved the alternate ending. Not because Neville lived, but because it was by far better written.

[Gillianren]

Oh, also--see that thing at the top about spoiler warnings? Doesn't matter that you're talking about the ending. I read a thread about the alternate ending that managed to leave the surprise. (I still haven't seen it, though we're talking about a marathon of all three versions, possibly for this weekend.) This one does not. Spoiler warnings are appreciated in thread titles.

[Doodler]

Oh, also--see that thing at the top about spoiler warnings? Doesn't matter that you're talking about the ending. I read a thread about the alternate ending that managed to leave the surprise. (I still haven't seen it, though we're talking about a marathon of all three versions, possibly for this weekend.) This one does not. Spoiler warnings are appreciated in thread titles.

Trust me, knowing what it is doesn't take away from how it was executed.

You'll still be moved a lot more by the underlying meaning of the alternate.

[Fadingstar]

I thought the film was supposed to be above ones like Resident Evil etc.. So definately in agreement with Doodler's post.
I've always found that a lot of films drift from the original script/book so much they aren't the same thing anymore and just open you up for serious disappointment, with re-makes of good classics coming second. Need I mention War of the Worlds or Mission Impossible.
Now it seems they're going to do a re-make of Forbidden Planet. I cringe at the thought of what they'll do to it!

[mike alexander]

Now it seems they're going to do a re-make of Forbidden Planet.

OK, as long as they do it like Airplane and have Leslie Neilsen star.

[Doodler]

OK, as long as they do it like Airplane and have Leslie Neilsen star.

Not much of a remake if you use the same cast the second time around. :P

[mike alexander]

Warren Stevens: Monsters, John! Monsters from the Id!

Leslie Nielsen: Good luck. We're all counting on you.

[Dave Mitsky]

Instead of Robby, there'll be a female robot named Shirley!

[redshifter]

Geez, it'll probably be no better that the Starship Troopers movie...

[Daffy]

Geez, it'll probably be no better that the Starship Troopers movie...

There was no Starship troopers movie: there was only Paul Verhoeven's "Mad Nazis Fight the Space Bugs."

[Paul Beardsley]

OK, as long as they do it like Airplane and have Leslie Neilsen star.

"He's been punched on the nose by an invisible monster!"

"Whad is id?"

"It's a part of the brain where evil thoughts dwell, but that's not important right now!"

[Doodler]

I wonder if the altered ending was meant to avoid making an American soldier look like a Mengele figure?

[Fadingstar]

Seems I picked the wrong week to criticize the re-make!

[tre475]

It was big news that I Am Legend went through a series of reshoots. One of the big changes was the film's ending, which was reshot to give the film a more commercial conclusion. The special edition DVD hits store shelves on March 18th, for such a new released Blu-ray is only $19, the widescreen version for $14 on sale

http://www.dealstudio.com/viewtopic.php?t=37240&ru=290

and the alternative ending has been leaked onto YouTube.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Z-FNprXQ4k

I'd be interested to hear what you guys think, so please post your thoughts. I feel that this is a much better conclusion, aside from the voiceover driving sequence which book ends the footage.

[Musashi]

http://www.bautforum.com/small-media...al-ending.html

[Inferno]

you can stop critiquing zombie movies and go back to taking things at face value.

Maybe, just maybe, there is more to some films than face value. You still think Bladerunner was about killer robots, don't you?

[Daffy]

Maybe, just maybe, there is more to some films than face value. You still think Bladerunner was about killer robots, don't you?

Of course not. It was about sexy robots.

[Kebsis]

I only watched that movie until a little after the vampires appeared. I thought they were pretty goofy, just my opinion. It was a shame too because the movie started off with an interesting premise, I thought it was going for a 'A Boy And His Dog' thing. But I just couldn't suspend disbelief over a virus that turns people into bad CGI vampires.