The Omega Man (1971)

There are three movies of the same story I am aware of: The Last Man on Earth with the great Vincent Price from 1964, The Omega Man with Charlton Heston from 1971 and I am Legend (2007) with Will Smith. I like all three of them and if you got the time I recommend that you watch all three of them.Charlton Heston plays Dr. Robert Neville, who thinks he is the only survivor of an apocalyptic war. The other survivors are infected people who hunt him at night, only in daylight he can go out of his fortress because the infection made the infected very sensitive to the light. (In The Last Man on Earth the infected are like vampires, not only fearing light but also garlic and Mr. Price hunts them with stakes).The movie centers on the despair of a lonely and lost man and his fight to survive against all odds. A classic dystopian movie.

Robert Neville (Charlton Heston) stars in an adaptation of Richard Matheson's science fiction novel, I Am Legend.Set in an apocalyptic world after germ warfare between China and Russia, Neville is the last man on earth after receiving a serum that enabled him to survive.He roams desolate Los Angeles by day, talking to himself. At night bloodthirsty mutants emerge who Neville is intent on killing. The mutants are led by Matthias (Anthony Zerbe), a former television newscaster now in charge of his own cult that has declared war on modern society and what Neville, a doctor and scientist stands for.Neville finds out that he is not the last man on earth as he comes across a group of young people lead by Lisa (Rosalind Cash) who he forms an emotional bond with.Director Boris Sagal managed to do well to show a deserted LA but apart from that his directions lacks flair and instead comes across as cheesy with leader of the mutants dressed as monks in sunglasses, black characters talking in jive. Heston plays his character in stoic manner, it is funny to see him chuckling to himself while watching footage of Woodstock. It is also worth noting that a man who marched alongside with Martin Luther King during the civil rights movement takes part in an interracial romance even though by that time his politics had moved to the right.

As a result of a virus released during a war between China and the Soviet Union, an army scientist named "Robert Neville" (Charlton Heston) drives along the deserted streets of Los Angeles during the day doing pretty much what he wants because there isn't anyone left alive to stop him. The night, however, belongs to a band of mutants who shun the light and despise him for being one of the few people on Earth who hasn't been affected. So they try to kill him during the night and he does his best to return the favor during periods of daylight. Then one day while inside a clothing store he discovers a young woman named "Lisa" (Rosalind Cash) who appears to be similarly unaffected but runs off before he has the chance to get to talk to her. Needless to say, this changes everything—and not just for him but for everyone else as well. Now from what I understand this film is a remake of the 1964 movie "The Last Man on Earth" which starred Vincent Price in the lead role. That said, having seen both of these films, I would have to conclude that this particular picture is slightly better than its predecessor due in large part to the acting of Charlton Heston who seemed better cast for the role than Vincent Price. Likewise, the fact that this movie probably had more resources to draw may have helped in some degree as well. Be that as it may, I happened to like this particular movie and I have rated it accordingly. Above average.

Chuck Heston is the last man on earth.The first half of this movie has the works: great actors, top story and a perfectly matched musical score. The last half of the flick is also very good but missing the impact of the early sections.But if you want a last-man-on-earth-movie, this is the best one to see! Stay clear of I am Legend (2007)...the early sections of The Omega Man had that great music playing over it, which is missing from I Am Legend.I have made several viewings of this film since the 1970s, I have always enjoyed it, but I had a curious reaction to a screening in 2002: I just could not watch it! This was soon after the events of September 11th and The Omega Man just seemed a bit too close to what might actually happen on earth one day.But I am now back to watching and loving the film.