Will Smith’s I am Legend has been released on DVD today, and one of the features I’d been most anxious to see was the “original ending.” As I understand it, there was a first ending that did not test well which was replaced by the widely hated cure ending. After a bit of google searching, I found a site and a video of the original ending.
Here’s the link for those who want to watch it.
I loved it. This is a much better ending than the one I saw in the theater.
I’m on dialup; what happens? I cant be arsed waitng an hour loading the video.
A summary, let’s have a summary!
-FrL-
Rather than bashing in the glass and beating Will Smith like a savage beastie, the head vampire stops and wipes his hand on the glass like he’s trying to reach something in the room. The butterfly thing pops up, and Will realizes that the vampire actually wants his woman back. He opens the door, wheels the bride of dracula out, and wakes it up. The rejoined couple roar sweet nothings into each others ears, and they leave. Will is then left to realize that the monsters he thought nothing of killing in the name of finding a cure actually have human emotions. There’s a nice shot of Will sitting against the glass of his lab looking horrified as that realization sinks in with the pictures of all of the dead monsters above his shoulder.
After that, Will, Braga, and the boy drive out of New York with a new recording serving as voice over. It basically says that we are heading to wherever they were heading to and that any other survivors are not alone. No mentions of legends at all.
While it doesn’t do more than touch on the ideas laid out in the short story, it at least gives the creatures thoughts and feelings and makes Neville out to be kind of a monster. It also completes a lot of the ideas that were played out in the movie itself much better than the theatrical ending did.
Now, I’ll probably buy the dvd.
ETA: My summary is probably a bit brief. If you enjoyed the movie up until the ending, it’s well worth the wait (even on dial-up).
Now why couldn’t this have been the ending in the theatrical version!? Dammit this is so much better than that schmaltzy crap w/ the survivors colony. And they show them driving out of the city!
The monsters are still crappy CGI, but that ending is so much better.
What the hell was their test audience? A fraternity? This was a much better ending, and apparantly not just imo (I didn’t know that many people hated the theatrical ending).
I could take either endings, but I liked the theatrical a bit better. I know the alternative is more in tune with the original story, but the way they set the final showdown up, having the monsters just walk away seemed kind of tacked on. I don’t know.
I do know that if I were Neville, I wouldn’t feel bad for experimenting on the monsters. They’re trying to eat me, screw them!
The test audience for the ENTIRE CONCEPT of the movie was a fucking fraternity.
I was a little pissed HEARING about the ending of the movie after I read the book. But, after seeing the movie, I’m royally pissed.
What an absolute nothing piece of shit excuse for a movie. It starts out as a 15 minute Chevy commercial, and you know right then “piece of crap”.
Then, it’s basically a series of contrivances to put him into dark rooms, and action sequences.
Complete waste of the source material. And that’s the shame of it.
Total book spoilers to follow. . .
The book is so cool. . .he’s basically a drunk. He drives a piece of shit car around. He actually goes out to kill the things. The vampires actually REMEMBER him from when they both were human. He’s sexually attracted to them, because he hasn’t had any in so long.
His wife and daughter actually die, then his wife comes back, and he has to kill her for real the second time.
The vampires play on his feelings of loneliness to get to him.
But, the entire concept that they are trying to form a new society, and view him as their “vampire” is what is mindblowing about the book. That’s the title. That’s the concept. That’s what makes it interesting. . .not that we have another “28 Days Later”.
You’re telling me a guy like Ang Lee, or David Fincher couldn’t make a GREAT movie out of that material. Psychological and internal, with several devent action sequences thrown in.
And, now it’s shit. You can’t do that now. You raped the title. How does this shit happen?
I haven’t been so pissed at a movie in a long time.
I saw the DVD a few days ago and watched both endings and thought both were meh.
A fluff sci-fi action flick that amounted to some nice f/x scenery and fast paced action scenes. Pretty much forgetable after that.
I didn’t read the book but after reading Trunk’s post I think I’d have the same reaction. Why squander the opportunity to have a really, really good science fiction story to go along with the f/x and action? It’s not like they had to find some talented writers to come up with a story. They all ready had one.
I mean you obviously have the budget to recreate an abandon NYC. You have someone who can play the role decently with Will Smith. So why dumb down the story and play to the lowest common denominator?
If you use the formula great story + good f/x + good action you get classics like Aliens and Bladerunner and T2.
You leave out the story and you get forgetable fluff like I Am Legend, Transformers, Jumpers.