I still think Master Chief is more Legend.

Spoilers, etc…

[quote post=”2219″]Why didn’t the vamps set his house on fire? The book mentioned this and just claimed the vamps (of both types) were dumb – this explanation doesn’t hold water in the end[/quote]

I think the explanation was that the vamps that congregated around his house were pretty dumb. For example, when he forgot to close the garage they ripped out some wires from the wall but left the generator alone when they could easily destroy it. They also threw around cans of gasoline but they didn’t think of using them to set a fire.

The intelligent ones didn’t really know who he was and where he lived. This is why they sent the woman out during the day. Note that she was wandering in a completely different part of the town. She also seemed surprised to see the crazed vamps outside Neville’s door.

[quote post=”2219″]How come the “stuff” came off at the end, but not when he chased down and tackled her[/quote]

I’m guessing it was some kind of tanning cream or makeup that held well at the beginning but dried up and started peeling after a whole day. Note that this was written in the 50’s so their cosmetics were probably not as good as they are now.

[quote post=”2219″]Why did the vamp virus all of a sudden spring up when it’d been around for ages?[/quote]

I think Neville pretty clearly identified the two major vectors: the mosquito plague and the dust storms. The insects carried the virus from host to host, and the dust storms carried spores over long distances and into water sources when the bugs were breeding. The two things coincided rapidly spreading the disease.

Why there were dust storms, I don’t know – I’m guessing climate change, which would also explain the bug outbreak. I think in one of the flashbacks they also vaguely mentioned “bombings” and “war”. Again, this was written in mid 50’s so I’m guessing nuclear conflict was being a growing concern then.

And yeah – nowhere on the book it says that it is a collection of short stories. But I kinda figured out that the story was over after the words “I am legend”. :P

I haven’t actually read it yet, though I will, to go on the shelf next too Robot Louie Stephenson’s novels

Come out Neville!

SPOILER ALERT: I’ll try to be as vague as I can while still making the point I intend to..

I had a slightly different read of Neville’s discovery of the societal and biological bifurcation of the vampires. I think he indiscriminately killed both types. The one type is dead – the virus has taken over. The other type is live – they’ve stopped (with a pill) the virus from taking over.

Of course you are absolutely right on your read of their fear, and his own monstrosity. Neville’s physical description in the book is spectacular, and I could really see him terrorizing the vamps. He, a shining god of a man, huge and muscular with a great golden beard and long golden locks, after these ashen, lethargic, generally weak and vulnerable people.

The movie did shore up some of the holes in the book (while creating its own set). Why didn’t the vamps set his house on fire? The book mentioned this and just claimed the vamps (of both types) were dumb – this explanation doesn’t hold water in the end. How come the “stuff” came off at the end, but not when he chased down and tackled her? Why did the vamp virus all of a sudden spring up when it’d been around for ages? I won’t go on, but the movie writing had some merit.

The movie doesn’t hold a candle to the book though in terms of Neville’s personality (and insanity), his anti-social behavior, the mental torture, and the endings are even close.

I did wish that the book had a little more demarcation between “I am Legend” and the short story immediately thereafter. I read the whole thing about the carnival guy who never missed, and was confused for about 5 minutes before I realized the long story was over, and the carnival thing wasn’t related (and it was weird, wow).

**Possible Spoilers**

Saw and Hostel are pretty generic hack.slashers- Crazy bad guy, students/random people as victims. The concept of an everyday family man experimenting on how he can kill vampires while they sleep using a variety of pretty nasty methods would be too much of a shock- It would be showing how desperation brings out the worst in people. On cinematic terms it’s on a par with making a movie about how people resort too cannibalism in times of crisis. Also, I think the broad daylight factor is a serious one- This wouldn’t be a desperate stake in the dark, it would be calm, measured, methodical gore from a Robert Everyman Neville. What he does in the book is neither heroic nor legendary from a hero perspective, it’s pretty brutal and desperate vengance.

Yeah, Hollywood seems to be terrified of creating movies that would make you think or stray from the beaten path.

As for the rating system and brutality of staking vampires in their sleep – it all depends on how you show it. I mean, Saw and Hostel movies are out there and are making money so why would this have to be worse?

I was considering seeing the movie, but now I’m not so sure. It’s just another example of how an original gets distorted on its way to the big screen. I agree with Mackenzie in that it is all about profit and marketing and the original probably wouldn’t work within the current movie rating system. What a shame.

Yeah, vampire slaying has to be done at night, when the vampire is at his most powerful… otherwise it’s not dramatic enough or something.

See also the “Movie-people are idiots” theory.

And your spoiler text is taunting me with the fact that I still want to see the film… must resist highlighting until after that.

They should have used the 28 days version of zombies at the least. Personally I think the original would be too literary for the big screen. Hollywood wouldn’t touch it with a barge pole. Going into sleeping vampires houses and killing them in broad daylight with a stake? Not exactly mainstream cinema.

Now…see…that pisses me off even more with this movie. That would have been a great movie (with that plot line I mean). Even if Will Smith was the main character. Why change a story that is already so well done.