Jan 16 2009
“The Omega Man” (1971) ***
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Preview
Starring: Charlton Heston, Anthony Zerbe, Paul Koslo, and Rosalind Cash.
Directed by: Boris Sagal.
Sometime in the mid-late 1970s, a biological war broke out between China and Russia, resulting in the transformation of 99.9% of the world’s population from normal human beings into monkish, cloak-wearing beings with white eyes, blue/white make-up, and are allergic to sunlight. The only person alive in Los Angeles, at first, seems to be none other than U.S. Army Colonel Robert Neville, M.D. (Charlton Heston), a military scientist who has effectively vaccinated himself from the virus, rendering him immune.
“The Omega Man” is the second big screen adaptation of the novel “I Am Legend” by Richard Matheson, the first one being 1964’s “The Last Man On Earth”. Instead of Vincent Price, this time we get Charlton Heston as the ‘legend’. If he can take on those damn dirty apes, then he can take on these light-fearing monks, who don’t really seem all that smarter. These ‘monks’, or infected people, are led by the villainous Jonathan Matthias (Anthony Zerbe), who was once formerly a TV news anchorman before all went downhill. He has since then became psychotic and ignorant, calling himself and his army of infected, “The Family”.
Dr. Neville lives atop in a fortified apartment which is also his arsenal for a whole plethora of weapons to choose from to fend off these infected freaks. He even has floodlights surrounding the parameters outside. Neville is the last remnant of the culture of science which The Family seeks to destroy, as Matthias says. At one point, they actually do capture him but he is then rescued by a black woman named Lisa (Rosalind Cash). They make it back to his fortified apartment, and before you know it, they’re exchanging what has to be one of the first interracial on-screen kisses in the history of cinema (Bravo!). She mentions that she is apart of a group of survivors who are outside of Los Angeles, whom they both meet up with. Neville conjures up a plan where he will create a serum derived from his blood in an attempt to extend his immunity to others. If effective, they all plan to leave the fallen L.A. behind and begin life anew in the wilderness (ala Adam & Eve), leaving Matthias and his pals to rot. The plan works to a certain extent, having cured Lisa’s teenage brother, Richie, who is naive enough to make contact with Matthia’s family to deliver them the good news. They, on the other hand, accuse Neville of sending Richie to kill them all with a poisonous vaccine.
Like “The Last Man On Earth” and the novel “I Am Legend”, “The Omega Man” shares an unconventional ending, albeit with a glimmer of hope to coincide with it. This second adaptation works on several levels as an improved version over the first one - For one thing, the dead city atmosphere is handled much better here, and on a grander scale; Secondly, Neville has a much more believable fortified residence. The only two things stopping this from being better are - one, the music, it is very corny in some places, I understand this is the 1970s but look what Goblin did for the soundtrack of “Dawn of the Dead” (1978); second, the infected people could have been handled in a much better fashion, they’re literally monks who dress up in black hooded cloaks and talk in medieval speak. It may have faired better if they didn’t talk at all and showed more deformity. But there is a solution to making you appreciate the infected of this movie - All you have to do is watch the CGI-filled third adaptation of this story, “I Am Legend” (2007), and you will feel a whole lot better (more on the topic in that film’s review to come).
RATING: ***
