What Weakness Continues to Haunt Neville
The Last Hope of the Earth in an Apocalyptic Story
In 1977, the American scientist and colonel Dr. Robert Neville (Charlton Heston) is the last man on Earth. All the human race died or became mutants due to the use of biological weapons in a war. During the war, Dr. Neville was researching an experimental vaccine, and in a flight to a hospital to use his latest experiment, the pilot of his helicopter died and the helicopter crashed. Dr. Neville used the vaccine on himself and it worked, making him the last survivor of human race. The race of mutants self-calls 'The Family' and is leaded by the fanatic Matthias (Anthony Zerbe) in the middle-ages standards, without the use of any facility of the Twentieth Century. Dr. Neville finds some other survivors and intends to use the anti-corpus of his blood to prepare vaccines for them. The apocalyptic story has a tragic open end.
Yesterday I saw this movie maybe for the tenth time. In my opinion, it is one of the best Apocalyptic Sci-Fi movies of the 70's (together with 'Soylent Green'), when the world had the cold war to threaten and the population had a great fear of a biological weapons. In Brazil, 'The Omega Man' has not been released on VHS or DVD, and I have a VHS, recorded from the open Brazilian TV in the 80's, dubbed in Portuguese, with a terrible image, but what else can I do to see this movie if the distributors and the cable TV do not show interest to release it in my country? For persons of other native languages like me, I would like to explain the original title of the movie. In accordance with 'The Heritage Illustrated Dictionary', omega is not only the 24th and final letter in the Greek alphabet, but also means the ending, the last of anything. I hope that Tom Cruise does not spoil this magnificent story, since I heard he had the intention of preparing (or spoiling) a remake. Remake of good movies should be forbidden! My vote is nine.
Today (06 September 2006) I have watched "The Omega Man" again, now in the original language.
Title (Brazil): 'A Última Esperança da Terra' ('The Last Hope of the Earth')
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Thought-provoking, violent sci-fi story.
Omega is the last letter of the Greek alphabet, so the "Omega" Man is a round-a-bout way of saying The "Last" Man. Indeed, this violent science fiction actioner is a remake of a 1964 movie called The Last Man On Earth; in this version Charlton Heston assumes the role played by Vincent Price in the earlier film. It is a depressing - and in many ways thought-provoking - story set in a future where the human population has been wiped out.
Robert Neville (Heston) is the only remaining survivor of a worldwide plague, other than a race of vampiric mutants who come out at night. When the plague was first reaching epidemic proportions, numerous scientists were given serums to try - Neville was the one who got the correct serum, but he never managed to get back to HQ in time to report the good news. Most of the world's people went on to be killed by the plague, but those who survived have evolved into light-sensitive mutants. Every day, Neville drives around the empty streets of LA scavenging for food, fuel and useful objects; every night he returns to his ultra high-security house from which he fends off the creepy minions who come out to taunt him and, perhaps, one day kill him. The mutants are led by Matthias (Anthony Zerbe), formerly a TV newsreader, now an anti-technology crusader who encourages his followers to destroy the scientific and technological items they find, as he blames meddling scientists for ultimately decimating the world's population.
What's so chilling about The Omega Man is that Neville is gradually shown to be the real "mutant". He is the only man left from the world as it WAS; Zerbe and his mutant hordes are the evolutionary creatures of the world as it IS. Distressing as it is, The Omega Man is saying that in the event of a worldwide catastrophe human life would find a way to prevail, but the remnants of previous human life might need eradicating first. From the sensational opening - in which Heston screeches his car to a halt on an empty street and starts shooting at an unseen being in a skyscraper - to the climax (which is simultaneously happy AND sad), The Omega Man constantly raises questions and manipulates our fears. It has weaknesses - sometimes the metaphors and morals are too heavy-handed; parts of the film are slow-going, with an excess of talk which merely goes over plot details already mentioned; there are dated elements (music, decor, costumes, vehicles, slang speech) which deny the film its topicality over 30 years on. But, in spite of all that, The Omega Man remains a worthwhile sci-fi actioner and another cult flick in the Charlton Heston "shock sci-fi" canon (see also Planet of the Apes '68 and Soylent Green '73).
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Sci Fi Action At Its Explosive Best!
This action packed and thought-provoking sci-fi drama has been one of my personal favorites for over 30 years. Charlton Heston found his definitive role here, as the last man on earth, a scientist fighting a single handed battle against hundreds of mutant creatures of the night.
On the basic level, this movie has some of the most explosive action I have ever seen. Heston is at his best as a bloodless technocrat, a stone killer, "exterminating" mutants with machine guns, pistols, grenades, and his bare hands, all the time giving off an icy air of detachment. Put Chuck up against Clint Eastwood or Charles Bronson and he definitely holds his own purely as a Seventies action hero.
On the other hand, this is also Chuck's best performance as an actor. The fact that he literally has the screen to himself for the first half hour allows him to do things he never did in his "epic star" mode. Watch him buy that used car, making small talk with a rotted corpse. Chuck puts across so much loneliness and yet entirely avoids self- pity, as in "thanks a lot, you cheating bastard." It's a scream to watch the bigger than life Moses dealing with life's everyday hassles, not in reality but in wistful fantasy.
Then watch the WOODSTOCK scene in the movie theater. Here's right wing idealist Charlton Heston watching left-wing hippies dance and frolic. Here's the last man on earth watching huge mobs of people crowd up the world that is now empty. The ironies are razor sharp, and Heston just lies back and lets the dialog work for him. "Just to see, just to really realize, that if you have to be afraid to smile at someone, if you have to be afraid to walk down the street, what kind of world is that? Right?" Note well the master's restraint. He doesn't sneer, he puts much more sadness into the lip-reading bit, with a little self-loathing on the side. The dialog and situation are tailor-made for Heston's cold decisive vocal style. It's not hammy stuff, it's Heston giving you the same kind of chill Deniro achieved in TAXI DRIVER. It's the paranoid loner as tragic hero. This cold withdrawn stuff is right down his power alley, and Chuck sends this scene into the upper decks.
Once the movie gets started, Heston gets superb assistance from Anthony Zerbe as the religious fanatic Brother Matthias. Zerbe is superb and the commentary on religious fanaticism is even more relevant today than it was thirty years ago. Then there's the sizzling racial subplot, the kill-whitey fanaticism of Brother Zachary striking far too close to home in 1973 but remaining as provocative as ever today. It's disturbing indeed to note the subliminal message of the inter-racial love affair -- the nice white man is happy to take care of the black woman and her children, but only after the assertive black man is dead. A movie that provokes, entertains, and combines scorching social issues with rip-roaring adventure, THE OMEGA MAN is Heston's best.
"Nope -- they sure don't make pictures like that any more."
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The Best One
Omega Man, with Charlton Heston, was awesome. It had the science fiction, the science, the conflicts, the action, and something more, great drama. Charlton Heston was a great actor, and he had a great supporting cast in Omega Man.
Anthony Zerbe is the main bad guy. He was a great actor, but he never made it to being a big star. In Omega Man, Zerbe delivers just enough evil desire for vengeance without going over the top. Rosalind Cash as Heston's girlfriend is the surprising wild card that everything depends on. She does a great job as Heston's romantic fire.
Omega Man makes you feel despair and loneliness like the writer Richard Matheson intended. Omega Man has lots of action, and lots of drama. It is a really good film, with a message that is still resonating today.
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Entertaining
I find this version of the film entertaining! It's as much fun as the other two versions: The Last Man on Earth (1964) & I Am Legend (2007). Charlton Heston is great - nothing new there - but he's a lot of enjoyment in this cult classic flick!
The film is extremely dated I do agree but the entertainment value is still high. Worth watching if you enjoyed the one or both of the other film versions of the story. If you like sci-fi horror stories and vampires/zombies then this is a film for you!
8/10
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The Omega Man(1971)
Robert Neville (Charlton Heston) is convinced that he's the only man left on earth. Neville, struggles to create a cure for the plague that wiped out most of the human race while fighting The Family, a savage Luddite death cult formed by the zombie-like infected to erase the past. The film is the second adaptation of Richard Matheson's 1954 novel, "I Am Legend." It is also a remake of the first adaptation, The Last Man on Earth ('64) which starred Vincent Price.. The Millennial Generation would get their own version via Will Smith as Neville in 2007. Of course, "Omega" is the last Greek letter in their alphabet, so the Omega Man is the Last Man (too). OM is a very 70s film, so has some archival value .
Director: Boris Sagal Writers: John William Corrington (screenplay) (as John William), Joyce Hooper Corrington Stars: Charlton Heston, Anthony Zerbe, Rosalind Cash
OM is great as another iteration of Matheson's powerful story. It is infused with much early 70s culture. 8-track tapes! This does date the film, but is also fun as a 70s time capsule. Note the swinging' bachelor pad notion, so popular in the 70s. Heston is commanding in his portrayal of the "last man," as tragic hero. It's somehow comforting to imagine mankind's "last" being so full of resourcefulness and fight. Equal in every way is Rosalind Cash, whose Lisa is a bad-ass through and through, not to mention the perfect girlfriend for a guy like Neville (for the early '70s, this interracial love affair was rather groundbreaking).
The convincing manner in which director Boris Sagal depicts the end of the world (making L.A. appear as abandoned as he did couldn't have been easy). OM isn't as "timeless" as some sci-fi classics, but it definitely is one. It is a worthy remake of the story and a pretty well told story. OM is one of the 70s' hallmark sci-fi. It's worth watching on its own, but perhaps as part of a a triple feature of the "Last Man" movies. Compare and contrast...
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Now playing: "The Night Creatures"
One of these days soon we will see another remake of Richard Matheson's seminal Horror novella. If we do, I hope the marquee will read: "I Am Legend." This should be done for no other reason than to make it easier for Sci-Fi nerds to argue and champion their personal favorite. But I have this feeling the producers will take the easy way out.
Boris Sagal, the veteran television director, who died under the most grisly of circumstances--he walked into a helicopter blade--helms a brilliant adaptation of the book. Sure, they changed the vampires into psychotic albinos. And they also injected a heavy dose of the Seventies counter-culture. But the essential themes resist the tampering by the new screenwriters and remain solid story chestnuts. No one handles a weapon with such verve as Mr. Heston. He fires at random and generally hits something. Always a good approach in this type of movie. I enjoy his conversations with Caesar's bust in his "Honky paradise". The sculptures and paintings on the walls are actual reproductions of the immortals they represent. Also, check out the art work on the back of "Dutch's" jacket. It packs a wallop. Ron Grainer's score is legendary and has a elegiac feel punctuated by strange sounds from obscure instruments. The action scenes rival the best. Catch Heston's despair and loneliness when he jogs by a large office building along side a reflecting pool. Every scene is chock full of memorable lines and quirky bits of business. The bodies of the dead pop up randomly with a wild note on the soundtrack. There is a brief nude scene that for once fits into the plot. A standing ovation is in order for anyone left alive.
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Is your blood that colour?
People knock this film. Yes it has many flaws but some slack should be cut. It was 1971, Hollywood was in a desperate time of recession and change. 'Easy Rider' had blown a hole in the side of the school of thought that the studios had subscribed to. Suddenly, story material that would never have been tackled by the major studios prior to this time was emerging.
'The Omega Man' was of course an adaptation of Matheson's novel and is a second film version of it. But the technical challenges were vast. Find a time of day when L.A.'s deserted? Do me a favor! It's a miracle they got anything decent on film. Yes there are distant cars in the back of that zoom out at the top of the film but these guys didn't have computers did they?
Anyway, Heston looks amusingly dated in the role of Neville wearing his safari jacket and skintight tracksuit while he prowls the 'deserted' streets. The thing about Chuck is he just LOOKS like a film star. Just driving a car he grabs your attention. The supporting cast here are less engaging. An afro and 'Hey man' too many perhaps. The writers seemed desperate to tap into 70s pop culture. A sure-fire way to date your film.
The camera crew on this film must have gone straight onto 'Quincy' after they'd finished this. It's bizarre. There are dolly moves for no reason whatsoever (when Heston first enters his apartment and later before he discovers the sardine tin), zooms that hit the end stop so hard they almost bounce back and roving pans where you actually feel for the operator while he tries to find where the hell Chuck's car's gone. But this is one of the things that makes 70s cinema so great. The raw elements of film-making are on display.
Ron Grainer's score is genius in places and god awful in others. It goes from the brilliant main title theme to the woeful chase music when Heston pursues the leading lady. There's also the typically almost pink-tinted blood. Why couldn't they get blood right back then?
'The Omega Man' is an engaging, thought-provoking but very dated piece of cinema. The last image of Heston is immortal even if the film's hair-dos are not. Watch it, enjoy it and cut it some slack.
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Flawed Wonderland
A film that can't help but aim too high, "The Omega Man" suffers from the very thing that makes it great. Set in a post-apocalyptic future (for the audience of 1971) the film attempts to show a world populated by a single solitary man. Well, a man and a cult of malcontented zombie/mutant/vampire beings. Robert Neville (Heston) is the lone survivor of a germ war that turned the population of the world into freaks. Based on the amazingly brilliant book "I Am Legend" by Richard Matheson, the film shares most of the qualities of the book, yet excludes the portions that make "Legend" fantastic.
The idea of being the last man is intriguing. I used to fantasize about being Neville as a child (probably not the healthiest thing for a kid). Neville has paradise, but with the highest price possible. He can have anything he wants, but no one to share it with. And come night time, he must hide in his fortress away from the angry mob of mutants.
The apocalyptic world that makes the first half so captivating is destroyed by the second half's plot device. I won't go into details for those who haven't seen it. However, I will say the film starts to slide downhill from the mid-way point. But the lesser parts can be enjoyed as early 70's camp.
Even with its faults, "The Omega Man" is a great Sci-fi movie. It also gives Heston a chance to play his quintessential role of a man at the end of civilization. The film's weaknesses don't ruin the experience entirely. It is a film that myself and my friends talk about to this day despite the fact that most of my friends only saw it once or twice (when forced by me).
Related note: I Am Legend was also made into the film "The Last Man on Earth" starring Vincent Price. "Omega Man" is discussed in the first scene of indie-film classic "Slacker."
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Still Holds Up
This movie scared the utter CRAP out of me when I first saw it at age 12. The mutants haunted my dreams for months afterward. Extremely creepy stuff! After all these years, "The Omega Man" still holds up as a thoughtful and chilling cautionary tale. Admittedly, it's now more campy and dated and has some unintentionally funny scenes, but that tends to simply add another dimension to the entertainment value. Great period detail and Charlton Heston in fine form.
There have been rumors of a remake/revision of the film (actually of the source novel, "I Am Legend," by Richard Matheson). May I suggest John Carpenter as a possible director?
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Now this is a Cool Movie
Warning: Spoilers
Charlton Heston just has that presence, that arrogant demeanor where he screams at the world that doesn't understand what is going on. Some might think it becomes annoying but it actually works very well in this movie. The Omega Man is actually a unique little look at the world, which here is populated by one man, Charlton Heston. For a Science Fiction movie this movie is pretty deep. He is combating a group of zombies that seek to kill all humans.
The zombies think that the human beings and their machines have caused the world to go into disarray and that because of it the humans must be destroyed. While the zombie types are evil they make some sense, after all the reason they were zombies are on account of germ warfare. The movie is surprisingly effective for a movie with a 70s wack-a-dum soundtrack, and manages a lot of thrills the old-fashioned way: through no special effects.
Charlton Heston also manages to be an interesting character. He seems to be a man in a bit of a conflict, a military man who has no choice but to defend himself, but also a scientist, an imminently intelligent man who seems weary of all of the fighting. He goes through the streets of Los Angeles with all of the products in all of the stores available to him for free. After all who's left to charge him? He seems a little crazy, and he probably is, after all he has gone years without sex, that would drive a lot of men crazy. The action sequences in this movie are cool. There isn't any karate, no Matrix slow motion, just beating people up, and a cool motorcycle ride through Dodger Stadium, where Heston escapes execution, as does Reggie Jackson, haha. I digress.
Germ warfare was something far ahead of it's time. The black and white context of this Science Fiction movie also adds a great dimension to this film. The symbolism of the ending where Heston is essentially crucified saving mankind is appropriate, though some will find it silly. This isn't an Oscar winner but this is a fun little Science Fiction movie that will make you think.
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Inspirational, hopeful, tragic, brilliant...a masterpiece
Warning: Spoilers
The greatest movie of all time?? Well, probably not, but certainly the most influential on my life back in the mid 70s when I first caught it on British television. Charlton Heston is awesome in his role of Robert Neville, and the musical score is outstanding. The story itself may seem a little dated these days, but its religious analogies stand up well even in today's more effects laden times.
SPOILERS: The final sequence, as Neville is brutally killed by the leader of the vampire community Matthias (Anthony Zerbe) came as a genuine shock to me, but its underlying hopefulness for the future at least compensates some way for this. I cried and cried when Neville died. Even now when I watch the film, the bleak feeling which runs as an undercurrent throughout, never ceases to move me with the tragedy of the ending.
This was Heston's best, in my opinion even surpassing Planet of the Apes, and many times more entertaining than the dreadful Soylent Green (sorry but I really didn't like that one). I really believe that the films you see when you are between 12 and 16 remain with you forever, because its the most impressionable time of your life. At least it was for me. I love this film, always did, always will. Quite honestly 10 out of 10. Though I may well be the only person who thinks this....lol
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Before Mad Max or Blade Runner, There was The Omega Man!
I just saw this movie for the first time and I really enjoyed it. Considering it was made in 1971, the make-up and special effects are fairly good. I really liked the story and was impressed (as usual) with Heston's performance. Keep in mind that if this movie seems a little dated or old it is because the story has been done over and over again. This was before any of the numerous Mad Max films, before Blade Runner, even before Logan's Run. I am not saying that it was necessarily better than these movies but it is a pioneer of sorts. Good flick!
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Very good post-holocaust SF movie
I'm not sure if Matheson's novel is filmable -- it was done once before as a Vincent Price movie in the early '60s. This film holds its own as a very good post-holocaust movie. Heston, as a paranoid scientist, immune to a plague which either killed people outright or turned them insane, does a pretty good job. The film has some good suspense and action, but overall, the low-budget and lack of attention to detail (see the other reviewer's comments) turn what could have been a great film into just a good one.
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It's the end of the world with Chuck Heston -- and it's a total groove, baby!
Warning: Spoilers
Richard Matheson's terrific novel "I Am Legend" has been twice adapted for the big screen. The first adaptation was "The Last Man on Earth," an unsparingly grim'n'gloomy Italian mid 60's Gothic horror outing starring Vincent Price. "The Omega Man" on the other hand is a lively undead corpse of an altogether separate hue -- and it's one rip-roaringly loud, gaudy, tripped-out funky-a** blinding Day-Glow color at that. Yep, this American made sci-fi/action baby only retains the central premise of Matheson's book, embellishing greatly on the story so it can snazzily cater to all the hip'n'happening trends of the early 70's. The film serves as a wildly distorted and hugely entertaining funhouse mirror reflection of the heady early 70's and nowadays naturally represents a hopelessly dated, yet still oddly charming time capsule of a bygone era.
A terrible plague has wiped out most of mankind and turned the bulk of folks who are still alive into crazed albino mutants. Famed NRA spokesman and archetypal post-nuke sci-fi/action survivalist icon par excellence Charlton Heston portrays with his customary steely resolve and firm granite jaw one Robert Neville, an unattached, sardonically wisecracking, rough'n'tumble machine gun-toting bachelor scientist who lives in an eerily empty and desolate Los Angeles along with a lethal bunch of the evil albino mutants. Led by former TV newscaster turned Charles Manson-style cult leader Matthias (deliciously essayed with lip-smacking hammy relish by veteran villainous character actor Anthony Zerbe), the smart, calculating, shades-wearing nocturnal albino mutants call themselves "brother" and "sister," wear cowled black robes which make them resemble deranged monks, use bows and arrows as weapons, and wish to destroy all remnants of modern society so they can create a new technology-free medieval world. These gloriously gaga freaks come across like a marvelously malign cross between the Manson Family and the Black Panthers. Meanwhile our carefree and nonchalant human hero Heston tools around the barren ruins of LA in a fancy convertible while blasting the sappy theme of "A Summer Place" on his 8-track stereo (!), treats himself to countless free showings of "Woodstock," blithely blows away lots of mutants with his trusty machine gun, sips fine wine and plays chess with himself, and has a steamy interracial affair with a spunky black lady survivor (the delightful Rosalind Cash, sporting a jumbo Afro that would make Pam Grier blush). Heston runs across a handful of mellow hippie kids led by motorcycle-riding longhair Paul Koslo who have all somehow managed to avoid being infected by the disease.
It gets better. WARNING: Big old nasty *SPOILER* ahead. The film ends on a ridiculous optimistic note with Heston being done in by a spear-tossing Matthias; a serum made from his blood is left behind to cure the survivors. Best of all, Heston croaks with his arms outstretched in a cheesy Jesus Christ on the cross posture, a self-deifying image that's further hammered home by a tacky solarized final freeze frame. The closing visual reveals the entire picture to be nothing more than a silly, thinly veiled Christ allegory. Yep, the basic tone strongly adheres to an extremely conventional and conservative Christian mentality, a giddy upbeat mindset which in turn makes this amazing item an absolute four-star camp hoot of the highest order. The scenes of Heston roaming through the bleak and abandoned city streets are wonderfully bizarre and haunting, highlighted by Heston's extraordinary "the phone isn't ringing" crack-up scene. It's this pervasive straight-faced sense of total inside-out strangeness which gives this fabulously flipped-out film its peculiarly irresistible oddball appeal.
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True Gonzo Classic,
Warning: Spoilers
Anyone who saw this growing up has a soft spot in their hearts for it. I've encountered enough people over the course of my 41 yrs who perk up at the mention of it to be aware of its place in a lot of our memories. This has been satirized on the Simpsons, which proves it has embedded itself in the national pop culture consciousness. Anyone who has read the book its based on, the incredible "I am Legend" by Richard Matheson, knows that this film has very little in common with it beyond its initial premise--and even that is not followed too closely. All of the criticisms of THE OMEGA MAN are valid: it is very dated and not at all scary or intense and some of the stunts and special effects are laughably, ludicrously cheesy. The villains--who should have been more terrifying than even Romero's zombies--are just crazed albino hippie Luddites and the last half of the film, once Chuck hooks up with Rosalind Cash and the kiddies, is really a let down. But the scenes that open the film of Heston hefting a cool-looking submachine gun while decked out in Austin Powers-style finery staring in angst at an old calendar or losing his mind for a moment hallucinating the sound of telephones ringing in the deserted city still pack a punch. This was the second movie, after 1959's THE WORLD,THE FLESH, AND THE DEVIL, to successfully pull off the eerie effect of being the last living human being in a huge empty city. Both films established the visual motif of streets filled with blowing waves of newspapers and swirling trash.After years of seeing this on TV -- a guaranteed late September or early October event every year for a few years on the local TV station during my Pacific Northwest childhood in the old Dark Age before cable TV and the videocassette revolution, its nice to see this movie on DVD with a beautiful widescreen transfer. It looks and sounds great. As a child I always liked the music, particularly the "surprise party" theme that plays when the villains make their first appearance. It rocks here in all its xylophone and funky electric organ and horns glory!
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The Last Man On Earth Is Hunting
Warning: Spoilers
Chuck Heston is too cool to be the ALPHA MALE, so he becomes the OMEGA MAN!!! Reasons why this film is a masterpiece of apocalyptic sci fi and a damn good promotional for the NRA: SEE: Chuck Heston prowl the streets of Los Angeles in his smooth rides (Lincoln, Mustang, Dodge Weapons Carrier)looking for murderous mutants and decked out in his mod safari jacket, shades and submachine gun! SEE: Chuck bridge the generation gap as he digs Country Joe and the Fish at a private screening of 'Woodstock'!
SEE: Chuck in his penthouse suite, wearing a green velvet smoking jacket and ruffled shirt, as he swills whiskey and endures the taunts of the legions of the undead! HEAR: Chuck crack wise as a prisoner of the Luddite zombies, just before he's burnt at the stake! Other priceless scenes worth watching: the zombie who envies Chuck's penthouse as a 'honky paradise' Chuck smirking as a news anchor pontificates about the end of the world, Chuck socializing with bronze statues and putting the moves on mannequins, plenty of gunplay and CHUCK'S RAGE!!! You don't like this flick....maybe Chuck (The Omega Man) will come and beat you up.
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Chuck's finest post-Apocalyptic hour
Nothing beats your first time with The Omega Man. I first saw it as an impressionable pre-teen back in the 70s, and it immediately made it up there with James Bond, Evel Knieval and Bruce Lee as THE coolest thing I'd ever seen in my life. Time hasn't been all that kind to this film, and it seems a bit croaky all these years later, but c'mon, Charlton Heston fighting albino bikers has gotta be worth SOMETHING! The Woodstock scene is priceless, Zerbe makes a wonderful baddie, and remember Paul Koslo? What a dude. This movie is a hell of a lot of fun.
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Heston Tries Not To Keep It In The Family.
A vampiric cult called The Family the result of biological warfare, lay siege to the refuge of the last man left alive in a dead post-apocalyptic city.
This is the second cinematic outing for the Richard Matheson novel I Am Legend with Charlton Heston as Robert Neville immune to the plague & fighting for survival. This is an entertaining film if not on a par with some of Hestons other sci-fi movies such as Planet Of The Apes & Soylent Green. Again he gives us an isolated, cynical man who never sets out to be a hero but becomes one.
How would you cope as the only man alive? The superior opening act of this movie answers that with the protagonist wandering through a dead city. Constantly reminded of the past with every step along every street & talking to himself, trying to retain his sanity. Indeed one of the best scenes of the whole movie is here when he watches Woodstock in an empty cinema, reciting the dialogue. Just how many times has he done this? Then the film goes down familiar action movie routes with The Family a bizarre religious anti-technology cult & Nevilles attempts to combat their attacks.
The Omega Man doesn't have as much depth amongst the action as Planet Of The Apes but has a great & tangible sense of isolation. The Family may not be the most threatening bad guys ever (one of the films flaws) but look good in their cowls & capes, a religious theme which is played out in the wonderful final image at the films climax which offers hope for the future.
Overall this film is enjoyable with its slightly comic book sensibilities, good score & strong religious overtones. A good slice of 70s sci-fi fun!
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A biological warfare wiped out the entire world population and a scientist takes on albino creatures
A post-holocaust caused by a virus, in a germ warfare , has been destroying most of mankind , the plague that causes the end of the world was unleashed as the result of a border war between China and Russia , in fact, China and Russia had some very serious border skirmishes during 1969 that had many world leaders concerned about the possibility of an all-out war between the Communist superpowers an U. S . As an Army scientist named Robert Neville (Charlton Heston) , who had immunized himself, is practically alone in the city of Los Angeles, except for a group of albino-like survivors . Army doctor Robert Neville struggles to create a cure for the plague that wiped out most of the human race . Neville is immune to the effects of a biologically engineered plague and fights those aren't , an army of mutants bent on destroying what's left of the world and constantly harass him . Neville uses a Browning Automatic Rifle (BAR) with an Infra-Red scope killing mutants . The pale-skinned men are led by sneering and creepy leaders (Anthony Zerbe, Lincoln Kilpatrick) , they want to eradicate what is left of mankind, but they feel is responsible for the disaster and this, of course, includes Neville. But Neville isn't the sole survivor , early appear a few survivors, an African-American woman named Lisa (Rosalind Cash). Pray for the last man alive. Because he's not alone. The World Is Dead. One Survivor. Then The Others. Crawling In Darkness. The Strangest Sect Of All. *Hunting The Last Man On Earth.*
Omega Man's spectacular adaptation with top-notch performance by Charlton Heston . Strong intrigue and suspense with considerable violence based on novel by Richard Matheson , which is also the basis for the film ¨The last Man on Earth¨ directed by Sidney Salkow , starred by Vincent Price and a modern version ¨I am legend¨ by Francis Lawrence with Will Smith and Alice Braga . This is a blockbuster production that manages to convey an eerie atmosphere to dismay . The film packs noisy action, tension , thrills , terror and entertaining enough. Good performance by Charlton ¨Chuck¨ Heston , usual actor of spectacular Sci-fi and epic movies . This movie marked the fourth teaming of producer Walter Seltzer with star Charlton Heston who worked together on 1973 ¨Soylent Green¨ , 1972 ¨Skyjacked¨ , 1969 ¨Number one¨ , 1968 ¨Will Penny¨, 1965 ¨The War Lord¨ , they would work together again on ¨The last hard man¨, their seventh and final movie together .Interesting screenplay by John and Joyce Corrington based on novel "I Am Legend" by Richard Matheson , though he said that The Omega Man was so removed from his book that it didn't even bother him . Heston is well acccompanied by a good cast , such as : Rosalind Cash, Anthony Zerbe , Paul Koslo , Lincoln Kilpatrick and the teen Eric Laneuville
Atmospheric but rare musical score fitting to action and suspense by Ron Granier . Colorful and glimmering cinematography by Russell Metty . The production company wanted a locale that looked like an abandoned metropolitan area, but it was too costly to build , the producer drove through Downtown Los Angeles and majority of the movie's exteriors were shot there on weekends when shoppers were closed . The motion picture was professionally directed by Boris Sagal , a television series expert such as ¨Rich man, poor man¨, ¨Ike¨ , ¨Columbo¨, ¨Diary of Anne Frank¨ ,¨Masada¨. Rating : Above average and well worth watching .
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Watch this movie once. Give it some time, and then you'll want to watch it again.
This is personally my favorite film. However, I can understand why this one-time sci-fi/horror flick views more like a comedy today. The film has dated more than other films from '71/72, and with the special effects bar haven risen astronomically since that time there is little hope for the film to grow even older gracefully. And a shirtless, oily, middle-aged, often over-acting Charlton Heston doesn't exactly shout hero or Academy Award. But THE OMEGA MAN has its moments, in particular its unexpected, and unexpectedly touching, finale. Add to that worthwhile ending a legendary Ron Grainer (Dr. Who, The Prisoner) soundtrack and some very quotable dialogue ("Thanks alot, you cheating bastard") and THE OMEGA MAN rounds itself out into a very memorable movie.
Unfortunately, Warner Bros. has continually delayed the release of OMEGA MAN on DVD - 4 years now counting. Maybe during the wait someone there will realize the potential this movie has a video game. Our heroic player must track The Family down by day and fend them off by night in a bunkered-up penthouse. Like the DVD, it's wishful thinking.
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Not to be confused with Shakespeare, but high on the "cool factor" and fun
The film is set in the near future and Charlton Heston seems to be the only person left on the planet. Everyone else is either dead or a psychotic zombie that cannot come out during the daytime. So during much of the film, cool Heston drives about town in his cool car--rooting for food or blowing apart the occasional zombie. And after a long day of this, it's home--not for a Miller beer, but to hide out in his amazing fortress home. At night, the crazed zombies attack his home again and again, but since Heston would later become the president of the NRA, it wasn't surprising that he proceeded to blow the crap out of the intruders--and do it with great gusto and style. Seeing Heston with a machine gun mowing them down was indeed a guilty pleasure.
There's a lot more to the movie than this--including a REASON for the plague that did this to the people and explained why he was immune (something forgotten in the earlier version of this film that starred Vincent Price). In addition, later in the film some hope for the redemption of mankind appears--thought you'll have to see the film for yourself to find out exactly what occurred.
This film is rare in that it's a remake of an earlier film AND it's actually better than the original! While not as good as Heston's greatest sci-fi films, PLANET OF THE APES and SOYLENT GREEN, it is wonderful fun. Sure, it isn't Shakespeare or amazingly artistic--just good old fun that is very re-watchable. An excellent and cool film that will please most viewers.
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A great 70's scifi-horror-suspense
I love those 70's flicks. They really experimented with no-nonesense plotlines, and didn't have the resources to exceedingly engross themselves in needless over-production. This last issue is a big problem with many of today's movies, where your eyes often pop out, but your brain usually falls asleep. Someone here complained about the score. I felt the music was great, it sets the whole tone of the movie. For example, in the fight scenes, it gives you an eerie sense of repetition and fatality that, come to think of it, really is the whole point of the movie. Bottom line, just for the premise alone, it's worth watching. Expect some basic production and a couple of cheesy lines. But this is overly compensated by excellent tension and engrossing plotline.
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Charlton Heston Is The Coolest Guy On Earth!
Chuck is the stud of studs in this film. I always thought of him as this stuffy old guy, but this film really changed my perception of him. Great action, great plot, a little bit of interracial romance, and a great cast of actors all add up to one killer sci fi experience. Hitch up your drawers, baby!
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Source: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0067525/reviews/
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