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A spy has seen I AM LEGEND and sums it up with a resounding "meh"!
SPOILER ALERT !!
Ahoy, squirts! Quint here with an early review of I AM LEGEND. Can't say this is surprising to me, but I really do hope I radically disagree with this review when I ultimately see the flick. I've given up hope for a faithful adaptation of Richard Matheson's novel, but I was still hoping it'd be a big tent-pole style fun time at the cinema. Looks like maybe not so much. Here's the review from "Dakota Brown." Be warned of some spoilers going in...
Harry -
Just got out of a screening of 'I am Legend.' Meh. If you saw the trailer, or even the TV spots, then you already saw everything even remotely cool in this movie. The Fresh Prince drives only Ford cars. Hunts deer in New York. Loses his quarry to Aslan. Takes off his shirt. Bathes his dog. Talks to mannequins (none of whom - sadly - turn into Kim Catrall). And he cries a lot. There's definitely some watch-through-fingers stuff when Big Willie Style chases his heedless hunting dog into some catacombs and finds (HUGE FUCKING SPOILER) the Drac Pack! Shoot! Run! Cry! Rinse and repeat. Our hero spends his spare time in his basement lab trying to cure vampirism; things having apparently progressed way past the point where mere education and condom distribution will have any impact. ***SPOILER*** At the end, the survivors seem to somehow wind up in that walled Thomas-Kincaide village from Kevin Costner's 'The Postman.'
The shittiest thing is, I read Protosevich's script way back when it was set in San Francisco and Arnold was supposedly going to play Neville and I remember thinking that early draft really popped off the page. In that version, I think Protosevich called his vampires 'hemocytes' or something. And I remember they were kind of Orc-like. They had this whole post-human, tribal culture, complete with war drums and shit. And Patient Zero was like this vampire Genghis Khan and it fucking rocked. Well, all the originality of Protosevich's script - and much of the punch of Matheson's novel - is long gone from this movie. It's not that this iteration sucks, not exactly. It's just ... neutered somehow. Watered down and not totally coherent. I don't know if Will Smith is to blame, or Akiva Goldsman (one of the most overrated scribes in the business if you ask me), or some chickenshit executive along the way. Too many chiefs maybe. Where's Chuck Heston when you need him? At least the Omega Man had some balls.
Maybe this is my age showing, but I'm just not a huge fan of mediocre CGI for CGI's sake and I still think nothing would be scarier than an army of extras in Salem's Lot makeup. For some reason, they CGI'd all the fucking vampires into 'I am Legend.' Why? I don't understand their decision. It must have been expensive and it's not at all scary. These vampires look and move a lot like those renegade crash-test dummies in 'I, Robot' - except these guys snarl and snap in their Hulk pants. Bummer. And I was really looking forward to this one too.
If you use this, call me Dakota Brown.
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First!!
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so sick of the word 'meh'
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still sick of that word
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I've always thought that people who say, "First" are total douchebags. I am upset though that Matheson, a writer still living, had his source material so dumped on. Harry, when do you see this movie? And thanks for not responding to the myspace comment yesterday. Someone forgetting the people who helped him get where he is? I kid, I kid.
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can anybody do this book justice!! Danny Boyle!! where are you when we need you!!
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does not have a happy ending. Charlton heston met his demise in the original Omega Man (Sorry forgot to mention SPOILER). I was really looking forward to this movie but this review doesn't make it sound very good.
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Oh yeah everyone.Once will smith was cast everything about this film seemed less intresting.Now if someone like Guy Pierce was cast or hell Christian Bale,then I might have gone to see it,otherwise ill rent it a month after it comes to dvd.
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Arnold's incarnation was set in the Hollywood Hills. Hemocytes were not orclike, patient zero was nothing like genghis khan. the point of Matheson's book is the "I have met the enemy and he is me" in a world where everyone's a vampire, man is the monster. that will never get made. the coolest pieces of a post-apocalyptic zombie movie has already been made 2x by mr trainspoting. will smith sucks. this movie is irrelevant
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I always pictured Liam Neeson as an awesome Neville. A hell of a lot more than Will Smith. But I guess even the classics need to be updated. And for the record, I agree with Quint, Goldsmith is a flaming douche nozzle.
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It looks like The Ghost Rider will not be the worst movie of the year.
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owned and you know it
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And WS Anderson will thank Goldsman for making him look good.
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Coming soon!!!
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Sorry... someone had to say it.But really, is anyone here really surprised? This SHOULD have been akin to 28 Days Later, with no CGI crowds at all. But with Will Smith in the lead, it was obvious the mekers were simply going for the quick and easy buck, quality be damned.Ah, well. At least 30 Days of Night was cool.
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Where's Ridley Scott when you need him. I Am Legend would have been amazing if done right. Stupid Hollywood.
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And I'm tha last man on Earf!!
Someone had to say it. -
And if you thought House of the Dead was the worst zombie movie ever, think again!
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And not in an Uncle Monty from Withnail and I way.
SALEM'S LOT was some serious shit when I was a kid. The bit with the kid vampire floating outside his mate's window FREAKED ME THE FUCK OUT and has NEVER stopped freaking me out since. I'm in my thirties now, and I STILL shit myself when I hear scratching type sounds by the window. Had they followed Dakota Brown's advice, and hired an army of Salem's Lot vampire extras, this would have been hands down the scariest shit since THE EXORCIST.
The 30 DAYS OF NIGHT movie tried hard with the alternate vampire culture movie. More a survival movie than a balls-out horror, but fun enough and it had some great vampire make-up. THAT'S the way vampire movies should go these days. And never forget: Del Toro started this relaunch of the savage animalistic vampire with BLADE 2. Props to the man.
Bottom line: Ah HELL no! Will backed the wrong horse, and the studio fucked up AGAIN by not sticking to the exceptionally awesome novel. More fucking fool them. This film will LIVE FREE AND SUCK HARD!!!
PS Protosevich's script WAS awesome. Would've much preferred to hear that this movie followed THAT script. Ah well, chalk down another "could've been awesome" movie to the shitcan pile. -
Nov 30, 2007 3:44:50 AM CST
I thought we discussed this "meh" business
by guy who got a headache and accidentally
It sounds stupid as fuck. And while we're at it let's all stop using "lol, wtf, ftw, itt," and all that horseshit. As soon as I see that shit written by someone, the writer suddenly turns into some 13 year old with down syndrome in my mind. It doesn't make any sense, there's no need for it. And "meh" makes them into a prententious college student wearing black framed glasses that probably aren't even perscription.
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Going to avoid it like the proverbial plague, I don't wan't my appreciation of Matheson's classic to be sullied by this shitseltown dreck. If this is ever adapted again, I pray that it's a low budget indie scale flick with the integrity and savvy to adhere faithfully to the source material.
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Nov 30, 2007 3:50:54 AM CST
"survivors?" I thought this was called I AM LEGEND
by guy who got a headache and accidentally
As in, I AM THE LAST FUCKING MAN ON EARTH, THEREFORE, A LEGEND AND MYTH AMONG THE NEW VAMPIRE RACE. Why not just call it the "reimagined" Omega Man, why take the title of the fucking book, just to make a COMPLETELY DIFFERENT STORY. That should be ILLEGAL. Fuck everyone involved with this film TO DEATH.
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Don't forget that.
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Salem's Lot freaked me the fuck out too. That scene with the window scratching... and also, the other creepiest part in the book, when Barlow's assisstant has the little kids body and King says, "What happened next became unspeakable." That line has stuck with me for years and years. We really need a good Salem's Lot miniseries on HBO or something, just to erase the shit that the Rob Lowe version was.
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Nov 30, 2007 3:58:24 AM CST
My childhood has been fondled inappropriately
by guy who got a headache and accidentally
by this film. "What happened next became unspeakable" sounds like a sentence that should come after "I Am Legend starring Will Smith in production"
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at least it managed to distill some of the core aspects of the novella, notabley Neville's despair, sense of solitude and alchoholism. And at least Neville and Cortmen bit the dirt, the former earning his 'Legend' status. Uber cool score (by Ron Grainer If I recall) nice funky 70's vibe to the whole thing, alway's worth revisiting, unlike this Turd Furgessen of an offering.
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FOR THE LAST TIME: It's not "should of", or "would of", or "could of". IT IS SHOULD HAVE...or SHOULD'VE.
Jesus Christ, where'd you fucking go to school? How do you know how to work a computer? -
You are correct.
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Nov 30, 2007 4:22:39 AM CST
Unfortunately Darabont probably won't be doing another King...
by prof. pop-cult
...Movie. The Mist bombed badly at the box office. A shame, too, since it's a good flick.
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He's good with drama but DAMN that guy should not write action or sci-fi.
Just look at his track record! Batman Forever, Batman & Robin, Lost in Space, I Robot...
btw, nipples on the batsuit was Schumacher's idea, not Goldman's. -
of the movie this could have been with Ridley at the helm and Arnold as the star. I imagine Arnold's post-heart problems movie career would have been significantly different had he returned to our screens in I AM LEGEND rather than END OF DAYS.
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Confirmed everythere we've been saying for months. They totally fucked up a goddamn cool ass movie. Oh, sweet Arnold project, we still have the memory of what could have been. I wonder how well this is going to do? Not too many idiots even seem siked on it and the trailers suck ass.
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Nov 30, 2007 5:10:22 AM CST
I could've written that "review" based on the trailer alone
by mattmanreturns
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At least that is what my girlfriend told me last night.Damn. I had some hope for this movie. I know this is only one review but it still makes me worry.
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the film hits the theaters, it doesn't say much for the quality factor. other than, "nnoooooooooooooooo."
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but will just go to see the dark knight/joker thing at the start, then leg it out the cinema before will smith starts doing chin ups.
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If he dies or not.
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You just can't throw Will Smith into ANYHING and make it work!!!!! A shitty decision from the get go!
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Will Smith's character can die, i don't care, but please let the dog lives
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Hollywood formula: Hero + dog (or other pet) = One dead animal!
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..that the big twist is that all along,it's the DOG that is"Legend"and that all the special effects budget was spent on lip synching the dog with Smiths voice.Hence the PG-13 kiddie rating..
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I make it a point to never trust reviews from people that already hate a product before they use/watch it, this guy obviously hated people involved in this movie before he went to see it and as such gave nothing even slightly resembling an objective opinion.
If you hate Tom Cruise and J.J Abrams with the entirety of your soul and constantly and consistantly plan horrific deaths for them, then you will not enjoy Mission Impossible 3. It's a fair assumption. -
I cannot stand Will Smith or Tom Cruise,but loved War Of The Worlds,I,Robot and Collateral.
I go into a movie with an open mind every time. -
...sounds like a SciFi Channel movie!
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Nov 30, 2007 5:56:34 AM CST
I cried like a sissy when Max's dog was shot in Mad Max 2
by darthbakpao
... please leave this one alone!
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Nov 30, 2007 6:09:08 AM CST
Its obvious the dog will be the real star of this movie
by judge dredds fresh undies
Dear god why did they have to cancel the Ridley + Arnold version.
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is that the book is not a "big popcorn roller coaster ride" of a story. Despite the big concept of an empty world and a last man trying to survive, the only action is in the last chapter or so of the book. Once you start adding big chase scenes and CGI vampires (why are they mutant monster looking things?) you up the ante and the story has to change exponentially to match the new additions. I had to let go of the novel (which I love, lost count of how many times I've read it) and just accept that I AM LEGEND will be an Omega Man ripoff/reimagining.
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I Am Legend has been my favorite novel since I first read it in 71 when Omega Man came out. Love the novel, next to Dracula it's the most important vampire novel ever written. Love Matheson's other work also. I do not know how anyone can talk about how great the novel is and then say that the Protosevich script was good. It sucked. Nothing at all like the novel. If you're going to use the novel's title then film the novel. The Smith film is, at best, a remake of Omega Man. Just don't call it I Am Legend. The original Protosevich script made just as many alterations to the story as this film does, Neville didn't even die in his script. Filmed properly this is not an action film. It's for the most part a character study about a man traped in (and around) his house. Yhis could be filmed, and filmed well and with a low budget. You could use Matheson's book as the script, it's that good.
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Nov 30, 2007 6:27:44 AM CST
The watcher did not answer the most important question...
by jackpumpkinhead
Namely, does the jackass say "AW, HAIL NAW!" at some point? Alternatively, does he return to his tired "Hey, children, trust me, I be as hardass as Samuel Jackson, too!" schtick and refers to any of the vampires as a "muhfugga"?
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Scene 1: Dog is padding along the empty streets of New York City. A sewer manhole opens and out pour a gang of CG-Why? vampires. The vampires approach the dog menacingly. Dog speaks with Will Smith's voice "Aww, hell, naw!"
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like Quint, i hope this review is wrong.
in addition, i note that it's directed by the same guy who did Constantine, another movie that got a lot of shit from fanboys but which i enjoyed.
if IAL is on par with Constantine, i'll be happy enuf.
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never read the original novel but i have fond memories of the Omega Man.
while a lot of talkbackers are asking: is it faithful to the source? is it as good as Omega Man? i gotta be honest: i don't care. i'm not going into the cinema asking myself is this a good adaptation of a great book (c.f. Atonement) or a clever retelling of an ancient tale (c.f. Beowulf)
i don't need it to live up to my memories of the Omega Man. having seen the trailer, the only question for me is: will i be sufficiently entertained? -
Scene 2: Dog is running from a gang of CG-Why vampires. For no particular reason the vampires are capble of leaping acrobatically from building to building with no regard for gravity, friction, or indeed the laws of physics. Dog runs past a dept store window and stops to gaze longingly at a pair of puma sneakers. Camera zooms in on logo. Vampires snarl in background, Dog exclaims "You have 'got' to be shittin' me" and runs on again.
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Nov 30, 2007 7:10:57 AM CST
And may I take a moment to recommend "The Quiet Earth"
by jackpumpkinhead
Amazing film, possibly the best of the small "last man in the world" genre. Buy, rent, or, hell, even download it instead of paying for a ticket to feed Will Smith and Akiva Goldsman.
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CGI characters are the single biggest scourge of recent cinema:
CGI Yoda, CGI Jabba, CGI extras.... ALL OF THESE THINGS CONTRIBUTE TO THE FLATNESS IN A MOVIE THAT FAILS TO GET ITS AUDIENCE TO GIVE A FUCK ABOUT THE CHARACTERS. When is Hollywood going to wake up to this? Movies in the 1940's were doing it better with hundreds of extras in costumes. For the love of God.
They even had CGI blood splattering around in Romero's Land of the Dead. FOR FUCKS SAKE. A Squeezy bottle of ketchup would have cost 30 cents and looked better.
Who knows, you might even make a masterpiece. (There was no CGI in Carpenter's "The Thing", remember...)
Having said all this, there are places where CGI can seriously work well, and enhance the power of a movie, especially when it's used for backdrops and matt paintings/locations. Use it for what it's good at doing.
But seriously, nobody's eyes are fooled by that horrible elastic movement, that super-quick weightless jerky motion that will forever be associated with Yoda VS Dooku, or worse, Spiderman. -
I just posted a lengthy and pertinent message about the use of CGI characters killing cinema, but it only printed half of my hard work. Post limits = censorship!
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Heston was awesome. The stuff where he plays chess with a bust and talks to it like he's a demented Mr. Rogers is pure gold. He seems way more legitmately crazy than Tom Hanks ever went in Cast Away. It's a great performance. And what is with all this CGI? Is it just too much effort to get a bunch of extras and put them in costumes? Like the reviewer said, I'm sure all this animation stuff is expensive. They used human extras during my lifetime when they made Braveheart so I know it can be done. Somebody needs to strap Robert Zemekis and George Lucas into a theatre seat and make them watch a real actor on a stage and then maybe we'll see the return of humans to the acting profession.
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Does big willy say that in the movie?
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Final Scene: The Dog has defeated the vampires but is mortally wounded. It makes its way to the human encampment where a multi-ethnic gang of extras wear woolen jumpers and live without the evils of technology. The dog drops the vial of serum into the hands of the chief elder, played by Laurence Fishburne. "You did it dawg... you did it" Fishburne murmurs. Fade to black.
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The Protosevich script was godawful, just a joke - it's good Arnold and Ridley never got it made. Goldsman's script - at least the draft I read - was bad too. Don't see why it's so hard to just film the damn book. Make it dark, moody, scary, sad..a faithful version could even be Oscar fodder.
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So we have an African-American man being the last man alive in NYC and talking to mannequins? Sounds like someone was a fan of Belafonte's The World, The Flesh and the Devil...
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This guy must be working for the Golden Compass people or something. PLANT! We all know that this movie will Rock!
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No way this is not going to be a piece of crap. Someday this book may be filmed properly. I totaly agree with the negative coments re cgi. It can be fine when used sparingly to accent a film, like taking out wires or cables from live effects, miniatures or stunts, but when used to create these things it's almost always a disaster. Problem is people keep going to see these movies. So they still keep making them.
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I gots me a feeling that some pissed off screen writers are gonna start spoiling some upcoming releases. It's just a feeling.
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Except Men in Black, that was really really good. He really needs to grow some balls and take some fucking risky roles, until then he'll just be a rapper who made it in movies.
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no mention???
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If you were the last man on earth, would you still feel obliged to wipe your butt?
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That's why I can't stand his films. He always has good subject matter, but then ruins it with too much CGI.
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There, I saved you a few bucks.
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the spoilers were a little flagrant
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interview with Richard Matheson.
Very cool.
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not many ppl are going to see the 7 minute dark knight preview since its only seen during imax showings of I Am Meh. er.. I am legend.
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Let's see, the studio trusted the director of the completely mediocre "Constantine" (along with a handful of Britney Spears and J-Lo videos) with this massive film. The studios could care less. They could hire a guy who has only directed Dunkin Donut ads and they still know the movie's easily going to pull in at least $300 mill worldwide. The studios could care less these days if the product is any good. They're just out to make a few dollars. How else could you explain the director of Taxi and Barbershop being handed a $100+ million budget to direct Fantastic Four? Hiring the right director just requires too much thought on their part.
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I, Robot and War Of The World were exceptional movies, even though I greatly dislike both Will Smith and Tom Cruise, I love both of those movies as well. But, I cannot help but feel that I would enjoy both more if not held back by the fact that I hate the stars. So when dealing with movies that aren't awful, but are merely good or great. You can't really accept someone else's opinion when you know it to be clouded by hatred, because not all movies can be expected to reach that plateu that overcomes hatred.
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it better be leaked on the internet dammit.
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Nov 30, 2007 8:41:48 AM CST
Lastly though, Omega Man sucked. The Last Man on Earth was much
by ickvinivanlinner
I really don't understand this hatred of CGI, it's progressed to a point where it can, with the right amount of money, replace actual actors. Be it a monster or be it a genuine character, with the right script and attitude, they can fully replace actors. I don't know if it's nostalgia or the fact that we honestly don't see that much high quality CGI, but I see all this whining about it and it drives me nuts. CGI technology is perfectly harmless and ready for mainstream use. We aren't talking about the era of TRON, we're talking about the era of Transformers. Good CGI cannot detract from a good script.
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Ok mate,let's pour a virtual beer,drink to each others health and compare opinions after watching the movie-deal?;)!
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Ok mate,let's pour a virtual beer,drink to each others health and compare opinions after watching the movie-deal?;)!
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This movie on William Tiberius Smith. The William Smith camp is probably SOO concerned with making another $100 hit once a year that they bastardized this movie. I mean we all saw Will I.am Smith I Robot. This looks like I Vampire. I guess they decided all they REALLY need in a movie is William no other actors. At least Adam Sandler has given up tring in his movies to reach his 100 million earning movie a year quota. And Tomas Cruise is trying to branch out a little. But William is all just ego, I am gonna watch Omega Man this week, because although Charlton Heston is all ego (and was presenting this Shitty Ass Christian Cartoons on TV the other day I didn't know when that was made but they were pathetic and C Hes looked pretty old but my god Ben Hur sitting in a chair telling us about the upcoming epic cartoon that looks as good as Steamboat Willie was sad) he is also probably bat crazy. Will Smith doesn't seem crazy, he seems smart so he knows that (his) audience doesn't like real movies but easy movies.
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Two words: Morphing blood.
Do not pass go. Do not collect $200. Go directly to hell. You go to hell and you die. -
they'd kill Wil Smith? I'm sure that's what they filmed and then they reshot it because they studio wasn't happy about that. Remember the big deal about the reshoots?
My only thing is do they kill the dog or is that the dog vamped in the trailer attacking him? None of that happened in the book either.
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thank you for successfully killing any hopes of Alex Proyas and Francis Lawrence ever making anything good again. Also this movie was written by Akiva Goldsman... Da Vinic Code was the worst movie ever, like that movie probably cost a lot to make and made shit cans of money but there was nothing to it. If there ever was a book that was "unfilmable" it was that book because like 75% of that book is a history lesson. The only thing cool Akiva Goldsman did was Batman Forever because Val Kilmer was the best batman. I wonder if they kept going the way that Batman was going after Political Guru Clooney killed the series, that William Smith would have ended up at the Black Crusader?
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I was really looking forward to this. I think Will needs to stay away from the sci-fi and action blockbusters. He is much better suited to comedies and dramas.
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From the trailer in front of Beowulf, there's a quick scene shown with the Fresh Prince surrounded by the vamps. That's straight out of the last scene of the book. Unfortunately, I'm sure his wife will show up guns blazing to save the day and her man.
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The newest trailer gave me chills. I don't have high hopes but it might work for me.
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My problem with CGI is how overused and glaringly fake it usually looks. Francis Lawrence's films are a perfect example. They look blatently fake when stuff is supposed to look real (in the trailer, that tiger). He should try using more models and stuntmen/women. To me, I CAN generally tell the difference. That's not to say I'm completely against CGI. To me, Gladiator, The Matrix, and Transformers are examples of how CGI can be used correctly.
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Almost need a spellcheck function on this thing...
And re: Mr. Smiff's opus, of course they will make it a happy ending. Asses. Did anyone see "The TV Set?" Yeah, same sort of the disenfranchisement that David Duchovny had... this movie is going to blow, but the dumbasses who like Will Smith will make this movie a hit. Shit. -
That's usually the case.
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Charlton Heston has been dead for a couple of years now. And dude, the word for today is PROOFREAD. It'll help your posts make a little more sense. Also, Val Kilmer was the best Batman? I take it back. Proofreading ain't gonna help.
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Nov 30, 2007 9:37:17 AM CST
Seriously does anyone expect anything from Hollywood anymore
by lane_myers111
THE MOVIE INDUSTRY IS IN THE TOILET..no i havent seen this movie,but really from Hollywoods track record of big budget blockbusters over the last 15 years or so does anyone really have any hope when they go to see a movie of this type. It makes me very sad that over the last 15 years the standard of scripts and particularly directing has dropped so low its off the charts. Theyre have been a few bright spots eg The Matrix,The Lord of the rings trilogy,Spiderman but in general its the
Charlies Angels,Fantastic Fours,Tombraider1 & 2,I Robot,Transformers,Pirates 2 & 3,MIB 2,Hulk,X Men 3,Shrek 3,Godzilla,Wild Wild West,Spiderman 3,Daredevil,Elecktra,Jurrasic Park 2 & 3 and tens of others..for me its pretty much a stamp of Shiteness for a film to be a Hollywood Blockbuster these days..Yeah i know some people will come on and say i like this and i like that and of course evryone is entitled to their opinion, but in general most intelligent people would argue that in order to accept enjoyment in these movie weve seriously had to lower our standards. I cant do that,so for now i have to get my entertainment enjoyment from the rare decent blockbuster,the slightly better indie movie scene and from large array of writing and directing talent that is turning out some top motch tv shows(HBO you are god) -
IS STILL ALIVE!
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Snap!
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I think he old script sounds ridiculous. I always hate it when they try to give a prettier sounding name to monsters. Hemocytes? Their fucking vampires for christ's sake! The story in this one sounds more intoned with the loneliness of being the only person alive. Going about your day, trying to survive, your only companion a dog. Then fending for yourself against vampires at night, waiting for someone to hopefully rescue you or answer your call. That sounds a whole lot more interesting then some lame ass Schwarzenegger movie. So far this movie still sounds entertaining.
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The crimes that he has committed, they would warrant the death penalty in any just society.
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I stand corrected. I was sure that I'd heard he passed away.
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FUCK FUCK FUCK FUCK FUCK FUCK FUCK!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Damnit I was hoping for a good one! I really love this book. It stays with you for days after you read it... I'll still hope a little, but I was still afraid of this...
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Heeelllll Naawwww..
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Nov 30, 2007 9:54:48 AM CST
Please You all should Delete This Review There Has Been No Scree
by villageroadshow
The first screening of this movie will be on December 3rd at 8:30 pm Tribeca
375 Greenwich St.
New York
(Between Franklin and Moore Streets
, I should know well look at my screen name and take a guess at whom I work for, and you all need to have faith, This movie is literally going to blow you away,so any review you get before then is obviously coming from a fired employee, have faith people, on late monday or early tuesday morning you will see reviews from actual people who have seen the movie, but for now this review is an absolute DUD, notice how the reviewer could not even say where they saw the movie, People have faith. -
his eyes are going to BUG.
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I want to make sure I understand. Village Road Show has employes people to make posts who do not have a proper command of the english language?
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Sorry about the typos. Typos do not equal bad gramer.
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You obviously never read the old script, it had plenty of the isolation and was more tonally accurate than this one will end up I'm sure. Arnold plus Ridley would have produced awesomeness. The Protosevich script may not have been I am Legend to a t but it was a good script.
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lost me already
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How come when people like a movie, they celebrate the director, but when people don't, they blame the screenwriter. As a writer myself, I say lay off of Goldsman, you have no idea how many well-written movies are fucked up by self-syled 'auteurs' who have a 'vision'. That vision usually has little to do with storytelling and tons to do with ego.
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Sheesh. He overacts in Omega Man to hell and back. The ADR on that thing is freakin' priceless.
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The Protosevich script still stank. If the book is great, which it is, why change it. Matheson's script which was filmed as Last Man On Earth, he used the pen name Logan Swanson, is the best of the lot. If that film would have had a little more money, Heston instead of Price and a decent director... well we can dream. There were major changes even with that script but it's still the one to beat, of the ones that have been filmed. Omega Man was filmed as I Am Legend but the studio changed the title at the last minuet to, in Heston's words: "to jazz it up." Heston is a stage trained actor and stage actors play to the back row. The way that film was directed it almost demands to be played that way.
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They lost me when the dog became his pal, a companion to chill with and keep him grounded. Lame! The use of the dog in the novel was bleak and absolutely heartbreaking. From that point, I knew they were going to neuter this excellent story. I agree with whoever said make it a dark indie film with someone like Guy Pierce in the lead. And what is all this curing the enemy shit? Neville just wanted to kill those fuckers before they killed him!
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So um..if we happen to live in NYC...how do we get tickets to this screening I ask???
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... but the Fresh Prince's exorbitant personal budget ate everything up. I'm surprised they got the $30 to rescue some dog from a local animal shelter.
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I hate when the dog dies. That new Naomi Watts movie "Silly Games" lost me at the trailer although it is brilliant and well paced. The whole point of the title is in the ending of the book and for them to take that out, to remove the point where he realizes that he is the monster to them, like a Yetee or Dragon, removes the impact of the book.
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Low budget is the way to go. But Pierce, an excelent actor, does not fit the character as described in the novel. If we're going low budget we are doing it in order to stick to the novel, right? How about Ron Pearlman with Del Toro directing?
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Last Man on Earth with Vincent Price was GREAT! It was pretty true to the book. Though I don't know how he survived in that house with his craptastic defenses--a couple of hastily nailed boards…CHECK! One ring of garlic…CHECK! Anyway, I enjoyed it. Omega man made the infected way too intelligent to begin with. It took years for the bacteria to mutate and allow the infected to become more "civilized". If you can find it, get the "I Am Legend" audiobook. Good stuff.
B
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I already acknowledged that I made a mistake. Go the fuck back to sleep.
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I'll look for a few more reviews before I totally throw it out the window.
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for SF/F type stuff? You'd think after seeing Batman and Robin they would've figured out it's not a good mix.
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McDonald's interfering with "Batman and Robin" script.
Wrecking scripts is part of the crap business that is Hollyweird.
Will there be a big finale battle royale . . . as was done to crapify "I, Robot"? -
It a better script, but still didn't kill of Nevin.
Charleton Heston is alive but suffers from severe Alzheimer's. Had the pleasure of hearing him speak at the SHOT Show several years ago. Man, what an amazing presence. As a proud NRA member, used to have a bumper sticker that read "Charleton Heston is My President." -
The book ends not with Neville surounded by vampires. Rather, Neville, in a cell, mortaly wounded by a gunshot. Takes a poison capsule from Ruth.
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make more money than revisionist takes on the source material. WTF don't they understand that the movies that are adapted as close as possible to the books are the ones that succeed the most?!?! It boggles the mind.
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Hear! Hear!
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People who still use the word 'meh' are douche bags.
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So I guess you are what you eat
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your stereotypical zombie movie. Will Smith is a nice guy, good looking and has a wide breadth of talent but his acting is just... well... mediocre (except maybe Ali). Certainly not the caliber where he can pull off showing a wide range of deep human emotion while staying on screen by himself for 90%+ of the movie. He's not the type of actor that can disappear into a role. There's too much 'Will Smith' in all of his characters and his delivery (particularly at key moments) is typically... 'disappointing' and it shows in all of his movies. It's a shame really. Light, simple action flicks where the action or smart dialog plays the central role is a better fit for him. Akiva is sort of in the same boat. Calling him a 'hack' might be a bit harsh but he certainly wouldn't rank among the top writers in my book.
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As in "This film is not yet rated."
Bullshit!! Everyone knows this piece of GARBAGE will be more Will Smith PG-13 rated CRAP. Yet they keep the rating a "mystery" as long as they can to try to sucker in all of the older folks. If you read the BOOK "I Am Legend" tell me if you could pick an actor that worse casting than "Big Willie Style." What a load of bullshit. -
...with that STINKBOMB of a script what difference does it make?!?
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It's so perfectly, understatedly contemptuous. You don't have to necessarily sound like Jon Lovitz/Jay Sherman...
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Duh. I can imagine a plausible scenario where he takes cars from whatever dealership is closest to his house. Besides, it's downtown New York, Not exactly the auto-sales capital of the world. While I'm sure it is indeed product placement, I can deal with it.
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Big Willie can't do an action movie, 'cept for the first MIB, if you call that action. And to think he turned down The Matrix. Asswipe.
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Thanks for the 'review' comedian. We all think you're hilarious.
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This film got the green light based on Will Smith's availabilty (FACT). Not based on having a good script. The script was being rewritten up to the moment they started shooting. They are banking on Will Smith's box office power, but everyone involved knew the script was week. The creatures are not vampires. They thought it would be cooler to rip of 28 days later and make it a virus then stick to the book. The creatures are suppose to be humans who got a disease yet they look more like CG aliens. Why did they not use real people? They are sick people? The production instead decided to spend tens of millions to go CG because the director could not make up his mind on what the creatures looked like and to cover up the weak story with Candy coated FX.
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You've got a real point. That's why all three X-Men movies, all three Spider-Man movies, the first two Blade movies, Gone With The Wind, Apocalypse Now, Dracula, The Godfather, Beowulf, Superman, Batman, Batman Returns, and any number of other movies that failed, utterly and completely due to it's inaccuracies to the source material. Completely unwatchable, didn't make a dime movies.
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This guy hated the movie before he even saw it. Everything I've seen looks really cool, and I'll be there opening day.
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Nov 30, 2007 11:57:07 AM CST
Sorry Village, but I know alot of people who have seen it.
by novaman5000
And consensus has been that it's disappointing. I heard that the CGI was rushed and was constantly changing during production so that effects guys didn't have time to really perfect it, and that while it starts well, it falls apart in the end. Don't get me wrong, I'll still see it (probably at a screening next week), but my expectations have been tempered significantly.
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Why is this man still getting work? How many films has he phucked up??? When is Hollywood going to stop hiring this guy. I was interested until i heard he was the writer, Never knw he was involved. Damn.
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I like Will Smith, don't know what the man has done exactly to warrent all the hate, but then i highly doubt he cares. He's box office gold and nice to boot. Did wanna see this movie, looked good to me until I heard that Akiva guy wrote it. Didn't even know about his involvement until now. Damn, What a waste.
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Yeah, the vampire element really didn't scare me in the trailers. I'm not surprised it's not scary in the actual film. Especially since it's all CG.
Note to future directors: don't EVER CG-ify vampires! It sucks and it's not scary.
But even with the Akiva "Dumb it all the way down, motherfucker!" Goldsman script, I hope this film gives a few cool turns and twists. We'll see. -
Hollywood loves to keep shoving money at it's favorite little failures, you see because THEY know what we want. THEY know better than us!!! We want extra funny gci characters in our star wars films. We want hollywood to make nothing but viscous anti-military films. We want the same lame actors and directos shoved down our throats over and over again and if we didn't flock to the theaters well then we are just a bunch of rubes who don't get Their vision. Ha Ha Ha Ha another failure for hollywood !!! Time to figure out how to recoup some money with the video release. I'll be watching my HD DVD of Omega Man!!
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RIght out of the box he calls Smith the "Fresh Prince". That's objectivity for ya!
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Why all the hatred for Akiva Goldsman? I liked I, Robot, Lost In Space, A Time To Kill, and despite being a chick flick, Practical Magic was pretty entertaining. He did write the best pre-Bale Batman as well, despite the non-traditional portrayal of The Riddler. That's pretty much his entire career besides A Beautiful Mind, which I honestly haven't seen so can't comment on.
The Da Vinci Code started out as crap, the novel was stupid, childish Indiana Jones-wanna be pretending to be suitable for adults, my opinion is one that comes from reading the novel, not because of religious reasons or because I'm a secret albino assassin and I take offense at the portrayal of my people. Cinderella Man really wasn't my type of movie, but I see how people could enjoy it. -
It must have the novel's ending. But I can't imagine it will.
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running around, then exactly to whom is Will Smith a legend? If the idea that in a world of "monsters", the "monsterkiller" is a legend to them, and thus a greater monster, how does this fit in this version? The title doesn't make a lick of sense. Unless as in "I'm the last man on earth, so by default, guess I'm a legend.."
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has got me missing Anthony Zerbe. I know he was in a Matrix or two, but is that dude still around? He was all over the place during the late '60s, early '70s.
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I didn't mean faithful as in a strict text to screen translation. I meant faithful in terms of translating the spirit/mood/core elements of what made the book so great and translating that to the screen. The reason I'm upset with this review is not that there wasn't a strict text to screen translation but that there wasn't strict translation of the spirit of the novel and what made it so great. There are some fucking RULES when translating a novel to the screen and one is MAINTAIN THE SAME SPIRIT (ie romance keep it a romance, action keep it action, character driven keep it character driven, etc) It looks like this version of 'I am Legend' wanted to make it a fucking action movie. The book is not an entirely action packed novel. Its more character driven. They could have made Lord of the Rings all about orcs, and goblins in a magical land like Dungeons and Dragons, but they kept the spirit of Tolkien's novel and most of the literary translation. To say The Godfather, spider-man and the rest of what you said weren't faithful translations to the screen is fucking balls to the walls a lie. They all kept faithful to the spirit of source material.
I CAN ONLY SPEAK FOR THE BOOKS I'VE READ BUT HERE GOES
------The green mile barely changed a thing from book to screen and it almost won an academy award. Clockwork Orange barley changed the ending and its one of kubrick's best films. The English patient kept the spirit of the Odantjee's novel and it won. The original black and white Lord of the Flies changed nothing from the novel and it is a million times superior than than the americanized in colour contemporary remake.
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I could of learned much from him
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I Am The Greatest = I Am Legend? BW seems to be in a rut.
Survivors? Like people NOT affected? Ugh. I agree, without Neville as the man-become-monster it has zero impact. I was surprised with the spoiler-licousness of the "review" there wasn't any mention of the key plot point - Neville's fate at the end.
I always thought an actor that carries that "burdened by life" look like an Adrien Brody would have been terrific in the lead role.
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Where he was asked if he would ever take on a villainous role. He said that he wouldn't because essentially it would upset his fans.What kind of a bullshit answer is that? Any actor worth his or her salt wants to branch out, extend their range, take risks. Look at Tom Cruise in Magnolia, or even Denzel in Training Day. Obviously Will Smith just likes to take on roles in movies that are as generic as his own name, which is why he has no cache as an actor for me. I am, however, always up for being surprised and proved wrong, but I don't see it from him.
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What kind of bullshit is that? Take a look at the movie "Descent" and tell me they couldn't come up with some creatures just as menacing. Will Smiff will undoubtedly ruin this like he did I,Robot. Totally Miscast.
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was in the movie adaptation of Six Degrees Of Seperation, when he was Will Smith, not "Will Smith".
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and even less about the movie: I'll buy a ticket for a good, deserving flick and sneak into I am LINO just to see the TDK preview. Pretty much like I sneaked into The Siege to watch the Phantom Menace trailer, 10 years ago. If someone told me then that the Ed Zwick movie was better than the Then-Holy-Prequel, I would've laughed my arse off. And still...
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Take this, haters.
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Sorry I've been busy. But I think I am still allowed to call you out because you felt a need to yell things you know nothing of yourself towards little ole me. So yeah, I am pretty sure that facts trump proof reading. And why is it any concern of yours, as to who I believe to be the best Batman? I can't help it if Cloondawg's HARD nipples turned you on.
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I can't remember a thing from that movie besides Neo being all grumpy in it.
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That would mean more than one person actually thinks he's good.
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To see which movie causes more fuss and bitching on this site this christmas. AVPR or this. My money is on AVPR. Also why are people such boners about grammar? I don't think people who use this site should not be allowed to give a shit about grammar especially if you don't know what you are talking about.
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at least he's not some giant cloud. Or a persian-looking Chinese baddie. If you catch my drift.
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they suck. get it? ahhahaahah. no really they're boring and stupid.
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ROTLFMAO @ u complainers. OMG I am liek typing liek this. FOMG!! Meh!!
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weak director (Constantine? Mwhahahah the guy couldn't spell "artistic integrity" and being a first feature isn't an excuse), terrible screenwriter (I just can't understand how in pluperfect hell "A beautiful mind won an oscar against Ghost World...) and megalomaniac star. The latter being the worst: Will Smith is REALLY a talented actor when he strips away his bullshit star status and ACTS. Six degrees, the 1st MIB, Ali, Enemy of the state...(haven't seen Pursuit of happyness yet but heard he was good in it - and doesn't sing): he can play decent oscar material, good blockbusters and "normal" people, hell even his cameo in Jersey Girl was fun! This guy is an utter waste of talent, easily the best A-list actor out there. Far better than Cruise, Pitt or Clooney. But his agent sucks more than Judd Nelson's one, and his ego rivals Cruise's. SHAME.
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adopt that Kristen Wiig character from SNL. "I give that movie an Oh Jeeeeeezz...."
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Poor us!
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Doesn't look like anyone's going to get this right.
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You're the talkbacker #2501 named after a Futurama character for Christ's sake! At least I chose a rather obscure character as an alias.
I'm joking Zoidberg, you're right about the memes: they can be fucking annoying. But heh! It's AICN. You can have a bear and cheet on your wife while putting nipples on this year's DAMN YOU MICHAEL BAY while choosing "Meh", and here's why:
we have way too much time on our hands. Especially those who use the site while working. THAT is a fact. -
you took your alias makes me a fucking hypocrit. I already know that.
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He liked his sneakers, you know.
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How so many of you drop coin to see his flicks is beyond me.
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Hilarity ensues.
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He punched an Alien and welcomed it to Earf', you know.
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He proclaimed "Hell naw", you know.
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He claimed to look better in a suit than others, you know.
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I think I'll see The Mist this weekend so at least there will 10 bucks in next weeks gross.
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...the more his movies SUCK! How long before he's starring in L. Ron Hubbard's Battlefield Earth 2: Aww Hell NAWWWW!
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Chuck Norris would be having a very serious talk with God about the mix-up.
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It's the dammed suck-ass script by Protosevich that first fucked over the novel. Goldsman can take some blame for further fucking it over , but no one on board, or at the studio, had the balls to do the movie as it should be done.
Hell...get Fincher even...Kurt Russell as Neville...a faithful version of the damn book...
Smith can do damn good work...and this will probably be a popcorn munchin' fun movie IF YOU HAVE NOT READ THE MOST REVERED VAMPIRE NOVEL OF THE LAST 50 YEARS....which just got fucked again. -
Snake freaking Plisskin? A foot licking crybaby? Well, he's only got those two memorable characters. He's believable as a scientist, yeah. As believable as Dennis Rodman voicing Donald Duck in a all-Disney production of Little Shop Of Horrors.
We've already had, way back in '64, a version of I am Legend that improved over the novel by deviating from it, nobody here has actually seen the movie, we're condemning it based on negativity and, honestly, it seems like the fact that a black man is playing the lead character. -
Well, we already had Chuck Heston. Arnold would have been better in 97. Kurt Russell would have been better in 98 or even today. Clive Owen would be better. Josh Holloway would be better [not to mention the logical choice for a Snake Plisskin reboot or "Son of" scenario]. David Duchovny would be better. Even John Barrowman would be better. Since I'm including British/Irish actors into the mix, Ray Stevenson would totally rock as Neville if he could do an accent.
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SUMMED UP PERFECTLY BY "NOSFERATU JONES" ABOVE:
You get no sense of threat whatsoever in a story starring someone like Will Smith, because from the opening titles onwards you already know deep down that he is going to prevail and 'kick ass'.
I agree with the suggestion somebody made above, that IF THE STUDIOS HAD ANY BALLS TO MAKE A MEMORABLE, NON-DISPOSABLE MOVIE like the old days, they would have done this story with a lesser-known actor and they would have produced it with the realistic amount of bleakness and dread demanded by the original concept.
But, as usual, we get another movie sculpted by marketing men, "demographics", and the inevitable studio requirement for it to be a "star vehicle summer blockbuster" type of excrement.
The great days of epic sci-fi are well and truly gone. -
give me a fucking break.
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Can you please stop ruining science fiction? Sincerely, Everyone.
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He would pull it off wonderfully.
This movie is exactly what I expected. Sigh. I wish Hollywood would respect the original when it comes to book adaptions.
And the writer of this is probably going to get Internet residuals for his "creative" contribution to this travesty. Yay. -
My probability of seeing this movie just went down to 0. Why does he keep getting work in Hollywood? That guy must have the best connections in the business! Someone needs to get that guy hooked on blow or smack so he'll drop out and just be found dead in a motel room somewhere..
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even though i can't take Will Smith seriously in anything. I am still waiting for a TRULY good movie about the end of the world... here's hoping the movie adaptation of "The Road" will be good. If you haven't read the book, I recommend it, even though that bitch Oprah put it on her book club...
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it looked like there was more CGI in the season premiere of smallville than in the entire first season of star trek: tng.
cgi vampires may have been less expensive than hundreds of extras, especially by the time you're done dealing with all the specialty make-up people you'd need, keeping them from looking Mr. Smith in the eye.... (i'm KIDDING).
i don't know squat about this to be frank. maybe that's something aicn's professionals should ask. -
you know who you are, and i dedicate this to you:
http://tinyurl.com/yq5fyp
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This is the Will Smith version of I Am Legend people really want to see:
http://tinyurl.com/29tnj3
All he'd have to do is replace the dog with Carlton. -
Will Smith is on the cover of Entertainment Weekly "50 Smartest people in Hollywood" issue!!!!!
Cover says he is ranked #5.
Apparently sucking in every movie you do and still making bank is genius! -
MATRIX 2&3-Epic stupidity, epic arrogance, epic betrayal.... LEGEND reshoots might be the tip-off. They probably didn't even realize how bad it was until focus groups told them so. Too late for Johnny-come-later AICN to pump it up? Doesn't Warner know how this works by now?.... But guess who had more rework than LEGEND, GOLDEN COMPASS. With massive reshoots, a working budget now at $200 M and counting, and a potential boycott New Line needed like a hole in the head, GC could in theory rival EVAN ALMIGHTY's bottom line disaster.
BTW, EVAN is, unofficially, Hollywood's biggest $ loser of all time, IMHO, LOL, ;-). TTFN, gotta go clean my room. -
Just read my post. If making big bucks and having a career just by sucking is all it takes.....Paris Hilton must be ranked #1.
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Sunshine= best sci-fi in last 5 years. Yes, it had third act troubles, but at least 3/4ths of it was solid (creative, with great dialogue and some fairly deep philosophical themes). And 3/4ths good = 3/4ths more than any Hollywood sci-fi of late.
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They actually built scale MODELS for the spacecraft exteriors (and lo and behold, they actually looked realistic!!) CGI/ "the uncanny valley" is killing sci-fi.
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I kind of enjoyed I-Robot but normally wIKI wOW wOW!annoys the fuck out of me so i thought he looked kind of restrained in this and i liked the quiet vibe to the start of the trailer, shame to hear about all the crap CG! maybee i can get over that and have at least an enjoyably bad time!?
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Incredible, sparse, moody. Can't forget the cellar/ slaughterhouse scene- people hiding in corners with tourniquets on various limbs (the rest of them having been harvested and eaten). Holy crap, that was f'ed up (but, as always, brutally good McCarthy). Hope Viggo does a good job as the dad.
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question: should I see any other version of this, or wait for this one. or hell... read the book? seems as though it is a nice premise. However when a movie erupts a myspace campaign...
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Will Smith and Will Forte in Bad Wills! And THIS is a clue.
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"The Road" is everything you said it was, and WELL deserving of the Pulitzer it won. It's certainly has the potential to be made into the first "realistic" movie portrayal of the end of civilization. I think Viggo was an excellent choice for the character of the dad. His muted acting style will play well in that movie.
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Well I read the golden-rod script and it sucked outright. It was so damn boring and mediocre that it should have be re-titled "Meh" or "Just give us $10.00 Plllleeeeaaasssee." The review is pretty dead-on concerning the script by the way, as well as people's accounts from the set.. so I trust this reviewer.
O by the way, this movie isn't going to blow anyone away. Wishful thinking. At best it's going to make all it's money opening night, and then find itself out of theaters in a few weeks. It WILL do very well on the black market in China however, and I'm sure a few thousand will clog up their internet connections trying to download it through bit-torrent. This time next year it'll be right at home in the bargin'bin at Best Buy. 'Nuff said.
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Seriously. It's iconic. Then read 'Hell House.' Matheson deserves more credit for his influence.
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Will Smith doing Michael Jackson in a "Thriller" homage.
Oh, yeah, bring it on. -
Let's not forget he helped scribe the instant classic, Batman & Robin!
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The guy in Men In Black is the same guy who was in I Robot who is the same guy in I Am Legend and so on and so on. I hope this is a good film but I have a feeling it's not.
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The mist has made 15 million since it opened last wed its production budget was only 18 million.
so the movie is going to have made back its production budget before the end of the weekend
and end up makeing a nice little profit domesticly. unlike alot of other crap thats out there.
a movie like the mist has legs it might not open big but it will play for several months in the theatres.
how cool is it that a director like frank darrenbont can make a movie like the mist for only 18 million. who needs 100 million dollar plus budgets movies.
and i dont think this will be the last time darenbont does a king story
every stephen king adaptation he has done has turned out great.
iam not a big fan of remakes but i agree a daranbont remake of salems lot would be scary as heck.
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HAHA
in any case as for the movie that this thread is about iam still excited to see Iam Legend.
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Dec 01, 2007 12:15:19 AM CST
I Support The Space Vampires Of Buck Rogers on this one...
by uss cygnus
Erin Grey as a space vamp=Rawr.
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Charleton Heston, Anthony Zerba, Hippie Zombie/albinos. What more could you want? Heston gets to go full circle with the biblical theme by dying for our sins as a new age Jesus in the end. His blood saves us all. Woo hoo.
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They don't make movies like that anymore.
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If all three of these films must spawn remakes, I only wish Phil Hartman were alive to star in them.
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Before the strike JMS or Babylon 5 fame was working on the script for "World War Z"
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Dec 01, 2007 2:20:07 AM CST
Holy Shit Frank Darabonts next film is ......
by nomoredirtyjokespleaseweareyanks
The Long Fucking Walk. YYYYYEEEEEEEESSSSSSSSSSS!
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This movie will rock.
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A 14 year old? Moron.
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was not epic in scope or vision.
Now it's been said. They were a crossdressers abortion. -
I prefer "ennnhhh"
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meh?
it sums up a lot -
Two of the best Matheson adaptions: Incredible Shrinking Man(has to be one of the 10 bets sci-fi films of all time) and Last Man On Earth. Both adapted by Matheson.
The character of Neville WAS described in the novel as being white. I would not have had as big a problem with a black actor in the roll as I do if they had cast an actor with serious talet. Not Will Smith. -
I can see it now; Akiva is boarded up in his house as millions of fans from the movies and book line up ready to splay him and rightly so. How hard is it just to film the pages from the fucking book?!
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i hate reviewers that say the coolest parts are in the trailer and really give no concrete clues they actually saw the movie...and then bash it...i dont believe paid movie reviewers from the local papers so im not gonna believe this one either..... does anyone else notice that local paper reviewers seem to have not seen alot of the movies they review ? or at the very least werent paying attention ? internet reviewers are worse....for once we should get a decent review from an unbiased source...one that hasnt read the book, or seen the original movie.....u know like most of the movie viewing public...id say that most of us dont care if it lives up to the book, because i didnt know there was a book or a movie on this before i heard that they were making this movie...ill wait to see the movie before i pass judgement
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C'mon, there must be more people who saw it over the weekend that can back this reviewer up. Not that I doubt him, I just don't understand why we're not getting more is all. I must admit the trailer doesn't look too bad, but sadly a good trailer doesn't equate to a good movie anymore. If this guy's right then Warner Brothers has got a Winter Stinker in its pants. Shame.
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Lets not forget that Spielberg's Duel was based on a Matheson short story, and I think he wrote the screenplay also. And according to IMDB, a couple of schmucks are redoing Incredible Shrinking Man? One of the last perfect '50s sci-fier's to get shit on. Might as well remake Forbidden Planet, but call it a re-reimagining of The Tempest..asshats.
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direct quote from Will Smith ""When I started in movies, I said, 'I want to be the biggest star in the world.' The biggest movie stars make the biggest movies, so I looked at the top 10 movies of all time. At that point, they were all special-effects movies. So INDEPENDENCE DAY-no-brainer. MEN IN BLACK- no-brainer. I ROBOT- no-brainer."
So, this douche doesn't care about sci-fi- he just wants to be the biggest MOVIE STAR in the world. And we foot the bill by going to see his shit movies on opening weekend! -
are the perfect citizens to live in Orwell's 1984.
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IT WAS AWESOME!!
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I AM LEGEND is the next STAR WARS.
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Dec 01, 2007 8:20:18 PM CST
Can AICN do us all a favor and not post Spoiler reviews?
by jesus of suburbia
More often than not I find myself not reading a review I want to read because that damn red Spoiler tag is on the fucker. I mean what the hell is the point of going to see a movie that got a good review if the fucking review maps out what happens in the movie!? You people need to learn to appreciate the thrill of not knowing what comes next.
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Maybe now Will can appear in adaptations of 'The Demolished Man' 'Fahrenheit 451' 'Dune' and the Bible.
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bitch.
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if the studio wanted a proven genre star then Hugh Jackman should have been Neville. My personal choice is Damian Lewis from "Life" and "Band of Brothers." Will Smith is a lightweight and miscast. In the novel, Neville is the everyman caught in a unbelievable situation, Arnold would've been micast too. "Last Man on Earth" was closest to the original, but Vincent Price was definitely NOT Neville. "I Am Legend" is not an action movie, its more cerebral and introspective- Damian Lewis would've nailed the part if the film followed the novel. Maybe someday, a definitive version of "I Am Legend" will be made.
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Starring Will Smith, as the guy who's an asshole... but laughs alot.
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The reason why everyone is having a go at will smith is because the blokes a bell end, plain and simple, it has nowt to do with colour. Go and have a look at the Denzel and the Morgan Freeman reviews on here and there is no sign of racist abuse on there. Do you know why?, because they are proper actors.The fact that you felt the need to post the most utter bollocks makes you twat.
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Will Smith is miscast because he's black and a lightweight, Arnold would've been miscast because he's Austrian and a Meathead and Vincent Price was miscast because he's Vincent Price!! Come to think of it, Heston was micast because he was playing Colonel Taylor as Neville. Call me a racist-I don't give a fuck- but Will Smith is NOT Neville. Morgan Freeman was horribly miscast as Alex Cross in "Along Came A Spider" and "Kiss The Girls" because he's too damn old, Cross is described as resembling Mohammed Ali in his prime- hey, Will Smith could take over!
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Those who fantasize about racism have spoken.
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Matheson describes the character of Neville in the novel as being white. It's not racist to point out this change from the novel. Will Smith has an extremely limited range as an actor. It's not racist to point out this fact. If a film was made of a novel in which the main character was black and they cast a white actor I would point that out also.
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I never trust reviews. Besides, my opinions always seem to be lonesome.
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Are you as surprised as I am that so many movies made from such an amazing book can fucking fail?
Seriously, studios. Listen to Felix. The man is smart. Read the fucking books - THEN MAKE THEM!!! DON'T FUCKING ALTER THEM!!!! -
Will Smith's demonstrated that he as more than "Oh, Hell No" range in that film, as well as in his early film Six Degrees of Separation. Also, there were certain scenes in Independence Day and Enemy of the State where he expressed alot of sensitivity.IMHO limited emoting is just the nature of most action films. Consider Keanu Reeves in Matrix, Hayden Christensen in Star Wars Prequels, and Cruise in Mission Impossible to name a few. Don't get me wrong, I prefer action movies where there is a full range of emoting (LOTR, Gladiator, Face-Off are perfect examples or if you want to go way back, Chow Yun Fat's The Killer and Hardboiled), but it is really a rarity.
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AWESOME!
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HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA Sniffle HAHAHAHAHAHA Chortle HAHAHAHAHA. Oh dear, I need air. That was the funniest thing I've read all day. Now run along son, I'm sure there is a Ben10 marathon on the cartoon network.
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its SECOND week like "The Mist." Ouch.
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is the greatest. person. ever.
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I think I might still have it, but not sure. Anyway, it worked on so many levels, from the back story of the protagonist's involvement to the patient zero becoming the leader of the vampire like people. Even the socialization of the vampire people and their culture trying to fight their bottomless thirst for human blood. I'm disappointed that the reviewer didn't experience something on that level. Arnie's name was even on the draft cover page back then. Give it to the movie industry to muck it up.
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All human beings in the world today are classified as Homo sapiens sapiens. Scientists admit that, biologically, there really is only one race of humans. The differences that set us apart are cultural, not racial. Some even say that the word race should be abandoned because it’s meaningless.
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how could any one hate Matheson's adaptation if it were to feature not only Will Smith, but Carlton, Jazzy Jeff, Hillary, Uncle Phil... leaving Geoffrey of all people to stop the plague of vampiris bacillus. that is a blockbuster in the making, dammit!
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It's nice to see cooler heads prevail to negate overt racists like Panterarocks. By the way, looking at some of the earlier comments, it looked like Orcus was still talking about RE when he referred to the counterarguement. But then again you were just looking for an excuse to bait people anyway so what should it matter. I'm glad folks are smarter than that.
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The script written for Ridley and Arnold was garbage, just a pure pile of crap with neo-native tribal drum pounding "hemocytes" instead of vampires. Goldsman's revision is still a pile of shit. Matheson only gave his approval realzing the book will NEVER be adapted faithfully. Never ever. I doubt much of anything from the novel makes it to the screen. The story arc with the dog won't make it, Ruth won't make it, the smouldering pit of bodies, "Come Out, Neville!" - none of this - none of what we cherish from the novel will be onscreen. Even the ONE hope the movie had, a release of James Newton Howard's score - seems doubtful now, nothing has been announced so far.
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I don't think I could aggree with you more. I hope Matheson got a load of green for having his work trashed, again. Think I'll go listen to the soundtrack to The Omega Man that FilmScoreMonthly realised a few years ago. Or watch Last Man On Earth.
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re: please see American Cinema lameness, post-2000.
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I was speaking real English you fucking idiot, I put the u in colour because I'm from england, you know? The place where we fuckin invented the language. How can WE ruin it? Jesus, is it just me or is this guy the most complete retard on the planet?
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beep-beep, here's come the short bus panterarocks!
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Product positioning, CGI monstas and Will Smith's gleaming six-pack. Terrifying.
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...HE CAN SUCK THE BALLS OF A RHINO DRY AND SUCK THE SHIT OUT OF IT'S ASS AS WELL. A few on this thread have said it best. Goldsman, an Oscar-winning scribe for "A Beautiful Mind", apparently has a great knack for drama and a shit one for sci-fi. If this movie sucks, I lay the blame on him, no one else.
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Comes from being inbred near a toxic dump. How much do you want to bet the fucktard is going to show up again and cry. WAAAGGHH WAAAAHHHH fuck you, WAUUUGGHH WAAAUUGH, you mother and such. Nice to see that everyone is united against him
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I didn’t read I Am Legend in school. In fact, I had not heard of the book until after I saw the trailer for the movie. I am actually quite thankful for that. From the moment I saw the trailer, I KNEW I would see the movie opening weekend (if not opening night). It had all the earmarks of a Will Smith action blockbuster movie, ID4 with vampires instead of aliens. I was fine with that. I know the majority of Will Smith’s movies are total popcorn flicks, studio tent poles, and that does not bother me one bit. I thought he showed some great talent in 6 Degrees, Ali, and Pursuit, but the moment I saw the preview I new this was going to be far more ID4 than Pursuit.
I decided to read the book, so I understood the story. I finished it this morning and now I understand why so many people have been harsh to this coming movie. I Am Legend should not be ID4. It was simply one of the best character piece stories I’ve ever read. Following Neville through the mental break down, loneliness, desperation and resolution was a great experience. Reading the third act, realizing what Neville had become, understanding the implication of the title of the book was truly a great experience for me. It’s obvious from the preview I Am Legend, the movie, is likely focused on the different aspects of the story.
That being said, I’m glad I was introduced to I Am Legend through the preview of the movie first. I will see it, and probably enjoy it for the popcorn action flick that it is, and I will long for the day a version of I Am Legend is made with a modest budget, strong character actor, and a director who truly understands the meaning of the source material (and does not stray too far from it).
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Thank you for that morning laugh mad maximus!
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***SPOILERS*** I saw, "I Am Legend" at a screening on the Warner Bros. lot last night. Very disappointed. It's clear that in the script stage they had no idea what to do with Matheson's original story. It is essentially a story about a man and his dog for the first hour of the movie. It's actually not enirely bad. But once you realize that the script has no idea where do go, it starts getting kinda boring. When the script finally does decide on a direction, after an hour or more, it goes from boring to terrible pretty quick. And then the ending comes and, boy oh boy. It's pointless to warn of a spoiler, because if being warned that you are about to step into a pile of dogsh*t is something you wish to avoid then read no further. But really it's the script that spoils everything, not people who reveal the script. If you are a fan of Matheson's story and you tried to come up with the worst Hollywoodized cliched, trite ending that p*sses on everything Matheson's ending achieves, then you would probably come up with something pretty close to the ending of this movie. Just the way the ending subverts what I Am Legend means is enough to prosecute Akiva Goldsman for some kind of crimes against humanity. Still, I thought it wasn't badly directed. And Will Smith didn't bother me. But if he had something to do with the direction the script took then I'm afraid he is an enemy of all that is good and right in the world.
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Let me start by commenting on how it is almost always refreshing to watch a Will Smith film. One of the previews running at the beginning of the film illustrates my opinion that there are very few films staring African Americans being produced nowadays that refrain from portraying their lead characters as anything but living insults to their race. That is one of the reasons why I really respect such actors as Bill Cosby, Will Smith and Morgan Freeman.
I saw this film in a theatre only an hour or so ago, and my mind is still digesting both it and its deep, complicated messages.
What I can say so far is that Will Smith is an incredible actor. He is absolutely believable as a psychologically and emotionally disturbed and desperately lonely scientist-turned-survivalist.
The cinematography is outstanding. Virtually every scene that takes place outside of vacant buildings is stunning.
The special effects are believable, but could have been better. Still, they were done well enough for me to not be certain who was real and who was CGI.
Not to spoil anything, but I found the ending to contain a potent message quite different from that of the rest of the film.
I was rather surprised at how over-the-top the rabid, inhuman humans were portrayed; I had expected them to be at least somewhat diplomatic.
I would not recommend this movie for young children at all. It is filled with disturbing images, depressing concepts, and frightening, edge-of-your seat thrills. Although its powerful messages about God and man's attempts to play him justify all of that, most children might be completely blind to them.
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