I Am Legend

Omega man and I Am Legend share common similarities that are faithful to Richard Matheson’s original novel I Am Legend. However they have distinct undertones and messages, which make them uniquely distinctive. Some of these differences include the portrayal of Robert Neville, the portrayal of the adversary Matthias, and the symbols presented.

The portray of Robert Neville in the Matheson’s version was of a man that was lonely, had psychological issues with the loss of his family, and was sexually frustrated being the last human on earth. Neville in the Novel version had psychological distresses because of the loss of his family. He had flashbacks, and suppressed memories of events that led up to the Vampire apocalypse. He wanted to dig up her grave and burry her properly, however the convention methods of burial were permitted. In the movie version featuring Will Smith it was more similar than Omega Man featuring Charlton Hesston. The Will Smith version also referenced back to the time prior to the vampire apocalypse. Unlike the novel version it seemed as though Will Smith character had more hope because it leaves the possibility that his family was still alive unlike the novel where they are dead. Furthermore in Omega man they rarely if at al reference his family previously to the incident. Additionally another similarity between the novel version and the Will Smith version was they were the last people on earth and hadn’t a partner whereas in Omega Man Neville had a partner.

The portrayal of Matthias was also distinct every version. In the Novel he provoked the Neville to come out which was somewhat similar to the Omega Man Version. However in the Omega man version there was a hierarchal society of intelligent vampires with Mathias as the leader whereas the novel had a lot of drone Vampires and Matthias as the leader. In the Will Smith version there was a leader Vampire however they had no society, or language skills. A similarity between all of the versions however is that all of the vampires had a common interest in Neville and he was seen as the “Monster” thus the title I Am Legend.

Symbols were another shared theme, which can be examined in all of the versions. Religious themes are prevalent in both the novel, and Omega Man. In the novel Religious undertones can be found in the treatment of the dead in burial rituals and in the Omega Man Hesston’s portray of Christ. In the end of the Omega Man film Hesston is sacrificed to save the population and is strung out on a statue similar to the crucifixion of Jesus Christ. In the movie with Will Smith it shows a similar symbol to the Omega Man when Neville sacrifices himself and blows himself up with a grenade. Furthermore in the ending credits they play the song redemption song.

The comparison between all of these versions helps illustrate the greater meaning of the story. With a blend of all of these versions we get a better understanding of Neville, and the situation in which he was placed. It also illustrates three different ways in which a person can survive mentally and physically in the event of disaster. While doing the comparisons I could pull out a commonality that pull the stories together. Neville in I Am Legend, and Omega Man shows the feet’s a person will go through to survive and further the survival of mankind.