December 14th. "I am Legend." Fucking be there.

[stray]

HST is spinning in his grave now, thanks!!


Damnit.

[schild]

I was referring to your avatard.

Though you may have been known that and I am just too out of it to notice.  I'm zonked out on over the counter cold relief medicine atm.  Apparently, skiing all day and then rushing home to club until 7 am and then catching a 10 hour plane flight full of who knows what germs is not a good idea if you aren't interested in enjoying a full compliment of flu-like symptoms.

[Murgos]

Thanks Schild.  I've read Fear and Loathing and Fear and Loathing on the Campaign trail and about a million of his ESPN articles but obviously my education is lacking.

[NiX]

I don't know if this was posted elsewhere, but a friend pointed me to the original ending, which is far superior to the last minute ending they put in the movie. Truly would have been a better movie with this ending.

[Zetleft]

I don't know if this was posted elsewhere, but a friend pointed me to the original ending, which is far superior to the last minute ending they put in the movie. Truly would have been a better movie with this ending.

Now that is a good ending, it's too bad they didn't have that one in the theater.  If the DVD has that version I will buy it... unless it's just hidden on the special features. 

[Cim]

WOO! That's an ending if I ever saw one!

[KallDrexx]

wow can't believe they chose the other ending instead of that one.

[Tebonas]

This alternative ending makes it into a far far superior movie. It turns the movie around and shows that from their point of view the doctor is the bad guy who abducts and kills their people. The camera on his wall of shame said it all.

I can't believe they went for the cheap movie ending instead. Thats a shame indeed.

[JWIV]

This alternative ending makes it into a far far superior movie. It turns the movie around and shows that from their point of view the doctor is the bad guy who abducts and kills their people. The camera on his wall of shame said it all.

I can't believe they went for the cheap movie ending instead. Thats a shame indeed.

Just finished watching this tonight.  God the 'alternate' aka the original ending was vastly superior over the theatrical. 

[Venkman]

Are you guys talking about the alternate ending from the book? If so, can you describe it? I am wildly curious about it based on your comments, but not enough to go buy a book for a movie I felt was only so-so.

[Tebonas]

We are talking about This Link

No need to buy anything.

[Big Gulp]

I really don't see why people around here have their hate on for the guy that much. What is it for specifically?

Mainly that he has no range as a director.  Everything having to be odd or offkey will eventually grate on you.  The one movie where he didn't follow this formula was Planet of the Apes; an unnecessary remake if ever there was one.

I won't put him in the McG/Ratner category of "Directors Who Need to be Killed", but he's definitely a one note director.  Oh, and the artsy fartsy mopey goth thing gets really old when you're nearly 50.

[naum]

Omega Man was still 100x better than this film!

[NiX]

In case anyone was wondering, the 2-Disc Special Edition has the alternate ending in the 2nd disc version of the movie, so you don't have to swap discs or wait till after to see it in its true glory.

[Lantyssa]

That is much better.  It also explains the actions of the lead zampire so much better, too.  Stupid Hollywood and their need for explosions over meaning.

[Venkman]

We are talking about This Link

No need to buy anything.

Ah thanks.

Hmm, I'm undecided. On the one hand, that ending was cool in that it showed some substance to the zombies. On the other hand though, the entire movie prior to it (assuming that hasn't changed) doesn't set up those zombies as anything other than, well, zombies. Even the lead guy there was only playing reciprocity with Neville by trapping him to take him. There was no establishment of any sort of "hey, he keeps taking us" type mentality at all.

Maybe the book establishes that better. Sounds to me though that to actually pull off the FirstShowing.net point about Neville being the legend for the zombies, the whole story would need to be told from the zombie pov. The movie was all Will Smith though.

I didn't like the movie ending, but didn't hate it in an Abyss sorta way either. The DVD one could be better, but only if the rest of the movie was tweaked in ways for it to make more sense.

[Teleku]

I actually saw the exact opposite.  I saw them hinting that the zombies where intelligent the entire movie, and the ending seemed totally out of place to me at the time, because they just suddenly flushed all the plot build up down the toilet.

Will Smith captures the chick, and her boyfriend zombie actually steps into sunlight for a second after her.  Will Smith makes a note of it, thinking they are degrading, when it stood out to me that meant the zombie deeply cared about who he took.  That was especially obvious when it was shown he captured a girl.  The rest of the movie the other zombie is specifically targeting him after that.  They also showed the zombies had intelligence by the fact that the lead guy was able to set up a trap just as elaborate as Will Smiths.  When it came to the showdown in the lab, I was fully expecting the sort of ending that happened in the alternate.  What they actually did in the movie made no damn sense to me, and really hurt the movie I thought.

[Venkman]

Heh, well, I'm the sort of guy that walks about of Independence Day all entertained and patriotic. So I'm not surprised I missed that nuance 

[Lantyssa]

It also explains the mannequin better.  Smith's "girl" was taken as bait.  Why would a mindless zombie vampire know anything about attachment?  The whole "Oh fuck, they're not only intelligent but are still people" moment gave the movie a deeper meaning.

[Numtini]

Thanks so much for posting that! We just saw the film for the first time a few weeks ago on DVD and never looked at the extras or anything. I had no idea there was another ending and I think it's far better than the release one.

I thought the zombies appeared to be showing signs of intelligence consistently and I was rather surprised by the end of the film. I also prefer the somewhat questionable driving off ending to the surety of the finding the town. Honestly, when they got to the town I thought "a little release version of Blade Runner sunshiney there."

[Riggswolfe]

In case anyone was wondering, the 2-Disc Special Edition has the alternate ending in the 2nd disc version of the movie, so you don't have to swap discs or wait till after to see it in its true glory.

That's almost worth buying. Is there anything else different about the 2nd disc version?

[Der Helm]

I only saw the alternate ending. And I think it fits perfectly.

What was the "original" ending like ?

[Morfiend]

I only saw the alternate ending. And I think it fits perfectly.

What was the "original" ending like ?

Blam blam blam.... "DIE DIE DIE" blam blam.... KABOOOM!!!

[Der Helm]

 

[Signe]

The book was one of the few novels of this sort that I enjoyed.  Although the acting was decent, I didn't think this film did the book justice at all.  The book was excellent, the film was okay.

[Engels]

I was going to say something about that, but I'm glad that Signe picked up the ball. Its not simply that the book is excellent and the movie was 'okay', its just that the movie sort of meanders off on its own without really getting at what the book was trying to communicate. In the book there's an entire 3rd party that is never introduced into the film. It is this 3rd party that defines what the 'Legend' is. Its not that the film is a slight variation on this; its just simply not there. Its missing. Not even present in its most rudimentary form.

[Riggswolfe]

I was going to say something about that, but I'm glad that Signe picked up the ball. Its not simply that the book is excellent and the movie was 'okay', its just that the movie sort of meanders off on its own without really getting at what the book was trying to communicate. In the book there's an entire 3rd party that is never introduced into the film. It is this 3rd party that defines what the 'Legend' is. Its not that the film is a slight variation on this; its just simply not there. Its missing. Not even present in its most rudimentary form.

I'm not sure the book could be done well as a film. To really do all the history and stuff right it'd need to be a miniseries on HBO or something.

[Engels]

I was going to say something about that, but I'm glad that Signe picked up the ball. Its not simply that the book is excellent and the movie was 'okay', its just that the movie sort of meanders off on its own without really getting at what the book was trying to communicate. In the book there's an entire 3rd party that is never introduced into the film. It is this 3rd party that defines what the 'Legend' is. Its not that the film is a slight variation on this; its just simply not there. Its missing. Not even present in its most rudimentary form.

I'm not sure the book could be done well as a film. To really do all the history and stuff right it'd need to be a miniseries on HBO or something.

what? Do you mean the other way around? The book isn't that long, by the way. Its essentially a really long short story that doesn't rely very heavily on a detailed backstory.

[Riggswolfe]

I'm not sure the book could be done well as a film. To really do all the history and stuff right it'd need to be a miniseries on HBO or something.

what? Do you mean the other way around? The book isn't that long, by the way. Its essentially a really long short story that doesn't rely very heavily on a detailed backstory.

I know the book isn't that long. But I just think that to get the feel down right it'd need to be slightly longer than your typical movie. Maybe a 3 hour movie or something. In a movie it is harder to build up things like the intricacies of how the groups interact without some screen time devoted to it.

Edit: Cleaned this up. Sometimes I post too damn fast.

[Venkman]

It also explains the mannequin better.  Smith's "girl" was taken as bait.  Why would a mindless zombie vampire know anything about attachment?  The whole "Oh fuck, they're not only intelligent but are still people" moment gave the movie a deeper meaning.

I explained that away as being nothing more than a straight copy of what he did to "trap" the first zombie. It showed "learning" after a fashion, but nothing particularly amazing for a group of zombies that can be awake in the daylight, just not be in direct daylight.

Also, now that I think about it, the trapping of that first zombie in the film (dunno about the book) seemed little more than dumb luck that he happened to capture the main dude's girl.

Finally, someone mentioned the "third" pov from the book for which Will Smith served as the "Legend". So, who was that third pov? Is there a wiki?

[Cheddar]

I finally saw the movie.  Complete dreck.  Bad, bad, bad. 

Words cannot describe my disapointment.


edit.  I do think it needed another 30-60 minutes.  Even though he was losing touch being alone - it just seemed strange he went suicidal on the pier.  And the chick waited until "OMFG NIGHTFALL???" with a kid she was worried about? 

[NiX]

I finally saw the movie.  Complete dreck.  Bad, bad, bad. 

You're drunk again.

[Surlyboi]

It also explains the mannequin better.  Smith's "girl" was taken as bait.  Why would a mindless zombie vampire know anything about attachment?  The whole "Oh fuck, they're not only intelligent but are still people" moment gave the movie a deeper meaning.

I explained that away as being nothing more than a straight copy of what he did to "trap" the first zombie. It showed "learning" after a fashion, but nothing particularly amazing for a group of zombies that can be awake in the daylight, just not be in direct daylight.

Also, now that I think about it, the trapping of that first zombie in the film (dunno about the book) seemed little more than dumb luck that he happened to capture the main dude's girl.

Finally, someone mentioned the "third" pov from the book for which Will Smith served as the "Legend". So, who was that third pov? Is there a wiki?

Ok, I'm gonna spoil this for those that haven't read the book, so if you don't want the answers, stop reading now...









Ok, the third party wasn't really so much a third party as it was a second-and-a-half party. The zombies he fought in the book were vampires. As time went by, he found some were more easily killed than others. He started listing these vampires as "Alive" while he listed the others as "Dead" If you killed a "Live one" and then didn't burn the body, it would come back dead. This all had to do with the nature of the infection. If your body died, the infection would re-animate it and make it walk, talk and act -almost- alive.

Anyway, the live ones were starting to rebuild their society, slowly, but surely and unbeknownst to Neville until it was too late and he had killed a bunch of them in their sleep while on his daily daylight raids into their homes. (The infection made them hibernate during daylight hours). Neville learns about this rebuilt society when he meets a woman who's been sent by them to spy on him. She knocks him out and writes him a letter detailing it and tells him for his own sake to run, he of course, doesn't run and is eventually captured and held in prison. It's there that he realizes that in a world of vampires, he has come full circle. To paraphrase 4chan, "No Robert, you are teh demons".