The Last Man on Earth

Richard Matheson's novel I Am Legend is one of the great sci-fi/horror stories. That I am aware of, it was the first time vampirism was established as a medical condition rather than a supernatural one, a concept that has been used many times since. Sydney Salkow's The Last Man on Earth is the first of three adaptation, of I Am Legend, and it is probably the best.

Vincent Price stars as Robert Morgan, the seemingly lone human survivor of a global outbreak. He spends his days maintaining his sanity and humanity through a strict routine: Checking the radio for survivors, carving wooden stakes, going out for supplies, hunting and destroying vampires, disposing of the bodies, making repairs to his heavily barricaded home. At night, the vampires come to him. Led by Morgan's old colleague, Cortman, they gather outside his house and call him out, taunting him, and trying to break their way in. All Morgan can do is try to ignore it until daylight comes and he can begin his routine again.

A break in his routine occurs when Morgan finds a dog. The dog leads him to more signs of human life. Everything he is and believes himself to be is thrown into question when he finds a woman and takes her to his home.

The movie, written by but not credited to Matheson, keeps very close to the novel. There are a couple of pretty big changes, but this is the most faithful version of the three (the other two being The Omega Man with Charlton Heston, and of course, I Am Legend with Will Smith).

The first act is largely without dialogue, driven by Morgan's narration as he drives around the empty streets and hunts and scavenges his way through the wasteland. It's all very starkly shot and well executed, and is probably the best section of the movie. There's an extended flashback showing the beginnings of the outbreak and how Morgan lost his family and so on. Then, after he learns the intentions of Ruth, the woman he finds, the movie concludes with a chase sequence and finally a faceoff between Morgan and the creatures.

One thing I didn't like is that the vampires are not very strong. They seem to have pretty terrible coordination and they amble around like zombies. They also really have no distinctive features that set them apart from any other human. They just wear clothes that are too big.

Vincent Price is fun to watch, though he is not really a good fit for the role. In the first third when he is alone, going about his business, he's pretty good, but when it gets to the flashbacks that show him as your average family man, the illusion is shattered. His very distinctive voice and inflections don't really sell that. Same with when he's playing opposite Ruth.

The story of I Am Legend has a timeless quality and a true resonance. The fact that Hollywood keeps returning to it is proof of that. There has yet to be a perfect adaptation, but it's fun to watch how the story has evolved with each incarnation. It seems to get farther from the source material each time. They should do a new version every decade or so, just for the fun of it.