Horror Warner Bros. moving ahead with 'I Am Legend 2'

[Deck Rickard]

I get not liking the movie, but I don’t get this. It’s one of his best performances. He’s pretty phenomenal in it. Him (and the dog) pretty much carry the movie.

Personally, the first half of the movie is absolutely brilliant and very much like the book. The moment other humans show up and he’s watching Shrek, yeah, things go off the deep end.

And yes, I Am Legend refers to Neville since he was a legend to the vampires “murdering” them.

I do wonder if they’ll retcon the end and make Neville the head vampire with Michae B Jordan hunting him.

That’s fine that you feel that way, but I just didn’t buy his performance. That scene where he is talking to the mannequins… I get when they were GOING for, but I just didn’t think he pulled it off and it fell flat for me. The same with that scene towards the end where he’s yelling at the zombies that he can save them. It was an earnest effort on his part but I don’t think he pulled it off.

 

[AVEITWITHJAMON]

I get not liking the movie, but I don’t get this. It’s one of his best performances. He’s pretty phenomenal in it. Him (and the dog) pretty much carry the movie.

Personally, the first half of the movie is absolutely brilliant and very much like the book. The moment other humans show up and he’s watching Shrek, yeah, things go off the deep end.

And yes, I Am Legend refers to Neville since he was a legend to the vampires “murdering” them.

I do wonder if they’ll retcon the end and make Neville the head vampire with Michae B Jordan hunting him.

This, his performance was damn good.

 

[henzINNIT]

I quite liked the film back in the day. In truth, it mostly falls apart after the 'man and his dog' story ended, but that section is pretty cool. The last minute CG replacements for the creatures were unfortunate.

I see both sides regarding Smith's performance. Thought it was excellent when I was younger. Looking back I could imagine it is pretty unsubtle.

A sequel? Not sure what there is to say with it but Smith and Jordan could be a fun combination.

 

[Still Wynning]

I get not liking the movie, but I don’t get this. It’s one of his best performances. He’s pretty phenomenal in it. Him (and the dog) pretty much carry the movie.

Personally, the first half of the movie is absolutely brilliant and very much like the book. The moment other humans show up and he’s watching Shrek, yeah, things go off the deep end.

And yes, I Am Legend refers to Neville since he was a legend to the vampires “murdering” them.

I do wonder if they’ll retcon the end and make Neville the head vampire with Michae B Jordan hunting him.

This, his performance was damn good.

I third this sentiment.

He did a great job of selling the idea of someone all alone with no one to talk or communicate with trying to hold it together, maintain his sanity, keep a grasp on reality, and the pressure and stress of avoiding the ongoing threat in the real world while looking for a permanent cure really wear at his fragile psyche.

Even at the beginning, when he goes into the video store and does a little small talk with the mannequins he set up as if they were real people, you can tell something is not quite right with him. He’s put up this charade of routine normalcy to help from going completely insane and give him something to hope for. As he shouts and shoots at “Frank”, noticing he’s “moved”, it finally starts to erode. When Sam, a reminder of what he lost to begin with, and the only actual company he has, finally dies, he completely loses it and finally begins breaking down. He feebly tries to keep up the illusion even when crying in the video store, but he knows deep down it’s not really real. It really culminates in him going out at night and running down the vampires with SUV. At that point, he’s become completely fatalistic and just wants to end it all and die.

It’s honestly a pretty uncomfortable depiction of someone attempting to keep going when society has seemingly all fallen apart and disappeared. Definitely at the top of my list of Will Smith performances.

 

[Mysteryman]

Surprised by this.
Fingers Crossed.

 

[KaijuDude1992]

I love the idea of Will Smith and Michael B. Jordan being in the same film since those two are some of my favorite actors ever, but I just can't get that excited over an I Am Legend sequel.

The first one worked perfectly as a one off and while I can understand how some wouldn't be big fans of the film overall, I still consider it to have one of Will Smith's best performances.

His scenes with Sam in that movie still wreck me to this day.

 

[Pennywise]

 

[Deck Rickard]

I’ve heard some speculation that this might follow an alternate ending where Will Smith’s character didn’t die?


Okay, if that’s true then nothing really matters anymore in movies. It was bad enough when legacy sequels started doing the whole “ignore every movie but the good one(s)” thing (Halloween 2018, Terminator Dark Fate, etc.). Now we might start doing sequels that ignore the endings of movies their direct sequels to? Come on, man.

 

[Arachnerd]

To be fair here though, the alternate ending is better than the one they went with since it was the entire point of the novel.

 

[Closerframe]

Most probably aren’t even aware there is an alternative ending so having a sequel that could potentially ignore the original ending would be baffling. I could see MBJ’s character playing a role set 15 years after the original with some flashbacks showing Smith.

 

[Deck Rickard]

To be fair here though, the alternate ending is better than the one they went with since it was the entire point of the novel.

Sure, I get that but it’s not what they went with, for whatever reason. Too late to change it now.

 

[Punisher_MAX]

Sure, I get that but it’s not what they went with, for whatever reason. Too late to change it now.

Who cares, Blade Runner got a million cuts that did different things to movie until the creators decided on the "real" one and we all just accepted it.

Same thing here.

 

[henzINNIT]

It would be weird to move forward from the alternate ending, but really I guess it's not too far removed from ignoring sequels and the like. I wonder how easily available that version of the film is. In this age, you could theoretically just switch versions on streaming services or whatever and a lot of people wouldn't even notice.

It's a weird situation for sure. If that is what is happening. But I understand why in this case because it's a very extreme example. The alternate ending isn't simply better, it IS the whole point of the story. The theatrical version flushes that down the toilet for the sake of an explosion.

 

[Deck Rickard]

Who cares, Blade Runner got a million cuts that did different things to movie until the creators decided on the "real" one and we all just accepted it.

Same thing here.

Sure but was there anything in BR 2049 that directly contradicted the theatrical version of the movie?

 

[Punisher_MAX]

Sure but was there anything in BR 2049 that directly contradicted the theatrical version of the movie?

No but it also didn't contradict the "canon" cut either.

The way I see it, if the Alternate Ending is the OG ending that was scrapped by the studio at the last minute because of the way it tested then the original Director should get to decide which ending is the "canon" one.

 

[TheVileOne]

To be fair here though, the alternate ending is better than the one they went with since it was the entire point of the novel.

Except it's not and it's nothing like the novel at all.

 

[DarkKnight88]

Except it's not and it's nothing like the novel at all.

In spirit it is. Neville realizes he’s the actual monster and they’re just defending themselves from him.

 

[TheVileOne]

In spirit it is. Neville realizes he’s the actual monster and they’re just defending themselves from him.

A very gross over-exaggeration, over-simplication, and also the complete opposite of what happens in the novel.

 

[DarkKnight88]

A very gross over-exaggeration, over-simplication, and also the complete opposite of what happens in the novel.

What do you mean? Please explain.

 

[HammerDown]

Sure. Why not.
I enjoyed the film a lot.

 

[Batmannerism]

First, I still prefer Omega Man, although it's less faithful to the book, mostly because of its great ending.

Second, bringing Smith back undoes his heroic sacrifice.

Third, putting Smith and Jordan together sounds like a great idea, so why not come up with an ORIGINAL IDEA for a film and do that, instead of another ****ing sequel?

 

[TheVileOne]

What do you mean? Please explain.

Spoiler

In the book, he takes suicide pills and dies. The vampires have developed intelligence and are not a savage, feral species. There's no idyllic riding off into the sunset ending, still alive with a mother and her child.

 

[samsnee]

Well this just got interesting

 

[Marvolo]

Spoiler

In the book, he takes suicide pills and dies. The vampires have developed intelligence and are not a savage, feral species. There's no idyllic riding off into the sunset ending, still alive with a mother and her child.

The best part is Neville realizing that he has become the monster in the new world. Different from everyone else. The thing that comes when others are asleep and kills them or takes them away to an unknown fate.

Spoiler

A coughing chuckle filled his throat. He turned and leaned against the wall while he swallowed the pills. Full circle, he thought while the final lethargy crept into his limbs. Full circle. A new terror born in death, a new superstition entering the unassailable fortress of forever.
I am legend.

 

[TheVileOne]

The best part is Neville realizing that he has become the monster in the new world. Different from everyone else. The thing that comes when others are asleep and kills them or takes them away to an unknown fate.

Spoiler

A coughing chuckle filled his throat. He turned and leaned against the wall while he swallowed the pills. Full circle, he thought while the final lethargy crept into his limbs. Full circle. A new terror born in death, a new superstition entering the unassailable fortress of forever.
I am legend.

As far as I'm concerned, both endings of the Will Smith film ruined what was in the book.