The Omega Man
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Movie Reviews of The Omega Man
Movie Review: One of my Favorite Charlton Heston Films!
Summary: 4 Stars
With a nod to some of the previous reviewers, yes this movie is quite dated. Especially if you are watching this for the very first time. It's a film that was released in 1971 and is about events 4 years into the future. So of course it's dated. But I had the pleasure of seeing this in the theater when it was first released and to this day, no film EVER grabbed my attention as quickly as "The Omega Man." The opening scene, done pre-opening credits, is and probably will always be my all-time favorite scene, if only for the surprise factor.
The plot is the "end-of-civillzation-and-beyond" kind. Here, a border war between Russia and China turns into germ warfare, releasing a nasty bug into the atmosphere. Most people die almost instantaniously. However, a small percentage live on for a short while but are turned into an almost albino state where any type of direct light causes them emmense pain. Heston plays Robert Neville, a government researcher who discovered a cure for the virus only to have his helicopter crash on the way to deliver the vaccine. As a last resort he injects himself with what's left of the vaccine and thus becomes the only human on the planet immune.
Now to clarify some of the mis-information stated in other reviews. The group of albino survivors are not vampires/nombies/whatever. As the virus takes hold of them they go insane. Led by Mathias (Anthony Zerbe) they have decided the disease is God's punishment for man's overuse of techology and have decided it is their mission to burn all forms of knowledge. By night we see book burnings as they sack the deserted Los Angeles. To them Neville is like Satan because he refuses to denounce the old ways. This leads to basically two stubborn men bent on the destruction of the other. By day Neville hunts down "the Family and by night the family lays siege to his fortress-like home.
Yes, there are some scenes that really push the envelope of believability. But then again, this is science fiction, and any good sci-fi story will do that. There are also many scenes that keep you on the edge of your seat. One in particular, after being captured, Neville is taken to Dodger Stadium where the Family plans to burn him along with a huge pile of books. To the family, it's their crowning moment. But at the last minute both the family and Neville get a surprise when the stadium lights are suddenly turned on, sending the family to the ground in pain. I can't go further into the scene without spoiling it so lets just say the escape is one of the many surprises that keep popping up.
To sum up, I would recommend this film to any sci-fi fan. Again, it is dated but the plot is great and of course Heston and Zerbe are absolutely great as adversaries. Don't miss it.
Movie Review: A very different treatment than "I Am Legend", and worth seeing
Summary: 4 Stars
We had just seen Will Smith's "I Am Legend" and enjoyed it much more than some of the critics, but we wanted to compare it to Charlton Heston's "The Omega Man" to see how the story was handled in similar and dissimilar ways. After seeing them both, it is clear that while some key plot structures are the same, they are completely different movies with different strengths and weaknesses. Since I will review "I Am Legend" when it comes out on DVD, I will stick to this movie here.
While this movie shows its 36 years in fashion, cars, technology, and social conventions, it is still a good movie. Heston is able to portray a man who is half-crazed by two years of being alone and hunted. He talks to himself, he hunts members of "The Family" and looks for where they live.
Anthony Zerbe is spot on as the charismatic leader of survivors of the plague who is on a religious mission to rid the world of the technological past that led to its destruction. He is articulate and all the members of the Family can talk just as they did before they were transformed by the plague. But they all wear these monkish outfits that look like the Ghost of Christmas Past in every production of "A Christmas Carol" you have ever seen. The Family is also focused on breeching the fortifications that Robert Neville (Heston) has made to protect his home. They know where he lives and keep attacking him, but Neville refuses to be driven out of his home. And, frankly, at least being attacked by crazed half-humans is at least contact with others, right?
On one of his daytime shopping trips, Neville sees Lisa (the beautiful and feisty Rosalind Cash) and pursues her, but Lisa escapes. However, it is Lisa and her band that save Neville from the Family at one point and as they plan to leave and form a new colony, the Family renews its attacks, as does the virus. The danger and threats crescendo until it is sure that all is lost. I will let you enjoy how the movie gets there and resolves the crisis.
While the movie has its clunky aspects, it is still pretty well done, and it is sure enjoyable to see Heston in his mod outfits and acting the part of the suitor. There are two scenes of brief nudity, but just slightly more than you see on some network TV shows today (and just as gratuitous).
So, the point is you can enjoy both this movie and "I Am Legend". While they cover the same story, they are very different.
Reviewed by Craig Matteson, Ann Arbor, MI
Movie Review: The Omega Man
Summary: 4 Stars
The year is 1977. The world has been devastated by germ warfare, destroying nearly all of humanity. Everyone, that is, except for Robert Neville, the last man on earth. Neville stalks the streets of Los Angeles, killing the nocturnal mutants that the plague has created. THE OMEGA MAN is the second of three film adaptations of Richard Matheson's I Am Legend, this time starring the legendary Charlton Heston. A product of its time, THE OMEGA MAN has earned itself a huge cult following with 1970's SciFi enthusiasts, but in the forty years since its release, it has aged rather poorly. Heston's hammy acting aside, the costuming, make-up, and often corny performances of "The Family" have all given way to a high level of camp that borders dangerously close to B-Movie cheese. Boris Sagal creates a series of impressive establishing shots taken from the deserted city streets of downtown Los Angeles, a devastating collection of images that set the foreboding tone for the rest of the picture. He also delivers several explosive action sequences between Neville and his medieval rivals, while playing into the reversal of the classical vampire myth that Matheson had originally shaped in the written version. Much of the paranoia and schizophrenia found in Neville's character do shine through in Heston's performance, although Anthony Zerbe steals the spotlight in an admirable role as the lead cultist Matthias. However silly many of the other elements of the film may be, it is impossible to deny the raw power of the shocking and downtrodden ending. THE OMEGA MAN will continue to live on as a classic in the Post-Apocalyptic/SciFi genres regardless of time's harsh treatment of the film, and it is still an important watch for both SciFi and Horror fans.
-Carl Manes
I Like Horror Movies
Movie Review: A great version of The Last Man on Earth
Summary: 4 Stars
"Omega Man" is the remake of "The Last Man on Earth" (also a great film). The story in Omega Man is more developed than in The Last Man on Earth, the effects are better, the background story is better. But, in the end, they are all just as great. Of course, there is also "I Am Legend" (the 2007 remake of this one). The story on all these 3 movies is great, and so is the acting. Highly recommend it.
There are some variations in the three films. The 1964 of The Last Man on Earth with Vincent Price, has all that this movie lacks. Price plays a more convincing and tortured character; Heston is not. I Am Legend is better in the special effect department, as well as Will Smith's performance. The "creatures" in The Last Man on Earth" are a mix between zombies and vampires; in "The Omega Man" they are just homicidal maniacs with delusions of grandeur that are sensitive to light and have lost all pigmentation. The creatures in "I am legend" are more like sub-human agile creatures.
These three movies are based on I Am Legend by Richard Matheson. There are many subtle and non-subtle differences in all three versions and I everyone should watch them all.
Movie Review: Good movie, lean extras
Summary: 4 Stars
Movie quality was excellent. The Special Featurette was rather superficial, but not horrible. If you don't demand a lot of in-depth additional features, this is a good way to get a memorable movie on DVD, if the price is modest.
I fell in love with this movie as a teenager. Most of the performances are very strong, and the story is both thought-provoking and gritty. While I loved Vincent Price in the similar "The Last Man On Earth", I prefer the plotting of this 'remake' better, though, as others have noted, the ending here, while attempting to be 'tragic' and/or ironic, comes off rather contrived. Nonetheless,it still wells up my emotions, probably because I've invested myself too much until then.
There's much food for thought in this version of a post-apocalypse world, coupled with servings of action and violence, and a dose of romance. Not perfect, but well above average.