I Am Legend

[CMH]

Re: I Am Legend

Then we've come full circle and there's nothing left to discuss.

Yes, there is much more to discuss.

I'm still intrigued by two things.

Spoiler

1. There is no explanation why Neville and the other people are immune to the disease. I'm not saying it's a plot hole or anything. I just wish he had mentioned at least once why some people were immune to it. My only guess is that it's like the chicken pox. Most people get it. Very, very few never do.

2. Reproduction. Can the infected reproduce and if they can how long can a small community of people in Vermont survive against such a threat.

These are by no means big deals. But just little things I thought about after I watched the movie and exhausted all of the obvious questions.

[CaptainZombie]

Re: I Am Legend

I toyed with that idea but I decided against it.

I don't think a movie is going to try to confuse viewers by placing a mannequin looking like Frank in a new location. That goes beyond plot holes or mistakes. That's just messing with an audience. You don't do that.

No, it was exactly what we saw. That was Frank and he was moved. Once you know that you know that Neville couldn't be responsible for it.

That's an idea that has pondered my mind a few times since watching this movie, but I can see where it spells insanity.

I think you're right. I saw it mentioned elsewhere in this thead. Probably by you.

Now that you guys mention it, when they were in the circle they didn't look CGI.

Yes, there is much more to discuss.

I'm still intrigued by two things.

Spoiler

1. There is no explanation why Neville and the other people are immune to the disease. I'm not saying it's a plot hole or anything. I just wish he had mentioned at least once why some people were immune to it. My only guess is that it's like the chicken pox. Most people get it. Very, very few never do.

2. Reproduction. Can the infected reproduce and if they can how long can a small community of people in Vermont survive against such a threat.

These are by no means big deals. But just little things I thought about after I watched the movie and exhausted all of the obvious questions.

Spoiler

3. Does the "infected" know about this small community in Vermont? It leads me to believe they don't or else they would have climbed those walls at night and ripped all those people apart. What does anyone think about this one?

[CMH]

Re: I Am Legend

I think they just haven't ventured out far enough to know.

Was this cure for cancer only in New York or something? Because then the virus should have spread elsewhere, right?

[Altimus]

Re: I Am Legend

That's an idea that has pondered my mind a few times since watching this movie, but I can see where it spells insanity.



Now that you guys mention it, when they were in the circle they didn't look CGI.

Spoiler

3. Does the "infected" know about this small community in Vermont? It leads me to believe they don't or else they would have climbed those walls at night and ripped all those people apart. What does anyone think about this one?

Spoiler

When we first saw the establishment in Vermont, it started off good. Two huge doors with some kind of scanners it seems. Once the door opened I was like what the hell... two soldiers guarding the front gate against a foe that can mean the extinction of human life?

It got even worse when they went to the blimp view. Very short walls? Obviously these things can scale at a enormous rate and I'm sure they would rip through this colony faster then Will Smith's house. Its not really important but it just shows more how rushed the ending was. As Pared said why not make it a dome or something of that nature? I know if I was in charge of this base I would have turrets spread every so feet apart along with HID Xenon lighting lamps with them.

I'm probably looking too much into it but little details like that I notice.

I think they just haven't ventured out far enough to know.

Was this cure for cancer only in New York or something? Because then the virus should have spread elsewhere, right?

Spoiler

Didn't he say the virus spread world wide when he was giving the statistics to that girl? Being the virus is air borne, I'm pretty sure it traveled across the entire world within three years. Also the area they were in was real urban. Didn't seem like there were anywhere to hide for the seekers in the day.

Spoiler

Also did anyone get ticked off when Will's wife got scanned and failed? Then he said scan her again and she passed. I mean, what if people that passed were failures? I know if I was quarantining a zone with a disease that can wipe of human kind I wouldn't let any through as cruel as that sounds.

[DaHokieBird]

Re: I Am Legend

Spoiler

I'm guessing those walls on the town are higher than we can actually tell, and I also would assume that there was UV lights all around. We really didn't get that good of look at the town.

[CaptainZombie]

Re: I Am Legend

Spoiler

When we first saw the establishment in Vermont, it started off good. Two huge doors with some kind of scanners it seems. Once the door opened I was like what the hell... two soldiers guarding the front gate against a foe that can mean the extinction of human life?

It got even worse when they went to the blimp view. Very short walls? Obviously these things can scale at a enormous rate and I'm sure they would rip through this colony faster then Will Smith's house. Its not really important but it just shows more how rushed the ending was. As Pared said why not make it a dome or something of that nature? I know if I was in charge of this base I would have turrets spread every so feet apart along with HID Xenon lighting lamps with them.

I'm probably looking too much into it but little details like that I notice.

I agree, read my "spoiler" below.

Spoiler

Didn't he say the virus spread world wide when he was giving the statistics to that girl? Being the virus is air borne, I'm pretty sure it traveled across the entire world within three years. Also the area they were in was real urban. Didn't seem like there were anywhere to hide for the seekers in the day.

Yes, but if they were getting smarter as we thought they were than I could see them figuring out a way to attack.

Spoiler

Also did anyone get ticked off when Will's wife got scanned and failed? Then he said scan her again and she passed. I mean, what if people that passed were failures? I know if I was quarantining a zone with a disease that can wipe of human kind I wouldn't let any through as cruel as that sounds.

Yeah, that made not sense and I know where you are going with this one.

Spoiler

I'm guessing those walls on the town are higher than we can actually tell, and I also would assume that there was UV lights all around. We really didn't get that good of look at the town.

Spoiler

We did see how high the walls were when the 2 guards opened the doors. It doesn't matter, the "seekers" would scale those walls so faster than them climbing Will's home or even the lamp posts on the doc. I figure since they were out in the mountains and in an area where it was a vast open urban plain that they couldn't be attacked.............but if the "seekers" traveled at night and found shelter during the day, they would and could eventually bump into this town. I don't know, I just wouldn't feel safe being there no matter how far away from the city it was especially with the entire world infected.

If we ever to get a sequel, I could see them starting it off in this town and having the seekers attack the town with maybe a few people getting out and being the stars of the movie.

[Pared]

Re: I Am Legend

Spoiler

The virus spread because the people who were "cured" from cancer had time to travel all over the world. They were spreading the virus without knowing it. Being that it was airborne and the 10,000 people cured traveled... I'm sure it's safe to say that's how it spread to all the different continents.

You know, it's scary seeing the Dr.'s reaction to being told she cured cancer... she was so proud... and that little clip set a great precedent that man-made diseases are something that is being researched right now, as we speak... with no real idea on its impact on us. Again, very scary.

[NovaStar]

Re: I Am Legend

Spoiler

Maybe people should watch the credits.

The dominant male was credited as the Alpha Male.

The female...The Alpha Female.

Obviously, the two were connected. Probably his girlfriend.

People are questioning his reasoning vs. his emotions. How?

Someone just took your girlfriend from you. The one thing you probably care for the most in the world besides staying alive. You're going to reason with that person?

Just because the Alpha Male showed an ability to use his intelligence doesn't mean he wouldn't be emotionally driven to kill Neville. People are emotionally driven all the time and they don't even need a rare disease to provoke it.

Now, to get into his intelligence. I don't understand why this is even a question. Neville was obviously wrong. That's it. There's no reason to get deeper into it. Realize this.

The day before, the VERY day before, Neville comments on how the creatures have gone into complete de-evolution. They have no ability to reason. His reason? Because the Alpha Male tried stepping into the sun. Obviously, if the Alpha Male had zero reasoning he would have continued through the sun but forget that Neville ignored this very important factor. Probably because he's been going just a tad bit crazy.

The next day, we see Frank outside in a new position. It was a trap. This was on purpose. It was to show us that Neville was wrong. This isn't a plot hole. This is a plot explanation. It's telling the viewers, "These things are smarter than you think. Don't take them lightly."

Honestly, they are infected PEOPLE. Just because you catch the flu doesn't mean you're all of a sudden going to stop being human. And that's exactly why Neville goes into explanation mode. For 3 years he realized that the infected were basically infected people with heightened aggression. When he reasoned that they had entered into a complete de-evolution he was confirming to himself that they were ONCE just like him just more aggressive. Again, Neville was wrong. They are STILL like him just more aggressive (and sensitive to UV rays).

He missed that and that speaks volumes about his mental state. Neville was supposed to be the human races answer and the plot was trying to show us that every person has a breaking point. Neville's strongest character trait was his intelligence. His mind was breaking down and once he lost his dog his mind was completely gone. He resorted to killing himself because he had no one to comfort him.

The image of the woman and child looking like his wife and daughter is another example of his mental state. He was longing so much for human interaction that the first time he saw one he thought it was the people he loved the most. And this isn't even getting into the point of him actually moving mannequins around to simulate some sort of human interaction. Should I even mention that he attempted "talking" to a mannequin female and asking her out. He wanted the damn thing to say hello to him. The man was on the cusp of insanity.

That was the writer's way of letting us know that perhaps we can't take everything he says as 100% truth. He is overlooking the simple facts.

The infected were not monsters. They were infected people building a new life for themselves. And Neville was their threat.

Spoiler

To lable them Alpha male and Alpha female shows that the movie left out a lot of plot information. If that was the Alpha males girl, how were we as the reader supposed to know that other than reading the credits? Again, when the alpha male breaks into the lab at the end, there is no response to the alpha female strapped down on the gourney, absolutely nothing. The alpha male simply goes berserk and smashes his head against the glass. If the sole purpose of going after Will was to get payback for catching his girl, it seems to me there would have been some recognition of that girl at the end. You are telling me, that we as the viewer are supposed to know all this based how the characters are listed in the end credits? That is a complete plot hole. That sort of thing is supposed to be built into the actual movie.

Also, the movie goes to pain staking lengths to show us how devolved the hosts of the virus become, from the humans to the rats to the his own dog. Then all of a sudden a super intelligent alpha male pops up from no where?, and an alpha female? (who was stupid enough to fall for a trap that had worked on like fifty mutants before her?) The movie does not reveal any of the things that you are stating, to me it seems to show the contrary, it was very inconsistent to have a alpha male when the movie set the premise by both actor lines and actual visual aid that the mutants were not supposed to be intelligent. I think the author should have followed the past versions and made all of the mutants intelligent(to varying degree) that would have made more sense.

[CMH]

Re: I Am Legend

Spoiler

To lable them Alpha male and Alpha female shows that the movie left out a lot of plot information. If that was the Alpha males girl, how were we as the reader supposed to know that other than reading the credits? Again, when the alpha male breaks into the lab at the end, there is no response to the alpha female strapped down on the gourney, absolutely nothing. The alpha male simply goes berserk and smashes his head against the glass. If the sole purpose of going after Will was to get payback for catching his girl, it seems to me there would have been some recognition of that girl at the end. You are telling me, that we as the viewer are supposed to know all this based how the characters are listed in the end credits? That is a complete plot hole. That sort of thing is supposed to be built into the actual movie.

Also, the movie goes to pain staking lengths to show us how devolved the hosts of the virus become, from the humans to the rats to the his own dog. Then all of a sudden a super intelligent alpha male pops up from no where?, and an alpha female? (who was stupid enough to fall for a trap that had worked on like fifty mutants before her?) The movie does not reveal any of the things that you are stating, to me it seems to show the contrary, it was very inconsistent to have a alpha male when the movie set the premise by both actor lines and actual visual aid that the mutants were not supposed to be intelligent. I think the author should have followed the past versions and made all of the mutants intelligent(to varying degree) that would have made more sense.

Spoiler

I guess I just don't see how you think everyone else lacked intelligence. All we saw was the Alpha Male leading the pack. Why do you believe the others were dumb?

[NovaStar]

Re: I Am Legend

Spoiler

I guess I just don't see how you think everyone else lacked intelligence. All we saw was the Alpha Male leading the pack. Why do you believe the others were dumb?

Spoiler

Fair question. O.k. we know (based on the words of Will and what the plot line shows us] that the virus devolves its host. We saw this in the effects it had on the lab rats, Will's dog and by the behavior of the mutants themselves. Whenever the mutants appeared on screen, we saw them behave like complete rabid lunatics (all except the alpha) the plot line gives you no other reason to believe that mutants could think or reason and their behavior was consistent with what Will stated and with what we the viewer observed.

The fact that the alpha could bait will with Fred was outside of the plotline because we saw no other indication that they could reason other than that one part. The alpha male, at the end was just as crazy as the rest of the mutants. Does it not make sense that if the sole purpose for the mutant to attack Will was because of the alpha female (as you stated earlier) that when the alpha male finally breaks into the lab that it would have sought to free the alpha female? Or at least look at or acknowledge the alpha female? He does neither. This tells me that the whole alpha male, alpha female thing was not a consideration (that is what I initially thought as well) in regards to the plot. So we as the viewer(or at least me) are left wondering what was the whole alpha male thing about. What made him not devolve where we blatantly saw where the rest of the mutants did.

We know that some humans were immune to the virus (the plot showed us this). The plot does not tell or show us that some mutants will devolve at a faster rate than others, either you have the virus and devolve or you do not have the virus, that was the premise of the movie. It is an inconsistency in the plot to have mutants that could reason (an alpha mutant) and those that could not. Nothing in the movie supports the actions of the alpha male, other than it just happening. The alpha mutants actions at the end of the movie are totally inconsistent with a mutant that could bait Will with a dummy in the middle of that same movie.

[CMH]

Re: I Am Legend

Spoiler

Fair question. O.k. we know (based on the words of Will and what the plot line shows us] that the virus devolves its host. We saw this in the effects it had on the lab rats, Will's dog and by the behavior of the mutants themselves. Whenever the mutants appeared on screen, we saw them behave like complete rabid lunatics (all except the alpha) the plot line gives you no other reason to believe that mutants could think or reason and their behavior was consistent with what Will stated and with what we the viewer observed.

The fact that the alpha could bait will with Fred was outside of the plotline because we saw no other indication that they could reason other than that one part. The alpha male, at the end was just as crazy as the rest of the mutants. Does it not make sense that if the sole purpose for the mutant to attack Will was because of the alpha female (as you stated earlier) that when the alpha male finally breaks into the lab that it would have sought to free the alpha female? Or at least look at or acknowledge the alpha female? He does neither. This tells me that the whole alpha male, alpha female thing was not a consideration (that is what I initially thought as well) in regards to the plot. So we as the viewer(or at least me) are left wondering what was the whole alpha male thing about. What made him not devolve where we blatantly saw where the rest of the mutants did.

We know that some humans were immune to the virus (the plot showed us this). The plot does not tell or show us that some mutants will devolve at a faster rate than others, either you have the virus and devolve or you do not have the virus, that was the premise of the movie. It is an inconsistency in the plot to have mutants that could reason (an alpha mutant) and those that could not. Nothing in the movie supports the actions of the alpha male, other than it just happening. The alpha mutants actions at the end of the movie are totally inconsistent with a mutant that could bait Will with a dummy in the middle of that same movie.

Spoiler

Good points. I get the feeling that one of two things happened.

1. The story was already too long for Warner Bros. and they forced the script to not include more mentions of the intelligence of the infected.

2. The scenes were in there but needed to be cut to keep the movie in the two hour frame.

Either or sucks and doesn't help because it brings up the questions you mentioned. I think it's supposed to be assumed that they are much more intelligent than Neville thought they were. We, as the audience, however didn't get enough scenes to show us how intelligent.

[DonkeyJote]

Re: I Am Legend

Spoiler

Good points. I get the feeling that one of two things happened.

1. The story was already too long for Warner Bros. and they forced the script to not include more mentions of the intelligence of the infected.

2. The scenes were in there but needed to be cut to keep the movie in the two hour frame.

Either or sucks and doesn't help because it brings up the questions you mentioned. I think it's supposed to be assumed that they are much more intelligent than Neville thought they were. We, as the audience, however didn't get enough scenes to show us how intelligent.

Spoiler

I think thats what happened. I know in the book, there are people who are injected, and cannot come out at day, but are not deranged. I thought that is what they were going with when the Alpha Male came into the sunlight. I believe in the book these semi-infected types use one of their women to do the Neville. So I thought that is what they were doing. In the movie, Will even records that the Alpha male came out, but this is never brought up again. This is the biggest flaw in the movie for me. They didn't take the time to explain that part, and it is ignored the rest of the way.

[e0820]

Re: I Am Legend

Just saw I Am Legend. WOW that is a great movie. I thought everything was done well. I thought I had parts figured out and was telling myself oh thats cheesy - but the movie proved me wrong by doing things differently. My son was squeezing his napkin so hard it almost turned into a diamond (j/k). Lets hope Rockstar gets the gaming rights to this one!

[Tommyklaid]

Re: I Am Legend

Rockstar...yes.

..."I am Legend" the video game....I think it would be GREAT!

[CaptainZombie]

Re: I Am Legend

Spoiler

I think thats what happened. I know in the book, there are people who are injected, and cannot come out at day, but are not deranged. I thought that is what they were going with when the Alpha Male came into the sunlight. I believe in the book these semi-infected types use one of their women to do the Neville. So I thought that is what they were doing. In the movie, Will even records that the Alpha male came out, but this is never brought up again. This is the biggest flaw in the movie for me. They didn't take the time to explain that part, and it is ignored the rest of the way.

Spoiler

Just like in "The Last Man on Earth" with Vincent Price. I just watched it tonight and it was a good movie. I think I really like Omega Man the most out of all 3 movies, but they all were very enjoyable.