I Am Legend
March 20th, 2008 | by Scott |I don’t know why I am drawn to reading horror stories at the moment but zombies, vampires and the like intrigue me. It’s part of that whole dystopian, apocalyptic vibe I dig so much.
Another interest I have is in reading the book before I see the movie adaptation. I just finished Scott Smith’s The Ruins and look forward to the movie release in a couple of weeks. I plan to read more adapted novels in the near future.
(Side note: It may seem that I am reading nothing but lighter fare these days and that is largely true. I am preaching through Matthew and reading several commentaries at the moment including Warren Carter’s excellent Matthew in the Margins and Stanley Hauerwas’ commentary.)
Anyway, I read Richard Matheson’s 1954 novel I Am Legend this past week in anticipation of the DVD release of the latest Will Smith vehicle this week. The novel, which has now been made into a movie three times, was a gripping piece of fiction that focused primarily on one individual’s coming to terms with his role as the last human on earth.
What emerges is a compelling portrait of a man striving to survive in a world that has radically changed and transformed into an archaic mess. The reader is sucked in to a battle that is best defined as a struggle between human and post-human.
The film is a radical departure from the film. The protagonist has changed from an LA based blue collar worker to a New York scientist originally responsible for dealing with the runaway virus. What is lost is the pathos that the reader feels as Neville struggles each day with the mundane, with feelings of loneliness and alienation, and the sinking realization that he is the last of mankind. Legend, so to speak.
Will Smith’s performance was the saving grace of the film. His excellent performance was not enough, however, to elevate this above another Hollywood ABC tale. I know that there were difficulties in adapting a book that was originally set in the mid-70s to more modern day but the themes are still resonant with a modern audience.
I Am Legend the book works because the legend is what man was and would no longer be. The film misses that by opting for a self-aggrandizing, individualistic interpretation of legend.
Verdict: Read the book.
Any other good horror books worth reading? What about novels that have been adapted?
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9 Responses to “I Am Legend”
By Chad on Mar 20, 2008 | Reply
You need to read World War Z by Max Brooks. A very realistic and believable book about the zombie war. I have also listened to the audio book which is excellent as well.
By Scott on Mar 20, 2008 | Reply
I’ve been trying to get it for months but some bozo checked it out of my library and never returned it. They were supposed to be ordering another one but I haven’t heard anything from them about it.
I guess I’ll just have to break down and buy it because it’s at the top of my list.
By Robin on Mar 20, 2008 | Reply
I love Stephen King books. Reading your comment reminded me of seeing “The Shining” in the theater. I read the book first and literally had the hair on the back of my neck standing up as I read it. I was so anxious for the movie and, of course, it was a disappointment. It is quite difficult to get all the nuances of a King book on film. Books are always better.
By Chad on Mar 20, 2008 | Reply
Scott-
I would mail you my copy if you want. I bought it off of half.com so if something happens to it there will be no big loss.
Chad
By jasonk on Mar 20, 2008 | Reply
The Audacity of Hope. It scares the crap out of me.
Just kidding…
By Jim MacKenzie on Mar 20, 2008 | Reply
Heard Carter and Hauerwas at Rochester College last year. Their stuff was amazing and sometimes hard to wade through, but I used a lot of it for my Sermon on the Mount series.
“Misery” was an amazing book. Movie OK, book scary.
By JTB on Mar 20, 2008 | Reply
A comment in defense of the posthuman…
Not all visions of the posthuman are horrific; but all posthuman discourse serves as commentary on the “human” in illuminating ways. Not having read the book myself I’d be interested in what you would characterize as the “human” in it.
And with great restraint I end this comment since I could, in fact, write a whole dissertation on it. Oh yeah…that’s what I’m doing…
By Scott on Mar 20, 2008 | Reply
I figured I might draw you out by using the term “posthuman”
I’d really be interested in your take on the book, if you were so inclined to read it, but I took the “human” to be that which was individualistic, unique and diverse. Normalcy, among the new breed of humans in the book, was defined by the majority. He, Robert Neville, was a threat to the majority.
By Scott on Mar 20, 2008 | Reply
Yeah, I like King stuff as well. I haven’t read his latest though. It looks long.
Chad, that would be awesome. Thanks. I’ll email you my address.