2
(nothing direct aside from "undead" monsters)
7
(implied violence, disturbing concepts)
5
(worth seeing once)
"The Last Man on Earth" is the first adaptation of the Richard Matheson novel "I Am Legend" which has been adapted a number of times since, most recently as a Will Smith blockbuster by the same name. I have neither seen all the adaptations nor read the original novel so I’m not a good source for comparison and have no idea how faithful this particular adaptation is to the source.
What I have seen are a number of old black-and-white horror movies and specifically plenty of Vincent Price flicks. The basic premise here is that humans have mutated into vampire-like creatures. Only one normal man remains as far as we know. He spends his days doing what he needs to survive and his nights holed up in his home hoping the vampires (who are actually a little more like zombies than Dracula) don’t breech the walls and end his existence.
His regular routine is about to be interrupted. He will go from just existing to actually having a purpose and a goal. Everything he believes is about to be shaken which could result in his salvation or his doom.
This could be a very dull movie. The first half or so is slow: a narrated depiction of Robert Morgan’s day-to-day routine. What single handedly saves it is Vincent Price’s talent and strong presence. Few people could have pulled this off, and I’m not sure the movie would be worth watching with a lesser presence in the role. Regardless of what Price can pull off the movie is still a bit slow.
Moreover the action is very weak. Morgan seems to be able to run through hordes of zombies unscathed without having much in the way of defense. It makes the monsters seem like less of a real threat which lessens the tension that the movie needs. Once the story picks up steam it is quite interesting and doesn’t go in conventional directions. It’s also a good bit different than the direction of the Will Smith movie, and while not as flashy, it is braver.
So even if you saw the Will Smith movie "The Last Man on Earth" will hold some surprises. Unfortunately the end doesn’t come to a natural conclusion. While it makes its point and serves what it sets out to do I could understand some viewers not feeling satisfied. It can feel like part of the whole rather than the entire story itself. If you recognize this as what it is, Morgan’s story as opposed to the mutation epidemic from start to finish, then hopefully you’ll appreciate this dark tale from start to finish.
Morality
While disturbing in concept there isn’t much violence. Most of what we see is implied: a hammer hitting a stake without actually seeing the stake being driven into a vampire’s heart, that sort of thing. I didn’t notice any strong language and there is nothing sexual or revealing.
Spirituality
This is a rather bleak tale that shows a hellish world. Those wanting a world without religion get it here – there is no religious conflict, and no love or compassion - only monstrous shells of men looking for their basic sustenance. Even the one human being is little more than a zombie going through a routine of survival, but he remembers what it is to love which is a large part of what keeps him human.
Final Thoughts
While I enjoy this movie and have seen it more than once it’s still rather slow. It’s a must see once for any black-and-white horror movie buff or Price fan, but it doesn’t lend itself to multiple viewings very easily.
Buying Guide
Everybody wants in on releasing their own version of "The Last Man on Earth." This one is difficult to summarize because there are so many different remastered and “collector's” editions without any one being a truly definitive release. Usually I can just point out a few releases that stand apart from the others, but this time I'm having a hard time grouping them together in such a way that gives you all the pertinent details without taking a full day to read through them all.
There are multiple DVD's that offer remastering, different aspect ratios, and fancy edition labels to make you want to buy a particular one over the others out there. I also found a Blu-ray combo pack. So what I will do is limit this to releases that have comments, good or bad, about the quality.
In the next section I'll be comparing 2 very different transfers from a couple of different budget packs I have to give you an idea of the differences in quality out there. But first, here is some data I turned up by researching.
The Blu is just another one of those budget collections that uses the storage capacity of Blu-ray to hold more movies. There is no HD going on here.
The one I saw getting the most praise was the MGM release. This can be found on its own or in a 2 pack with "Panic In Year Zero." It is a 2.35 widescreen release and is said from multiple reviewers to be better than others they have seen. Extras include a trailer and a feature with one of the co-writers and why he was unhappy with the script. Audio is mono with none of the reviews I read specifically mentioning anything about it. Look for the Midnite Movies double features to find this one.
Next up is the colorized version from Legend. Some details mention widescreen while others mention being full-frame so I don't know which is accurate (it could just mean that it is also non-anamorphic). The original black-and-white version is included and is remastered. Reviews say that the quality is good but not as good as the MGM release.
One of the multi-packs that looks promising at first is the “3 Vincent Price Greatest Horror Classics of All Time” which offers 3 movies and a Halloween CD. Reviewers say that the quality of this package is exceptionally terrible so avoid it!
Lastly is “An Evening with Vincent Price and Friends” which offers 3 DVD's full of various movies. Reviews say that the quality of this one is also especially crappy with sound that drops out way too frequently.
Final Recommendation:
The Chilling 20 pack transfer is better than the Horror Classics one and might actually be on the verge of almost being mildly impressive if not for cramming a widescreen formatted film into a full-frame window. The MGM DVD sounds like your best bet for quality unless you want color in which case you should go for the Legend release. There are numerous other relases, but they'll be a gamble unless you can find some reviews on them that I missed. I didn't see any info that would cause me to choose any other release over the MGM one if I were going to buy it again.
The first version I owned was in the Horror Classics 50 pack.
Video
N-A widescreen:
It is widescreen but very close to the 1.33 ration (so about 1.66) but is non-anamorphic which means it's essentially presented in a full-frame window resulting in black boarders on all sides of the screen of a widescreen TV. It is washed out, riddled with lots of lines, is a bit shaky, and is pixelated and grainy. This is not a great presentation.
Audio
2.0 mono:
There is a good bit of white noise and a generally weak mix. The dialogue is clear enough to understand at least.
Packaging
This particular disc is housed in a cardboard sleeve contained in a Velcro-fastened box though it's been repackaged in plastic. You can read about the set as a whole in great detail in the Horror Classics (50 pack) guide.
Extras
There are none.
Next up is from a 20 pack called “Chilling.”
Video
N-A widescreen:
While the whole thing is presented in a non-anamorphic full-frame window like the other one the aspect ratio for this one is very wide, possibly closer to 2.35. Unfortunately being squeezed into a 1.33 ratio makes the final image tiny even on a large screen TV. There are black boarders on all sides if watching on a widescreen TV, and I feel like I'm watching it through slats in a fence. The quality, though, is fairly sharp with only a little trash. It's still a bit pixelated and grainy but not badly so.
Audio
2.0 mono:
There's still a little white noise, and the mix is not fantastic. It's not horrible, though, and the dialogue is clear.
Packaging
The disc comes in a paper sleeve that lives in a plastic case. You can get more details about the set as a whole by checking out the Chilling (20 pack) guide.
Extras
None for this one, either.