Nice find. Spoiler It's good to know that my instincts while watching the film were not entirely wrong; I could sense that the entire reason that the 'leader' vampire was so intent on getting to Neville was because Neville has captured his 'daughter'. I was already envisioning at least SOME kind of confrontation or reckoning between the two. I was assuming that the daughter would awaken, and somehow make peace between them, but oh well. In any case, the theatrical ending was not horrible, it worked too, but I agree that this 'alternate' ending would have been more powerful.. or at least some kind of combination of the two: after all, the 'Tragic Hero' (in this case Neville) *must* always pay for his sins in the end, and an ending where the vampire takes his daughter away and then allows his followers to kill Neville would have worked as well (I picture some kind of non-lucid ending similar to William Wallace's fate in Braveheart, where he imagines himself reunited with his family). Allowing him to simply drive away at the end, happy and well, violates this 'tragic hero' rule, and is probably the main reason why they changed it.
I enjoyed this ending much better. Explained the bridge thing, and we didn't see that lame Vermont facility.
So they destroyed all but one bridge? I guess that would be used to bring the military in and out of the city?
I agree that it was a topic that should be explored more than they did - at least if they went with this other ending. However, as far as the 'link' between a book and movie, I disagree. The book and the movie are two different things. I do not watch a movie expecting it to 'be' the book. I don't care if the titles are the same or it is 'based on'. That's why it says 'based on'. Two different forms of media, two very different processes. I read the book to enjoy the book on it's own. Same for the movie.
Agreed, but that is not what I meant. If they are going to touch on something, no matter where it be from, and not go into it fully, then they need to leave it out. That one part happened to be from the book. Like the time the monster was standing in the light for a second. What then? Why could he do that? Why is this movie so r****ded?
Is this ending offered as an extra on the DVD/Blu-ray? Or can you watch it within the movie using seamless branching?
I didn't know until seeing a link in the article that there had been reshoots for I Am Legend a month before it was due in theaters because the studio didn't like this original ending.
If you guys are reading any of the comments on that page, heads up for a Se7en spoiler, in case you have not seen it.
I would have preferred this alternate ending a lot more. The way it was in the movie theater was just Resident Evil with a new name to me.
The alternative ending made a lot more sense than the theatrical one to me. There were enough hints to let the audience know that the vampires were capable of thinking and feeling like humans. The theatrical ending basically just blew that all off.
Yeah, there are still some headscratchers in the alt. ending, and it doesn't really fit the tragic hero archtype. Plus, those who don't know about the book might not be able to connect the title with the ending. Aren't all the bridges in NYC are blown up...Wouldn't other vampires be just as feral... The original ending does answer a lot of questions, but using the god in the box plot device makes it hollow to me. I would prefer the ending with more challenging questions on humanity than continuity.
I just can't see the vampires/zombies letting him go when they have him cornered. When I was watching the alternate ending I thought he was going to be killed after giving the girl to the alpha vampire/zombie.
