" The Night Creatures vs The last Man on Earth "

Rating: 8/10 (30 July 2008)

In nineteen sixty four, the immortal Vincent Price, made a futuristic film called 'the Last Man on Earth.' It was so well received by fans of Price, that it was hailed as a classic. In 1971, the late Charleston Heston did a remake of the Richard Mathenson novel entitled 'The Omega Man', where he fought Anthony Zerbe. Here we are in 2007 and have yet another attempt of the horror classic rechristened, "I Am Legend." The story has changed little and in essence remains the tale of a dedicated doctor Robert Neville (Will Smith) who is challenged by a world destroying virus. Having eliminated 90% of the humans on the planet Earth, what little remains of the human species are little more than sun-fearing ghouls. While the rabies infected enemy seeks his lab and base of operations, Neville seeks their nest where he hopes to destroy the last of their monstrous race. In the 1964 version, Price seemed to acknowledge his lonely fate, in 1971, Heston took solace with an African American who became his partner. In this final version, Alice Braga plays Anna who tries to convince Neville of a 'survivor' colony which he finds hard to believe. It makes for a good follow-up to the earlier versions and all three should belong to those who enjoy a good scary story. ****