The Omega Man

WARNING: This review is hidden because it reveals the content of the film.
Click here to show this review. You might have seen “I am Legend” or have read the original story upon which it is based and wondered if the 1971 adaptation, “The Omega Man”, is any good. I say after the film’s over you won’t be sorry you spent your time watching it, but it’s not particularly memorable.

In the near future of... 1975 a war between Russia and China erupts into germ warfare. Soon, humanity falls prey to a deadly, incurable disease. In Los Angeles, there remain some survivors. Their skin has turned chalk white, their hair lost all pigment, they have become unable to withstand bright lights and been driven insane. These “vampires” have inherited our world and, led by Jonathan Mathias (Anthony Zerbe) they seek to destroy everything that reminds them of the old world, including our protagonist. Charlton Heston plays Neville, a lone survivor who spends his days trying to figure out a way to wipe out these creatures while they sleep. He isn’t looking for a cure because the streets are littered with corpses and his isolation has made him slightly unhinged. Everything changes when he finds another survivor, a woman named Lisa (Rosalind Cash)

This film is a product of its time. For instance, the music sounds really funky to the point where I was unable to decipher whether to take certain scenes as ominous or not. The special effects, particularly the makeup, also show their age. The story is compelling enough but it isn’t nearly as complex, exciting or dramatic as it should be. Yeah there are some pretty good sequences where there are shootouts between Neville and the vampires, but they just don’t have as much impact as they should, and it’s difficult to place exactly what is wrong here. Maybe it’s the pacing, which is too slow, maybe it’s the villains, who don’t seem terribly diabolical or threatening, The vampires are literally bringing a spear to a gun fight (a pretty lousy looking spear I might add) Towards the end, I found myself becoming frustrated as the characters we are introduced to start acting foolishly just to advance the plot. We’ve got one character that stupidly walks into a situation that gets him brutally killed because he apparently never thought that the cult of torch-wielding barbarians might not be friendly, we’ve got another twist of allegiance that comes so quickly and without warning it leaves you more confused than upset and a concluding shot that leaves you indifferent.

I really wanted to love this movie. I love the premise and I’ve enjoyed the novel it’s based off of. More than that, I was intrigued by the idea of an older action hero fighting against dire odds. Not because he hopes to win, but to kill time and vent his frustration. Ultimately, I can only say that this movie is ok. It is compelling and has its share of good scenes. I say check it out and make up your own opinion; some will undoubtedly like it more than I did and others a lot less. I don’t really know what else to say about this film. Just make sure you don’t accidentally rent the Asylum’s “I Am Omega” when looking for “The Omega Man”. (On DVD, December 2013)