I found this interesting alternate ending to I Am Legend. Go watch it and then come back.

I have to say, that I prefer this one to the theatrical version. It gives more payoff to the zombies’ drive to find Dr. Neville. There’s a very good reason for which Dr. Neville completely didn’t foresee, given that his approach to their condition was based on a disease model. He was solely focusing on a cure. This ending paints a more humanizing face onto the zombies, though they seem animalistic and are definitely dangerous.

That said, having Dr. Neville not die in the end seems a bit of the maudlin ending we’d expect from Hollywood. In fact, I’m quite surprised that they chose to go with the theatrical ending. All big movies like these are test-screened by focus group audiences. And given that the average moviegoer prefers a happy ending, it’s very curious that they approved the theatrical conclusion.

With the talk of a sequel in the works, I’m wondering what version the producers will go with. I’m guessing the theatrical version, since Will Smith has already said he won’t be returning.

Fun ending to watch, nonetheless.

Leave a comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.