Day 148 - 5/28/09 - Movie #148
BEFORE: Considering the way yesterday's movie ended, I should re-watch "Soylent Green" - except that it's a film with a notable surprise in the plot, and once you know it, there's little point in watching it again. I won't spoil it, but if you haven't seen it and you hunger to know more, I suggest you feast your eyes on it, maybe while you're having some friends over for dinner - even though the film may be an acquired taste.
Instead I'll watch this other Charlton Heston film - I've now got to amend my rule about previously-seen movies, since I'm breaking it for the 4th time. It's OK for me to watch a film I've seen before if I last watched it as a kid (18 or under), and if I don't remember One Darned Thing about it. The other reason to watch "The Omega Man" is to compare it to tomorrow night's film, which is based on the same book - "I Am Legend" by Richard Matheson.
THE PLOT: Robert Neville, a doctor, due to an experimental vaccine, is the only survivor of an apocalyptic war waged with biological weapons. The plague caused by the war has killed everyone else except for a few hundred deformed, nocturnal people.
AFTER: Ever wonder what it would be like to be the last person on Earth? Sure, it sounds great at first - you'd never have to do laundry, or hold down a job, and you could watch movies all day, and listen to your 8-tracks (that's right, 8-track tapes, since this movie is set in the dystopian future of 1977...) Of course, there's a downside - food would eventually be scarce, you'd probably end up talking to yourself, and oh, yeah, at night the irradiated mole men run rampant.
It's funny, people tend to remember Charlton Heston from his roles in "Ben-Hur" and "The Planet of the Apes", but in this film we see a shirtless, glistening Heston driving around L.A. in a red convertible, firing an automatic rifle. I'm guessing that's probably closer to what he was like in real life.
RATING: 6 out of 10 bonfires
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
I was curious about this film and watched it a few years back, but was rather puzzled as to how he could be the last man on earth, but yet there was that group of people he ran into and was helping out.
ReplyDeleteI cannot recall much else about this film, but I think I have to rewatch it before I watch I am Legend, though I am also considering attempting to track down the book.
And as for Solyent Green, while I have watched it, I think few people under the age of 30 (or maybe even 40), have, but it is so heavliy referenced/paraodied, I don't think anyone doesn't know the "twist".