Somebody recently posted a copy of the original, unused ending for last year’s I Am Legend starring Will Smith, and I have to say, the mostly unseen footage (part of the original ending was used in trailers leading up to the film’s release) is far superior to the version shown in theaters.
See for yourself. The entire clip runs a little under 7 minutes.
I like this ending. A lot.
(You can read my original not-so-glowing review for I Am Legend here. Skip to the end of the review for a brief, spoiler-free discussion of the rather disappointing theatrical ending.)
The original ending has a lot more cinematic punch to it. It’s actually a little scary, and it’s definitely more intense. The ending actually makes sense and ties things together rather nicely, leaving very little of what came before unresolved.
The movie actually has a point, and as an added bonus, the film remains much truer to the source material as well.
The creatures, the rubbery-faced, CGI, not-so-vampires, or ”Dark Seekers,” aren’t the monsters. Robert Neville’s the monster.
The proof’s right there for all to see – the photos taken of his unwilling test subjects who died all as a result of his misguided quest to find a “cure.”
Don’t get me wrong – the original, ”alternate” ending’s still not perfect. I don’t really like the Signs-esque nature of the revelation (the whole “butterfly” thing), and I still have problems with the final scene, the last minute or so before the credits roll (Anna’s upbeat “you are not alone” voice over narration doesn’t do it for me), but all-in-all, a definite improvement over the theatrical ending.
What do you think?
Tags: I Am Legend Alternate Ending
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