Search - Last Man on Earth on DVD

Surprisingly modern -- and bleak.

Maine Writer | Maine, USA | 02/12/2005

(3 out of 5 stars)

"This movie far exceeded my admittedly low expectations. You know this isn't your ordinary mid-sixties black and white horror film -- a clear inspiration for Night of the Living Dead and 28 Days Later -- or your typical over-the-top Vincent Price performance. It opens with a bleak cityscape, a post-apocalyptic vision of burned out cars and corpses. Something awful has happened, and we soon learn that Vincent Price's character is the last survivor of a plague that has turned humanity into a race of vampires ... prowling at night in search of blood and repelled by garlic (an allergic reaction) and mirrors. The story is based upon Richard Matheson's I Am Legend (which is fast, interesting read), and he co-wrote the screenplay.



Is it perfect? No. Price's performance is a bit too effeminate to be totally effective as a "one man against the world" story. And some of the trappings -- the garlic, the mirrors, the crosses -- take away from the the effort to paint this as a "realistic" plague story. Still, it is modern, literate and engaging."

WELL DONE "B" FILM PRESENTS A BLEAK NEAR FUTURE [1960'S] SCE

Heather L. Parisi | St. Augustine, FL USA | 09/26/2005

(4 out of 5 stars)

"My low expectations for this dystopian yarn were far exceeded by this seemingly half-baked, Italian-made "B" flick. Titled "L'Ultimo Uomo della Terra" [same meaning] where it was made in Italy, this film is initially powered by Vincent Price's soliloquy to get the narration going as this film creeps along. Largely due to Vincent Price's efforts, SOMEHOW THIS FILM WORKS!



We hear and see how in a post-epidemic Earth scientist Robert Morgan (Vincent Price) is the one man immune to a plague that has transformed all of humankind that has survived into vampire-like creatures. Morgan becomes the vampire-hunter while the few remaining half-alive mutant vampires live in fear of him. He is alone and in his despair we see through his eyes how the plague developed just 3 years earlier and how his best friend became one of the monsters that now stalks him by night. The flashback ends with Morgan recalling how his wife returned from the grave after he had just buried her, calling him by name as she menacingly approached him. This was creepy stuff.



At this point, now back to the present, Morgan finds a puppy. After adopting the dog as his own, Morgan finds that he too is a plague victim. After the dog's hair begins falling out, we move on to the next scene which shows Morgan burying the puppy covered with a white sheet with a stake through it. I admit it was pretty obvious, but effectively pathetic nonetheless. Then Morgan has a real break and meets one of the human "survivors". He actually cures this zombie, Ruth (Franca Bettoja), with a transfusion of his blood. For the first time in over three years there seems to be hope.



This story is based on Richard Matheson's dark novel "I Am Legend". In 1971, this story was remade as "The Omega Man" with Charlton Heston in the Vincent Price role. "The Omega Man" seems over-the-top compared to this more modest effort and Price does an excellent job of making the bleakness look real and appropriate.



DVD WIDESCREEN EDITION:



This particular editon is an excellent widescreen presentation that I purchased to replace a rather poor video edition. The sound is much better on this DVD, and the picture was almost miraculously improved over the video release. Rarely have I seen such an improvement from Video to DVD and in an old, low-budget release.



FEATURES: As you would expect it has "Scene Selection" (more chapters than usual) plus closed captioning. It also includes 4 miscellaneous horror trailers, a short biography/filmography for Vincent Price, a movie lobby poster, and trivia quiz."

Biggest "creep out" you'll get at this price!

lighten_up_already2 | Kirkland, WA USA | 01/03/2007

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I saw this movie on TV when I was a child and it totally creeped me out! It may be a "B" movie, but it's totally effective in immersing the viewer into the post apocalyptic hell of the "last man on earth".



To me one great aspect of this movie, other than the sheer horror and dread created by the ambiance of the movie, is that it starts out horror but ends sci-fi. Very cool!



So, now I own the DVD and I haven't watched it yet because I'm afraid to watch it by myself! Well, not really, but almost. Actually, I want to watch it with one or more people who have never seen it before in order to see their reactions. Oh well, nine months to Halloween!"

Underrated

patriotman | USA | 01/10/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This movie is better than 1968's "Night of the Living Dead." Romero really ripped off scenes from this film in NOTLD. I don't understand why people think this a B-movie. It's a classic. It has a better plot. Plus, the cast in this film are virus-ridden, bloodsucking humans, and the sole survivor of a worldwide plague."