Review of The Omega Man (1971) by Al M — 26 Jun 2010

Oddly enough, The Omega Man fits into two different trilogies now: 1.) it is a part of a trilogy of dystopian sci-fi films starring Charlton Heston; and 2.) it is the second of three adaptations of Richard Matheson's classic novel I Am Legend. Of the three adapations, The Omega Man ranks second--it is far superior to the lackluster I Am Legend starring Will Smith, but it falls short of truly awesome Vincent Price film entitled The Last Man on Earth, an understated and somewhat unknown classic of psychological science fiction. In terms of Charlton Heston's dystopian trilogy, it ranks dead last--both Planet of the Apes and Soylent Green attain masterpiece status while The Omega Man unfortunately wallows in B-movie mediocrity.

Still, The Omega Man is fun peice of dystopian cinema featuring Charlton Heston in his prime, which gives the film a sort of bad-ass sense of humor. The film deviates widely from the novel by turning the vampires into light-sensitive religiouis fanatics who seek to purge the earth of the uninfected because they have not suffered the cleansing blade of the virus. A fun piece of cheesy, 70s sci-fi action, The Omega Man never plumbs the psychological depths of the novel and instead chooses the simple path of entertainment when it could have been so much more.