Review of The Omega Man (1971) by Nick W — 19 Apr 2008

This is the superior cinema adaptation of Richard Matheson's 1954 novel I AM LEGEND which was lamentably remade recently with Will Smith and was disappointing - but Charlton Heston really knows how to make a movie worth watching with some action scese. The story you will know of the last man alive after a biowar has decimated the world's population only to find he isn't - and encounters a family like no other, a religious cult led by Anthony Zerbe proclaiming 'WE SHALL CLEANSE THE WORLD!!!' - famously sampled by the band Revolting Cocks. OK, so it is very 1970s in its setting and may look cheesy now, but that is part of its appeal. Points of interest - no CGI zombies in this one thank God, some great setpieces in Heston's survivalist home and Zerbe's cult has also been lampooned on The Simpsons in the Halloween spoof THE HOMEGA MAN!!

I think part of the appeal of this movie today is the time it was made and the rawness of 1970s cinema which I grew up with, and no CGI, which to me is a breath of fresh air. Sadly, at time of adding to this review(20/4/08), the great Charlton Heston passed away recently, and this movie, along with his other sci-fi epics PLANET OF THE APES and SOYLENT GREEN will remain a fitting tribute - he dared to do stuff ahead of its time.