The Omega Man

THE FILM

Based upon Richard Matheson's (author of Duel and the Twilight Zone's classic episode Nightmare at 20'000 Feet' amongst many others) novel, "I Am Legend", The Omega Man is something of a mess. Unwisely, perhaps, the films screenwriter, Joyce H Carrington, decided to update the story somewhat and instead of the novels' original vampire threat, The Omega Man sees Charlton Heston ('Neville') battling against survivors of a man-made plague that has wiped out most of civilisation.

The Omega Man is, of course, a product of its time. The apocalyptic theme of the film places it firmly in the camp of the other similarly themed films of the time, such as Night Of The Living Dead, Soylent Green and Planet of the Apes. The bacteria threat is a staple of sci-fi and horror and it's use here is interesting, but in dropping the vampire theme, the film makers removed the deeper mythological elements that made the novel a classic; the title, "I Am Legend" refers to the way in which Neville himself becomes the monster and myth of a vampire society, a nice twist on usual horror conventions.

What we're left with, is a film that doesn't quite know what it wants to be, and the pace is somewhat uneven. The action sequences don't quite fit the narrative and imagery; tension is suddenly replaced by slapstick action before reverting to tension again. But having said this, there is still much enjoyment to be had from the film.

Charlton Heston is at is iconic best as Neville, striding confidently through the eerily deserted city. There are plenty of shots of him stripped to the waist for those who enjoy that sort of thing. The city itself is eerie, pre-empting 28 Days Later by thirty years, the empty city here is far more terrifying and atmospheric than the digital jiggery pokery employed by the makers of that film. Director Boris Sagal enjoys playing with the viewer; on numerous occasions, a character will be seen doing something fairly ordinary, like shopping, and there will be nothing to suggest anything out of the ordinary until the camera moves slightly, and brings a decomposed corpse into view. Sagal uses every inch of the 2.40:1 ratio to compose some quite magnificent shots; perhaps best of which is the opening sequence in which Heston is seen driving through the deserted city, dwarfed and framed by the buildings and streets. There is also at least one very good shock scene, towards the end, which is done very impressively indeed, and is guaranteed to jolt.

The flashback scenes, showing the build up to the war, are also done well. Employing the now familiar device of TV broadcasts, we see news clips reporting war, and some impressive shots of crowded streets filled with people catching the plague. Again, it all works far better than you might expect and the film is loaded with quite poignant imagery; a decomposed couple in bed and a nightmarish trip through a hospital are two that stand out.

The other survivors of the plague, Heston's nemesis, are a group called 'The Family', led by a maniac called Matthias, whose terror is slightly muted by his uncanny resemblance to a certain DJ, fond of cigars and jewellery. 'The Family', (Charles Manson references are very much intentional) hold the modern world responsible for the plague; correctly of course, but their response is to revert back to a weird sort of medieval luddite society and spend their evenings burning books, making clumsy attempts to capture Heston and, presumably, partying. They look quite good and creepy in their black robes and hoods but this is spoilt by the films insistence on including crowd-pleasing action scenes. There seems to be some suggestion that Matthias has mind control over his subjects, but this is not explored in any depth.

There is much to like about The Omega Man. It is a mess, but no less entertaining for that. The action sequences are fun, the music funky and weird, and the plot moves along at cracking pace. The end of the film contains some quite powerful religious imagery, and leaves the viewer with something to think about. The Omega Man enjoys cult status and it is easy to see why.

THE DISC

Anamorphic and in 2.40:1, the print used is damage free, but there is some grain in the dark scenes. Not too noticeable, though, apart from one scene in a tunnel. The daylight scenes are a little soft, and there does seem to be some edge enhancement. Colours are bright and strong, though, and there is a fair amount of detail, you will find yourself searching for signs of life in the 'deserted' city in the background of long shots.

Soundtrack is in mono only, but clear and bright.
Standard Amaray packaging and there seems to be no insert. Perhaps it is time to bring back the snapper.

EXTRAS

A bit thin, considering the cult status of the film.
All contain the full range of subtitle options, but are English language only.

A very atmospheric Trailer, which, surprisingly for a trailer of this era, has little in the way of spoilers.

There's an all new Introduction to the Film, which looks like a 'making-of' documentary, but shorter, much shorter at only four minutes long but it is interesting and gives some insight into the intentions of the film makers. Lots of spoilers, so don't think about watching it as an introduction, unless you have seen the film before. Far more intelligent and interesting to watch than most fillers of this type and it's a shame it's not a bit longer. Fullscreen.

A vintage documentary, from the time of the films release, The Omega Man - The Last Man Alive which is fascinating, though short at nine minutes long. Much of it involves Heston researching the character with Dr. Ashley Montigue, "famous anthropologist", who believes Heston's character is a portrayal of all modern people, who suffer from the 'survivor psychosis'. Food for thought, and the film can certainly be read this way. Heavily staged, and clunky, but it does give an insight into the thought process involved in taking on a role. There's also some B-roll footage and some backstage clips and the whole thing is padded out with clips of the film itself. Interesting and, but again, too short. Plenty of spoilers and fullscreen.

The Omega Man is a bona fide classic. Dated and clumsy perhaps, but thoroughly entertaining and intelligently made. The ideas in the film are interesting, and it does bear up quite well to repeat viewings. The package of extras are woefully short, however, but presumably there is little else in the way that could have been provided, but a commentary from Heston or the screenwriter would have been superb and would be worth the price of the disc alone. You do get some extras, though and at least they are worth watching and this release of The Omega Man is to be recommended, especially at the budget price.