alternate ending of I am Legend explained more about the infected than the theatrical version, was more in line with Richard Matheson's 1954 novel, and deepened the rest of the film. An alternative I am Legend The ending first appeared in Will Smith's film The DVD was released and was quickly seen as the superior version. The upcoming alternate ending was so popular I legend 2 will not follow the original, Warner Bros I am Legend An alternate cut is available for streaming.
But that means many want to know what's going on now I am Legend alternate ending and why not use it. Although it has been adapted several times before, one aspect I am Legend a book that has never been faithfully adapted is the result. The end I am Legend the novel sees Robert Neville die by his own hand and shows that the infected are intelligent. Moreover, Neville is feared and hated for killing his own kind. Although the theatrical cut betrays this impressive result, I am Legend the alternate ending is truer to him.
I Explain the Alternate Ending of the Legend
The Alternate Ending reveals that the Infected are not what they seem
The Infected's violence against Robert is out of necessity from their point of view.
One of the reasons I am Legend The alternate ending was made canon because, unlike the theatrical cut, Will Smith survives. In I am Legendof In an alternate ending, Robert Neville learns that the infected are self-aware, have some degree of intelligence, and most importantly, have feelings. Neville's shocking revelation is that the infected (called the Dark Seekers in the book) fear him. The Infected's violence against Robert is out of necessity from their point of view.
The vampire-like infected attack his house not to kill him, but to save one of their own. Their attack is a rescue mission to free an infected woman Neville kidnapped as a test subject. The moral weight of Neville's brutal experiments to find a cure for the virus I am Legend alternate ending. Realizing that the creatures are still intelligent, have a form of communication, and have developed their own societies, Neville allows the test subject to rejoin his kin.
He never says it out loud, though he probably realizes that he's a monster to Darkseekers too (just like in the book). However, the realization causes Will Smith's character to survive in the alternative I am Legend ends. The original ending has Neville sacrificing himself to save the newly discovered survivors, Anna and Ethan. However, the Darkseekers simply leave, reuniting with their captured relatives in an alternate ending. Later, Neville takes the cure and goes to Vermont with Anna and Ethan as a changed man.
Why the I Am Legend Alternate Ending Wasn't Used
Audiences Had Difficulty Accepting Neville as a Villain
The I am Legend the alternate ending was not used in the final cut for several reasons. The theatrical cut made several changes from early drafts, including which version Neville's dog survives. Finally, the last ending for I am Legend The script “Will Smith dies” was chosen based on the reception of the audience and received the most positive response. The end of the theater I am Legend It was controversial among fans of Richard Matheson's novel, but as they felt it failed to capture thematically what made the ending of the book so effective.
The story of the theatrical cut may be closer I am Legend It's novel in terms of Robert Neville dying, but it certainly misses the philosophical point of the story, which is more about morality than zombies. While the alternative I am Legend The ending is still far from book, but closer in spirit, as Neville learns that he is not as righteous as he thought.
Unfortunately, as revealed by director Francis Lawrence, the reason I am Legend The twist ending was later changed to a more heroic one seen in theaters test audiences reacted very negatively to the ending, which cast Robert Neville as the villain.
I Am Legend 2 will follow the I Am Legend Alternate Ending
Sequel Won't End Controversial Outcome of Theatrical Cut
Since then I legend 2 There have been many questions about Will Smith's return with new cast member Michael B. Jordan. Since Robert Neville died at the end i am legend It would be hard to imagine the return of Will Smith without flashback scenes (perhaps via Neville's video recordings).
However, by making I am Legend there's no narrative complexity to the alternate ending of the canon finale, Robert Neville's sequel. I legend 2 It will continue the story with an alternate ending rather than a theatrical cut showing what Robert does after surviving Manhattan and escaping with the cure.
While the alternative I am Legend the ending explains how Will Smith came back for the sequel, but it still raises a lot of questions I legend 2 must answer. If Neville had the medicine, did he give it to the survivors or the infected mutants, or did he understand that they should be left alone in the life they built?
Where the tension is is also under question I legend 2 comes from because it turns out that the infected is not a new mindless threat I am Legend ends. Maybe Neville becomes their protector against other people who don't understand them. However, it might be interesting to see Will Smith as the villain and Michael B. Jordan as the hero preventing him from killing his infected.
I Am Legend has one of the most popular alternate endings ever
However, there are others who Notice
There are many films with alternate endings, although few are known or significant I am Legend. The fact is I legend 2 An alternate ending will follow, and it's almost unprecedented for a film to be re-released with a new ending. However, there are several other notable alternate endings to films that have achieved similar levels of notoriety.
For example, Butterfly effect the director's cut completely changes the ending of Eric Bress and J Macye Gruber's 2004 film. Released in the same year Butterfly effect Coming to DVD, the alternate ending sees the timeline-traveling hero Evan (Ashton Kutcher) meet a tragic fate. Instead of simply changing events so that the friends he'd put in danger would never meet him, Evan goes back to when he was in his mother's womb. He then proceeds to strangle himself with his own umbilical cord.
It's an incredibly dark ending that immediately became a topic of discussion, and to this day there are those who believe that Eric's suicide was staged theatrically in the womb. Butterfly effect it's over Not every alternate ending gained notoriety for its perceived improvements to the original I am Legend or butterfly effect, however. 1985 film by Jonathan Lynn hint, based on the board game of the same name, used alternate endings to change the outcome of the murder mystery comedy plot.
Hint was released in theaters with three alternate endings to match the experience of playing the board game. Each of the three alternate endings has a different cast member as the guilty party, and each has an extra kill or two during the big reveal. One even reveals that Tim Curry's character Wadsworth is an undercover FBI agent.
But when it's over Butterfly effect and Hint became talking points, nor did it impact the potential franchise as much as the original I am Legend it's over It's a brave new frontier for a franchise to reinvent its sprawling story based on an alternate ending, but the positive response already indicates a positive direction for its sequel.