The Omega Man

Released: 1971
Sci-fi, Horror
Starring: Charlton Heston, Anthony Zerbe, Rosalind Cash
Director: Boris Sagal
Rated: PG for some nudity and violence
Running Time: 98 minutes

The breakdown:  The last man on Earth is battling against a group of infected "vampires" calling themselves "The Family" who want to kill him.


I have already posted a review of "I Am Legend" the book and the movie.  This is another version of the book, though it deviates greatly.
Here Robert Neville is an L.A. Army doctor who is one of the last people on Earth not infected by an apocalyptic war that raged with biological weapons.  China and the Soviet Union started a war and ending up killing most of humanity.  Robert injected himself with an experimental vaccine that saved him from becoming a vampire.  Now he's immune and looking for a cure for everyone else. 
There are a group of nocturnal people who have albino skin calling themselves "The Family" that have survived though.  They are sensitive to light and want to kill Neville.  They think science and technology to be the reason for the war and for their own deformities.  Neville is just a convenient scapegoat to blame as they think he is one of the last symbols of science, military, and the old world.  He is a "user of the wheel" and must be killed.  They want to destroy all of technology and also burn certain books.
Neville uses anything and everything to protect his stronghold, atop a tall apartment building, he has guns, explosives, and any other technology he can use against them.  He hunts during the day trying to kill members of "The Family" and looks for things to help him survive. 
Soon "The Family" captures Robert in a wine cellar and put him on trial.  The lead "Family" member is named Matthias who used to be a television anchor man in his normal pre-mutated life.  Robert is found guilty and about to be burned at the stake when Lisa and Dutch rescue him.  Lisa he had seen earlier on a hunt, but she ran away from him.  Lisa and Dutch are part of a small group of non-mutated survivors, but they are infected.  They have young children with them that somehow slow down the changing process, but if left without a cure, they will eventually become "Family" members.
Robert digs Lisa and they have a little romance briefly in the movie.  Lisa's brother is about to succumb to the virus, but Robert makes a serum with his immune blood and saves him before it's too late.  Lisa's stupid brother is convinced that "The Family" can also be saved and goes to them to explain.  Matthias does not believe that Robert would want to help them now and accuses the boy of being sent by Robert to hurt "The Family".  He orders the boy be executed and they do.  Robert discovers the boys body hanging out in the night to draw him out as bait.  Neville is outraged and fights off the horde after they push his car off the road.
Lisa changes quickly into one of "The Family" members and betrays Robert by leading "The Family" to his home.  When Neville comes home, he is met by Matthias and made to watch as they set his house on fire.  Robert gets free of his captors and runs outside with Lisa.  He takes a gun and aims it at Matthias looking down on them out the window.  Just as he's about to shoot, the gun jams and it gives Matthias enough time to throw a spear into Robert, mortally wounding him.  He dramatically falls into the fountain in the square and blood flows with the water.  Lisa stays with him until dawn, even though she says she's a "Family" member.  The others I guess stayed inside the burning apartment, maybe too tired to fight anymore, or just wanted it all to end.
The rest of the human survivors come up on the fountain and a dying Robert Neville.  He hands them a flask of his blood serum, so humanity can be restored and saved through his immunity.  After handing over the serum, Robert dies in the pose of the crucified Jesus Christ.  The survivors take Lisa and leave town and leave "The Family" to die like Robert wanted.

I give this version 3 out of 5 ticket stubs.  I think it deviates too much from the original story especially when the main character is supposed to be the last normal man on Earth, but finds other survivors.  Also at times, this version is just too cheesy.