I Am Legend - Original Ending

By now, you probably know about the original ending for I Am Legend that has been floating about. You've probably already seen it. If you haven't, check it out at FirstShowing.net I just saw it, and I am amazed and pleased and intensely disappointed.

The fact that this ending was ready to ship with the movie and then left on the cutting room floor is slightly frustrating. The ending that we all saw in theaters was pretty acceptable, it was emotionally charged, at the least. It provided too much closure, though, and it made the whole movie feel like an exercise in futility.

The new ending, however, is masterful. The plot is closer to the book's without parroting it, and it adds a huge degree of character depth that we did not see in the theaters. The dynamic between the lead Vampire and Neville is amazing. Also, it didn't have to rely on the shlocky angel wings to tell Neville to take action, it appealed directly to our emotional sensibility for that sense of climax.

So, this is my vote for the alternate ending. It is much better by far than what shipped with the film, and I would really like to have the opportunity to see the film on DVD (read, Blu-Ray) with the option to watch it seamlessly with this new ending. For me that would be enough of a concession to be happy, though I am still very disappointed at the marketing hack responsible for the decision to lop it off in favor of the more "accessible" ending.

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