Charlton Heston, Anthony Zerbe, Rosalind Cash

Robert Neville, a doctor,due to an experimental vaccine, is the only survivor of an apocalyptic war waged with biological weapons. The plague caused by the war has killed everyone else except for a fe...( read more  read more... )w hundred deformed, nocturnal people calling themselves "The Family". The plague has caused them to become sensitive to light, as well as homicidally psychotic. They believe science and technology to be the cause of the war and their punishment, and Neville, as the last symbol of science, the old world, and a "user of the wheel", must die. Neville, using electricty, machinery, and science attempts to hold them at bay.

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57% liked it

11,550 ratings

Critics

59% liked it

32 critics

PG, 1 hr. 38 min.

Directed by: Boris Sagal

Release Date: August 1, 1971

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DVD Release Date: March 6, 2000

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Stats: 1,211 reviews

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Flixster Reviews (1,211)


  • October 28, 2009
    The only good thing about this movie was that it begat the Misfits song Where Eagles Dare.
  • September 30, 2009
    Bad acting, dodgy sets and Charlton Heston. Not the Daddy of all B-Movies, more of an Uncle really!
  • April 27, 2009
    super 70's cheese with the king of hyperdramatic overacting. contains every 70's cliche and i have to admit this was more fun than i anticipated
  • April 27, 2009
    Neville: Is this how it starts? A trip to the laughing academy? No, you silly bastard, it starts with you asking yourself silly questions. OK, let's get cleaned up.

    Charlton Heston stars as Robert Neville, the supposed last man on earth in this 70s version of the classic Richar...( read more)d Matheson novel. The movie is fairly decent, but is certainly way too far removed from the actual novel to be seen as a proper adaptation (which has still yet to be seen). Instead, this movie mainly works as a way to watch Heston bad ass it around Los Angeles.

    Living in LA after the world has essentially ended, Neville, a former scientist, spends his days roaming around the area, killing anything that moves, and trying to maintain his sanity. At night he is mocked by large mobs of deformed, nocturnal mutant people, who would like nothing more than to eliminate Neville.

    These mutants, headed by Anthony Zerbe, believe that the various technologies of the world were the reason the world ended, so their current beliefs apparently have them starting from nothing, which also apparently requires them to where black cloaks and sunglasses identical to each other.

    A certain turn in the story leads to another point concerning a possible cure and the plot goes on from there.

    For a film involving a deserted LA, this movie does a good job at getting a lot of establishing shots of the empty city. Its a very good looking film in terms of convincing us of the world's end in a B-movie sort of way.

    Heston is appropriately good and sweaty throughout, dealing with all sorts of problems as well as using both guns and his wits to solve his problems.

    The soundtrack is pretty dated, but there are a lot of scattered little moments throughout that make this film work overall.

    Matthias: Definition of a scientist - a man who understands nothing until there was nothing left to understand.
    Neville: So, there is a little light in the forest after all.
  • September 18, 2008
    I dig this so much more than the recent Will Smith thing. Bonus points for Anthony Zerbe.
  • November 13, 2009
    the second version of I am Legend. well done for it's time
  • October 18, 2009
    This is another one of those 70's sci-fi movies with a social message. It is somewhat dated, but the themes are universal, such as letting technology destroy mankind, class struggle, etc. I like how they were able to film in downtown LA and kept the streets empty. No CGI here, ...( read more)you really get the feel that Robert Neville is kinda of the last man on earth. Great performances by Heston and Rosalind Cash.
  • October 18, 2009
    One of the original "I Am Legend" movies and is not very good. Actually the earliest version "The Last Man On Earth" with Vincent Price was better than this. Terrible musical score and not believable ghouls...the ones left sensitive to light and white faced by the germ warfare o...( read more)f the big war. This was annoying at times and the screenplay had some holes. OH, and THIS IS DEFINITELY NOT A "PG" MOVIE AS STATED....there was almost full nudity and quite a bit of bad language...I haven't seen a PG movie like that before!
  • October 18, 2009
    Cool movie! first one I watched in Blu ray *hehehe*

    I like how he was chillin to easy listening music on 8-Track up in his crib while those Ghouls on the street plotted to wack him.
  • October 15, 2009
    fucking love this film... fuck" i am legend "

Critic Reviews


October 23, 2004
Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times

The ghouls are a little too ridiculous to quite fulfill their function in the movie. They make all the wrong decisions, are incompetent and ill-coordinated. full review

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The Omega Man Trivia


  • Name the movie in which Charlton Heston can only travel the streets of Los Angeles during the daylight hours.  Answer »
  • Richard Matheson wrote What Dreams may Come, that starred Robin Williams and wrote another that became The Omega Man with Charelton Heston but before that Vincent Price was in The Last Man on Earth. What was the story's name?  Answer »
  • In the film The Omega Man (1971), what is the(last man alive) The Omega Man's Name ?  Answer »
  • Which actor played the scientist on a mission to wipe out crazed mutants in the late 60's movie The Omega Man?  Answer »

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