The Omega Man
(Warner Bros. Region One DVD)
(1971)
review by Head Cheeze

Somewhere along the long road between the Chariot Races of Ben Hur and the gig as spokesman for the NRA, Charlton Heston took a detour onto B-Movie Boulevard. The matinee idol's turn in the well recieved Planet of the Apes (a role he only accepted because his career was tanking) led to offers to appear in more sci-fi/shlock flicks, including the much loved Soylent Green, and The Omega Man. The latter, based on the Richard Matheson novel I am Legend, was a commercial and critical failure in it's day, but has developed a cult following that has made it a guilty pleasure for millions; myself included.

In the not-so-distant future, chemical warfare has all but wiped out the human race, leaving most of it's survivors facing a fate worse than death as hideously disfigured and light sensitive scavengers who roam the empty city streets under the cover of night. Dr. Robert Neville (Heston), is, for all intents and purposes. the 'last man on Earth", and the sole beneficiary of an experimental vaccine that keeps him from succumbing to the effects of the still lingering bio-agents. Neville spends his days gathering supplies and fortifying his home, while his evenings are spent listening to loud music to drown out the taunts of "The Family", an organised group of scavengers who launch nightly attacks on Neville's well protected home. During one of Neville's excursions into the city, he is shocked to discover a "human" woman (Cash) who leads him to even more survivors in the outskirts of the city. Now, with a new hope for the future of mankind, Neville organises his small band of survivors to take back the night.

The Omega Man is classic seventies sci-fi, from it's 'fros and prose, to it's socio-political ethos. Heston's association with films of this ilk seems to fly in the face of his later conservative leanings, but, the fact is, Chuck needed the paycheck, and boy, oh boy, he earns it by the syllable with this one. Neville's constant chatter is pure unfiltered Heston with an extra slice of ham, and even when he interacts with others it's still as if he's talking to himself. It's one of those performances where the line between brilliance and parody is blurred beyond recognition.

I've always enjoyed this flick, although not nearly as much as the novel it's based on. The Omega Man's antagonists are basically albinos in cloaks who sleep by day and attack Neville by night. In the book, they're vampires, and Neville spends his days wiping out their nests, which gives the creatures a reason for being so preoccupied with him (in addition to the fact that they want to drink his blood!). In this film, however, their goal is to either kill him or make him join them, which doesn't make much sense at all. A bunch of light-sensitive albinos in robes pale in comparison to bloodthirsty vampires as far as antagonists are concerned, and, while I understand their role in the "hippied-up" version of the story, it doesn't mean I have to accept them.

Still, flaws aside, The Omega Man is such a ludicrously over-the-top goof that it's impossible not to have a good time watching it. Whether you take it as straight sci-fi/horror, or campy time capsule is up to you.

Warner Brothers FINALLY releases the film on DVD with a great widescreen anamorphic transfer that's crisp and clean and shows nary a hint of grain or distortion. Sure, there's a few artifacts here and there, but given that the film's over thirty years old, I think we can forgive them.

The DVD's extras were a pleasant surprise, with actual material shot back in 1971 that features an interview with the late Rosalind Cash, as well as a some great behind-the-scenes stuff. The disc also features an introduction by screenwriter Joyce H. Carrington, Paul Koslo ("Dutch"), and Eric Laneuville ("Richie"), as well as a short featurette about Heston's sci-fi career.

The Omega Man is a cult classic that finally comes home in a surprisingly well rounded set for what is essentially a budget priced DVD. A definite "must" for sci-fi afficionados.