The Omega Man (1971)

   “Two years after much of humankind was destroyed in a global war with biological weapons, Doctor Robert Neville leads a solitary existence in Los Angeles. Those humans that do remain are pigment-less albino creatures that roam the night destroying what remnants that may exist of the previous civilization. Neville, who had worked on an antidote to the virus, is one of their main targets. By day, he searches for their nests while they sleep. He comes across a small band of survivors, mostly children, but which includes two adults. Having injected himself with his experimental serum several years before, Neville in fact may carry the immunities needed to reverse the creatures’ condition. The only question is whether he can survive their constant attacks long enough to prove it.” ~via IMDB

   This is actually my first time watching this classic movie. Being a Charlton Heston fan, I am surprised that I haven’t seen it before this evening. It’s kept my attention throughout the whole film. Like many movies of this era, it seems to have its quirks, and I dig that.

   As I understand it, The Omega Man is a remake of one of my favorite films, The Last Man on Earth. That Vincent Price treasure is a difficult film to top, as far as dystopian nightmare flicks go. I am enjoying the similarities to that film, and the major differences.

  The hero, Mr. Heston, seems pretty one dimensional, but how deep does a man get when he lives a life where his only task left on this planet is to eradicate the mutated remains of humanity. The mutant leader is a bit too chatty, yet aren’t most movie villains / mutant religious fanatics?

   All in all, it’s a good film and one that I should have watched years ago. I need to acknowledge the lads from the Plaid Stallions podcast (Pod Stallions) for turning me onto this one.