Was anyone else laughing at that throw at the end of the movie? Matthias was like 50+ feet off the ground and probably about 75-100 yards away at steep angle and he just picks up the spear as after thought and throws it like it's nothing. I thought that was pretty funny.
shareWell, he used to be an Anchorman, just like Ron Burgandy, so......no, I guess that didn't make him a good aim...perhaps he used to chuck spears for sport in college or to hunt game in his earlier days?
shareIt was a lame way to end the film.
I thought The Last Man on Earth and I Am Legend had much more exciting endings.
1) After several viewings, there's an underlying element of the super natural about Mathias. I've never read the full shooting script, but it's almost like they set up that element, and then edited out scenes to reduce it. The shot of Mathias with the creepy "Liiiisssssaaaa, Liissaaa" hits that nail even more. They obviously set up Neville as the new Christ, and Mathias was the new Devil. Or vice versa, which is the whole underlying concept of I Am Legend as to who is whose bogeyman. So, the Devil picking up a spear to kill Christ does have some consistency (like the spearing during the crucifixion). The original novella doesn't go to that extent, it's more of a primal bogeyman dynamic.
2) At the end, when Neville is penetrating their perimeter, someone chucks a spear at him and it's going at a really good clip and sticks into building. It sets up that it's not unheard of for Family members to chuck a spear pretty well.
3) The whole end of the movie is rushed and unsatisfying. It's like someone in the producer's chair wanted the movie cut down. I don't know how the theaters ran the shows back in '71, but maybe they wanted room for an extra showing if it came in at ~90 minutes.
4) From a director's point of view, Boris Sagal ("Peg Bundy's dad) was a TV movie director. I think it accounts for some of the rushed third act as well. I've heard Heston in interviews talk of how they were trying to make an "important movie" (part of the 70's conceit). It think it shifted from an A-movie concept in development into a B-movie in production. See 3) on how the producers must have wanted something to put out and start getting butts in theaters, and the producers hired a TV caliber director.
5) In the end the movie ends up with a campy, pulp comic book feel to it, which is ok. And the corny ending works on that level.
bro practice makes perfect
loll