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The Last Man on Earth, 1964
Dr Robert Morgan (Vincent Price) lives in an alternate reality where a plague has turned almost everyone into vampire-like creatures. Morgan suspects he may be the last living person, and spends his days hunting the creatures and disposing of their bodies. But things take a turn when Morgan realizes he may not be as alone as he thought.
I am kind of torn on this film. My gut is that it had some really powerful moments, but that the overall structure and pace of it just didn't work that well for me.
On the positive side, I liked the way that the film leans into the despair that the character feels. It's a dynamic that I associate a lot with certain episodes of The Twilight Zone, where someone is essentially engaged in a slow-burn existential crisis brought about by isolation.
I also thought that some of the sequences were really effective, such as Morgan's daughter--who is infected--suddenly crying out that she can't see anymore. I also liked the horror of some of the creatures coming for Morgan at night--horrifyingly still able to speak to (and threaten) him.
But something about the pacing didn't quite do it for me. It feels subdued, and not in a good way. While this more low-key tone makes the really bleak or surprising moments pop, I didn't feel like it had great momentum. While the flashback sequence is needed for the story and has some good moments of its own, I didn't like how it chopped the present action.
I was also really frustrated by the way that the film ends. Not necessarily
I might need to give this another shot in the future, but for now I'm feeling pretty tepid on it.
The Last Man on Earth, 1964
Dr Robert Morgan (Vincent Price) lives in an alternate reality where a plague has turned almost everyone into vampire-like creatures. Morgan suspects he may be the last living person, and spends his days hunting the creatures and disposing of their bodies. But things take a turn when Morgan realizes he may not be as alone as he thought.
I am kind of torn on this film. My gut is that it had some really powerful moments, but that the overall structure and pace of it just didn't work that well for me.
On the positive side, I liked the way that the film leans into the despair that the character feels. It's a dynamic that I associate a lot with certain episodes of The Twilight Zone, where someone is essentially engaged in a slow-burn existential crisis brought about by isolation.
I also thought that some of the sequences were really effective, such as Morgan's daughter--who is infected--suddenly crying out that she can't see anymore. I also liked the horror of some of the creatures coming for Morgan at night--horrifyingly still able to speak to (and threaten) him.
But something about the pacing didn't quite do it for me. It feels subdued, and not in a good way. While this more low-key tone makes the really bleak or surprising moments pop, I didn't feel like it had great momentum. While the flashback sequence is needed for the story and has some good moments of its own, I didn't like how it chopped the present action.
I was also really frustrated by the way that the film ends. Not necessarily
WARNING: spoilers below
that he dies or whatever. But the staging itself of that whole final sequence was so frustrating to watch. Ruth just inexplicably only going "Wait! Wait!". Hey, how about "He has a cure!" or "He cured me!" or "He can help us!" Likewise, Morgan's refusal to say something---ANYTHING!--to the mob until after he's mortally wounded was weird and felt very "it's in the script".
I might need to give this another shot in the future, but for now I'm feeling pretty tepid on it.