I Am Omega (2007)

A surprisingly good film from those crazy guys at The Asylum

The Asylum, with its string of knock-off films such as Transmorphers, Snakes on a Train, and Da Vinci Treasure, has garnered many a negative review over the past few years, but these guys seem to have stepped in something pretty good with I Am Omega. While Will Smith's I Am Legend (Widescreen Two-Disc Special Edition with Digital Copy) is more of a new adaptation of Richard Matheson's classic horror novel I Am Legend, let's consider I Am Omega a remake of The Omega Man starring Charlton Heston (which was in turn a remake of The Last Man on Earth starring Vincent Price, which was itself based on Matheson's novel). I have heard that this low-budget film was shot in less than two weeks, a fact which doesn't inspire much confidence, and it definitely displays a number of flaws, but I'll be doggoned if I didn't enjoy this movie quite a bit.

Mark Dacascos plays Renchard, seemingly the sole survivor of a mysterious plague or virus that turned all of his friends and neighbors into mindless zombies. We don't know how long he has been living a life of solitude, but it has to have been a pretty good while because his hold on sanity has become pretty slippery. He talks to a dressed-up dummy, suffers from hallucinations, and takes all sorts of unidentified pills to get by. It's perfectly understandable, especially since he doesn't have the luxury of monster-free days - since this film populates the world with zombies instead of vampires, Renchard has to be on-guard constantly when he is out making his rounds. Things could be worse, though. For wholly unexplainable reasons, the power is still on and he still has access to the Internet. He also has his house rigged up to alert him of any zombie intruders, but it's far from a fortified sanctuary for him. Of course, once all the bombs he has systematically placed all over Los Angeles explode, the resident zombie population should be drastically reduced. Of course, the best-laid plans of mice and men ... but to say more would be to give away too much of the story.

The most obvious weakness of I Am Omega is character development. Aside from the loss of his wife and son, we really learn nothing about Renchard's life before the zombie apocalypse, and as such I had trouble forging any kind of strong emotional connection with the guy. In Matheson's original novel and most adaptations of it, the main character's background is a central part of the story. We are also left completely in the dark as to how the zombie apocalypse came about. I can't say I was all that impressed with the zombies populating Renchard's world, either - oh, they look great (this film's special effects are really impressive given the limited budget), but they are just way too easy to kill. One shot (even if it's in an arm or a leg) and they're down for the count (sadly, there's only one satisfying head shot in the whole movie); our protagonist, however, can take multiple bullets and still man up and take care of business. And, as I've already mentioned, it's just ludicrous to think that the Internet would still be operating normally this long after man has become all but extinct.

The negatives weren't enough to ruin my enjoyment of the film, however. Aside from the basic premise, the story differentiates itself nicely from The Omega Man and The Last Man on Earth, forging its own identity somewhere between the two. Additionally, the zombie-killing action is enhanced by Dacascos' martial arts prowess - it's not every day you see a dude take out a gang of zombies with numchuks and wheelhouse kicks. I actually have quite a fondness for The Asylum and its growing number of horrible B-movies, but I Am Omega deserves better than to be lumped together with the likes of Universal Soldiers and AVH: Alien Vs. Hunter. I hope those who have given up on The Asylum will give this film a chance because it's actually pretty good. May 18, 2008

I like it!!

I like it and it's better than I AM LEGEND, because more Zombies (not CGI Stuff) and much more Action. That's it. February 29, 2008

B Horror delight? Sadly that's not the case....

Besides the fact that this movie resembles a current movie and novel exceptionally closely this movie is technically flawed and about as interesting as paint drying. I picked it up because I happen to love B movies and Mark Dacascos and was hoping it would be entertaining. Save your time and watch a Sam Rami movie and/or read/watch I am Legend. Both have what it takes to make a memorable and enjoyable movie experience. Hey.... I wanted it to be good or at least interesting.

PS- The director vehemently denies ever have read OR seen/heard about .I Am Legend'. Please beware the imdb reviews unless you want to read the one guy who played ONE ZOMBIE in the movie (which is supposed to be another, completely different zombie each time) and the director defend the originality of the movie and Mark Dacascos being involved in the filming because he is a friend of the director. While they (doubtlessly) have other talents- it's kind of sad they have so much time to troll the forums to defend this rather lackluster rip-off film. January 28, 2008

The torture in this movie was me watching it!

This is one of those movies that you keep watching just to see if it can get any worse. It's pretty boring during the full flick. The main character hardly talks, there's no explaination given as to where the "virus" came from, and the other reviewer was right. Who the heck would choose a convertible as a get away car from zombies? Plot didn't stand up in this one compared to I am Legend. Don't waste your money, go rent the full budget version. January 15, 2008

IT'S ALRIGHT, BUT IT'S NOTHING SPECIAL 7 OUT OF 10

I Am Omega is the 15th zombie movie I have watched in my lifetime, and unfortunately since it's the 15th, I can tell what it tries to rip off. To start off with the flaws with this movie the storyline is bad, and basically gives no explanation as to where the zombies came from. My guess is since there's a girl who just so happens to have the anti-virus, there was some kind of viral outbreak (Think Resident Evil and 28 Days Later kind viruses). Here's how the storyline goes from what I could tell from watching this movie. It's about a dude who lives in a house somewhere in the desert and is basically trying to survive by any means possible while trying to avoid being munched on by zombies. Then, he gets a video message from a girl who is trapped in the city and she begs him to come and get her but he refuses. Then, two random dudes show up to his house and make him help them help and rescue her before the bombs the main character planted underground to destroy the city go off. So they battle their way through the city to get to her. See? Nothing new or special. It's just a rip off Resident Evil, Land of the Dead, 28 Days Later, and Dawn of the Dead. If this doesn't sound appealing to you as a zombie movie, then avoid it, and go watch Resident Evil: Extinction instead. Also worth mentioning, is the fact the characters in this movie like the girl they go and rescue are stupid. For example; when trying to find a car, the girl picks a convertible... yes, a freaking convertible. To make matters worse, the main character takes the car. Also, my friend turned off the movie before it finished because he said the ending wasn't very exciting, but apparently I guessed it correctly. Here's how it goes. The dude and the chick make out after he rescues her from the dudes who were supposedly helping him and kills them because they were going to kill her, they drive away, and the city blows up. If you watch as many zombies as I have, you can guess endings. Now to mention highlights. The action is fairly standard as a zombie flick (the usual guns and knives), the gore is decent, and it is mostly funny for how dumb it is. January 13, 2008

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