The 1954 post-apocalyptic horror novel, I Am Legend, by Richard Matheson, was adapted for the big screen as I Am Legend (2007). The story of the original novel was set in 1976 in Cimarron Street, Los Angeles. Robert Neville is the lone survivor in the world that was plagued by a pandemic leaving everyone dead while turning the last humans into zombies. Neville is left in a world without any humans. Matheson discusses the themes such as isolation and depression in the pretext of a science fiction story that discusses the origins of the vampires in the narrative.
However, the themes of grief and loneliness are shown through the character’s perspective. The readers experience the same gloominess as they visualize the state of being alone while saving themselves from the zombies. The theme of loneliness, however, overshadows other themes. As the last person on Earth, he is constantly finding ways to experiment with a cure to treat the zombies so they can become human. Survival is another theme most evident in the novel and its movie adaptations. Neville knows he has to protect himself at all times from the zombies who will not think before killing him. The science behind vampirism is another theme that envelopes the story. He learns that vampires are people suffering from a chronic disease. The vampires are also victims as they did not inflict this on themselves.
Scifiers explores science fiction narratives that enliven our imagination and compel us to think about the “what-ifs” of creative world-building. It is on a mission to discuss ideas about sci-fi in its various forms that keep the genre in a state of continuous expansion.
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Image Source: The Movie Database