You've probably seen the image of Will Smith wandering through a desolate, weed-choked Times Square with nothing but a dog and a rifle. It's iconic. But if you ask a room full of people I am legend what is it about, you’re going to get three very different answers depending on whether they read the book, watched the theatrical cut, or stumbled upon the "controversial" alternate ending.
It’s a story about isolation. It’s a story about vampires. Or maybe it’s a story about being the monster in someone else’s nightmare.
The Core Concept: Robert Neville vs. The World
At its simplest level, the story follows Robert Neville. He is, as far as he knows, the last human being on Earth. A plague has swept the globe, killing most people and turning the survivors into light-sensitive, blood-hungry creatures. By day, Neville scavenges for supplies and hunts the sleeping monsters. By night, he barricades himself in his home, listens to jazz, and tries not to lose his mind while the things outside scream his name.
Richard Matheson wrote the original novel in 1954, and it changed everything. Before Matheson, vampires were gothic relics living in European castles. He brought them into the suburbs. He gave them a biological explanation. He made the apocalypse feel lonely rather than just scary.
The 2007 Movie Version (The One You Likely Know)
In the Francis Lawrence film, the "vampires" are replaced by Darkseekers. They look more like hairless, CGI-heavy zombies with superhuman strength and a serious case of rabies. Will Smith plays Neville as a military scientist—specifically a virologist—trying to find a cure using his own immune blood.
The movie leans heavily into the survivalist fantasy. You see him playing golf on the wing of a fighter jet and talking to mannequins in a video store. It’s heartbreaking. When his dog, Samantha, eventually dies, it isn't just a sad movie moment; it represents the total extinction of his connection to the living world.
But here is where the movie deviates from the soul of the book. In the theatrical version, Neville finds a cure, blows himself up to save two other survivors, and becomes a literal "legend" by saving humanity. It’s a standard hero’s journey. It’s also, honestly, kind of a betrayal of what Matheson actually wrote.
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The Book’s Twist: Who Is the Real Monster?
If you really want to know I am legend what is it about, you have to look at the title's origin in the 1954 novel.
In the book, Neville eventually realizes that the vampires have started to rebuild their own society. They have a government. They have families. To them, Neville is the boogeyman. He is the ghost that comes out during the day while they sleep and murders them in their beds. He is a creature of legend—the same way vampires used to be a legend to humans.
He realizes he is the "Dark Knight" of their world. He is the anomaly that must be executed so their new society can live in peace. "I am legend," he thinks as he dies. He isn't a hero; he's an extinct species’ last, violent gasp.
Why the Ending Matters So Much
The 2007 film actually filmed an alternate ending that stayed truer to this theme. In it, the "Alpha" Darkseeker isn't trying to eat Neville; he’s trying to rescue his mate, whom Neville has kidnapped for experiments.
When Neville realizes this, he sees the humanity (or at least the sentience) in the monsters. He realizes he has been a butcher. The look of pure terror on his face when he understands his own cruelty is some of Will Smith’s best acting, yet test audiences hated it. They wanted the explosion. They wanted the hero to win.
Key Differences Between Versions:
- The Book (1954): Vampires are smart, can talk, and are afraid of mirrors and garlic. Neville dies realizing he’s the bad guy.
- The Last Man on Earth (1964): Starring Vincent Price. Very faithful to the book’s bleak tone.
- The Omega Man (1971): Charlton Heston fights a cult of albino mutants. It’s very "70s action movie" and loses most of the philosophical depth.
- I Am Legend (2007): High-budget survival horror. Focuses on the "cure" and Neville’s sacrifice.
The Science of the Plague
Matheson was obsessed with making the "supernatural" feel real. He researched bacteria and blood disorders. In the story, the "vampirism" is caused by a bacterium called Vampiris.
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He explains the aversion to crosses as a psychological trigger—the infected people remember their former religions and experience a hysterical reaction. He explains the stakes through the heart as a way to let air into the bloodstream, killing the anaerobic bacteria. It was one of the first "hard sci-fi" takes on a horror trope.
The 2007 movie shifts this to a re-engineered measles virus intended to cure cancer. It’s a classic "science gone wrong" trope that feels a bit more grounded for a modern audience used to The Last of Us or 28 Days Later.
Isolation and Mental Health
At its heart, the story is a study of what happens to a man when the "other" becomes the majority. Neville struggles with alcoholism, depression, and sexual frustration. He spends pages and pages just trying to figure out why the vampires react to certain stimuli.
It’s a procedural about loneliness.
When he finally meets another person—a woman named Ruth—the tension isn't just about whether she’s infected. It’s about whether he has even remembered how to be a human being. He’s spent so long killing that he doesn't know how to love or trust anymore.
How to Experience "I Am Legend" Today
If you’ve only seen the Will Smith movie, you haven't seen the whole story. To truly understand the impact of this narrative, you should look into the different iterations.
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1. Watch the Alternate Ending
Search for the "I Am Legend Alternate Ending" on YouTube or your physical media copy. It completely changes the movie's message and makes it a much more intellectual experience. It sets up the upcoming sequel (which is reportedly ignoring the theatrical ending) much better.
2. Read the 1954 Novel
It’s a short read—barely a novella. It is far darker and more cynical than any of the movies. The prose is lean and mean. You’ll see where writers like Stephen King got their inspiration.
3. Check out the 1964 Vincent Price film
It’s grainy, black and white, and looks low-budget, but it captures the "uncanny" feeling of the book better than the 2007 blockbuster.
4. Follow the Sequel News
With Michael B. Jordan joining Will Smith for a sequel, it’s been confirmed that they are following the alternate ending of the first film. This means Neville lived, and he likely spent the last decade reckoning with the fact that he isn't the hero of the story.
Understanding I am legend what is it about requires accepting a hard truth: sometimes, being the last one left doesn't make you the "chosen one." Sometimes it just makes you a relic. The story survives because it asks us what we would do if our entire world disappeared overnight, and whether we’d have the strength to realize when we’ve become the thing people should be afraid of.
To get the most out of the franchise, start with the 1954 book to understand the "Legend" title, then watch the 2007 movie's alternate cut to prepare for the upcoming cinematic sequel. This gives you the full arc of Robert Neville from a desperate survivor to a self-aware observer of a new world order.