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I Am Omega

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I Am Omega
DVD cover
Directed byGriff Furst
Screenplay byGeoff Meed
Based onI Am Legend
byRichard Matheson(uncredited)
Produced byDavid Michael Latt
David Rimawi
Paul Bales
StarringMark Dacascos
Geoff Meed
Jennifer Lee Wiggins
Ryan Lloyd
CinematographyAlexander Yellen
Distributed byThe Asylum
Release date
  • November 18, 2007(2007-11-18)
Running time
90 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish

I Am Omega,stylized asI Am Ωmega,is a 2007 Americandirect-to-DVDpost-apocalypticscience fictionthriller filmproduced byThe Asylumand starringMark Dacascos.The film is an unofficial and uncredited adaptation of the 1954 novelI Am LegendbyRichard Matheson,the title being a reference to the 1971 film adaptationThe Omega Man.The movie was intentionally released as a "mockbuster"to capitalize on the release of the theatrical filmI Am Legendof the same year.[1]

Plot

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The film takes place in a post-apocalypticLos Angeles,which is overrun byzombie-like,cannibalistichumans who have degenerated into a feral subspecies as the result of a genetic infection. The film does not make clear if the virus has infected the entire world, or just a small, isolated area, but it is suggested that it is global by the inability of the hero, Renchard (Mark Dacascos), to locate radio signals or contact anyone via the Internet.

Renchard has been forced to live in a daily struggle for survival against the mutants. One day, Renchard is contacted viawebcamby Brianna (Jennifer Lee Wiggins), another survivor who was stranded in L.A. while trying to find Antioch, a community of survivors. She asks Renchard to help her, but Renchard, who has placed time bombs at strategic points around the city, refuses.

Two men (the film's screenwriter Geoff Meed and Ryan Lloyd) claiming to be from Antioch arrive at his home seeking his aid. Although initially unpersuaded by their argument that Brianna carries the cure to the virus in her blood, Renchard is forced to cooperate under gunpoint. With 24 hours before the bombs are set to detonate, he leads the men into the city. They must find and free Brianna before the mutants or the bombs can destroy them. After Renchard and Brianna flee the city and Mike (Ryan Lloyd) is killed in the sewers, Vincent (Geoff Meed) shoots Renchard and captures Brianna. He tells Renchard he did it because he liked the world the way it was and leaves him to die. After Renchard recovers his strength, he hotwires a car and chases after Vincent to save Brianna.

After finding them, Renchard kills Vincent, who was attempting to rape and kill Brianna. The bombs explode, and they both head to Antioch to make a cure. However, it is revealed that a single zombie has survived the explosion.

Critical response

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This low-budget,direct-to-videofilm was hurried into production and released a month prior to the big budgetWill SmithfilmI Am Legendin an attempt to cash in on the similar-sounding titles and plots.[2][3]

This has led to some confusion among film fans, which is no doubt the intention of film distributorThe Asylum,which have used this marketing strategy in the past with such other confusingly-titled films as30,000 Leagues Under the Sea,Transmorphers,The Da Vinci TreasureandSnakes on a Train.[4]

Critics had few good things to say about the film. Matt Bradshaw said, "The film starts off with a modest amount of promise, but when the story veers away from the film it's aping things quickly go down hill."[5]The San Diego Union Tribunesaid satirically that the film is "The long-awaited prequel toAnimal House,in which Bluto's secret pact with that reviled rival frat is finally revealed? "[6]

Film Critics Unitedsaid that "As far as flicks from The Asylum go,I Am Omegais their best one yet, at least of the ones I've seen. Admittedly this includes fare such asSnakes on a Train, TransmorphersandSuper Croc,all surely among the worst films ever made, but for a little while at leastI Am Omegawas more than just a 'good flick for Asylum standards' but just a plain old decent flick. For a little while at least. "[7]

Cast

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  • Mark Dacascosas Renchard
  • Geoff Meed as Vincent
  • Jennifer Lee Wiggins as Brianna
  • Ryan Lloyd as Mike
  • Gregory Paul Smith as Various Zombies

See also

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References

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  1. ^I Am Legendby Todd McCarthy, Variety, Dec. 7, 2007.
  2. ^Movie 'Mockbusters' Put Snakes on Trains,Weekend Edition Saturday,National Public Radio, December 8, 2007.
  3. ^"And if You Can't Catch 'Cloverfield'..."Archived2019-04-01 at theWayback Machineby Grady Hendrix,The New York Sun,January 18, 2008.
  4. ^Potts, Rolf (7 October 2007)."The New B Movie".The New York Times.Retrieved13 August2019.
  5. ^"Killer B's on DVD: I Am Omega"by Matt Bradshaw, Cinematical, Dec. 17, 2007.
  6. ^"A VIRAL IDEA: Legions of Legends"Archived2016-08-28 at theWayback Machineby James Hebert,The San Diego Union Tribune,December 14, 2007, accessed Jan. 16, 2009.
  7. ^"I Am Omega by Christopher Armsted".Film Critics United.Retrieved2009-01-16.
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