Amazon.com video review:
Science fiction took a grim turn in the 1970s--the heyday of
Agent Orange, nuclear peril, and Watergate. Suddenly, most of our
possible futures took on a "last man on Earth" flavor, with The
Omega Man topping the doom-struck heap.
Charlton Heston plays the government researcher behind the ultimate
biological weapon, a deadly plague that has ravaged humanity. There
are two groups of survivors: a dwindling band of immune humans and an
infected, psychopathic mob of light-hating quasi-vampires. The
infected are led by Mathias, a clever, charismatic man set on
destroying the last remnants of the civilization that produced the
plague. Heston has a vaccine--but he and the few remaining normals are
outnumbered and outgunned. By day, he builds a makeshift version of
the nuclear family (with Rosalind Cash as his afro-wearing, gun-toting
little lady). They plan for the future while roaming freely through an
empty urban landscape, taking what few pleasures life has left. By
night, they defend themselves against the growing horde of plague
victims. Both a bittersweet romance and a gothic cautionary tale,
The Omega Man paints a convincing portrait of hope and
despair. It ain't pretty, but it's a great movie. --Grant
Balfour
