The Gratuitous B-Movie Column 08.23.10: Issue #120
Posted by Bryan Kristopowitz on 08.23.2010
In this issue I take a look at the low budget pseudo zombie plague action flick from 2007 "I Am Omega," starring the great Mark Dacascos.
The Gratuitous B-Movie Column Issue #120: "I Am Omega" (2007)
Hello, everyone, and welcome once again to the internets movie review column that has never lost sight of the fact that some stuff is just damn weird, The Gratuitous B-Movie Column, and I am your host Bryan Kristopowitz. In this issue, issue number one hundred and twenty, I take a look at the low budget pseudo zombie plague action flick from 2007 "I Am Omega," starring the great Mark Dacascos.
I Am Omega (2007)
"I Am Omega," directed by Griff Furst, is a low budget pseudo zombie plague action flick loosely based on Richard Matheson's classic and influential novel I Am Legend, and comes from the fine folks at the Asylum, one of the few real low budget B-movie studios working today. Yes, the Asylum often makes and releases movies that resemble current release big budget movies (people call the Asylum movies "mockbusters"), but what the heck is wrong with that? The great Roger Corman has made a fortune over the years producing low budget movies that resemble big budget movies and no one has taken him to task over it (well, not recently anyway), and as I recall Corman once said that's a great way for a first time director to get his or her low budget movie made, make it look like something that's already been made (and it's a big plus if that big budget movie was a hit. That way you don't have to work so hard making people aware of your movie). "I Am Omega" sort of resembles the Will Smith big budget flick also based on Matheson's novel and also released in 2007, "I Am Legend," but "I Am Omega" is clearly its own thing. And it's not that bad, either.
"I Am Omega" stars Mark Dacascos as Renchard, the apparent lone survivor of a worldwide plague that pretty much decimated the world's human population, transforming people into weird beard, gross looking zombie monsters. Renchard spends his days and nights in constant fear of being attacked by the zombies. His home is surrounded by an elaborate fence with an alarm system, and Renchard never leaves his home without his weapons (machine gun, big ass knife, nunchucks, and explosives). He has a radio that he checks every now and then for any signs of a signal from anyone, and he has a laptop computer that he uses to search for other potential survivors (apparently the central power grid still works, and satellites orbiting Earth are still operational).
Now, when he isn't at home searching for other potential survivors, eating, reading, and or working out, he's riding around in his 1975 Oldsmobile Omega (ha!) scavenging for supplies, talking to corpses (I guess the isolation is destroying his psyche. The flashbacks to his dead family probably don't help, either), and planting bombs on the outskirts of the major nearby city (he has already planted plenty of bombs inside the city proper). For reasons that are never made clear, Renchard wants to blow up the city. I'm going to assume that he wants to destroy the city because that's where the plague zombies keep coming from. Cities are population centers, right? That makes sense.
One day, Renchard finally gets a message via his laptop, from a woman who calls herself Brianna (Jennifer Lee Wiggins). She claims to be a plague survivor that lives (hides) in the city that Renchard plans on blowing up. At first, Renchard freaks out at the site of another living human. He doesn't respond to her and tries to dismiss her. But then a van pulls up to his home with two other survivors in it (Vincent, as played by Geoff Meed, and Mike, as played by Ryan Lloyd). For some reason Vincent and Mike know all about Renchard's activities and they want him to help them go into the city and find Brianna so she can be taken to the city of Antioch, where presumably there are more survivors, and where Brianna can be used to help save the world. Vincent believes that Brianna's blood is special and that it can be used to create an antidote to whatever the heck has caused the zombie plague.
Renchard is also reluctant to join up with Vincent and Mike. Renchard would much rather be alone. But Vincent and Mike convince Renchard that he has no choice but to help (they blow up his garage or his house or something). So Renchard guides Vincent and Mike into the city and to the underground sewers that will lead to Brianna's hideout.
The trip into the city is brutal, for both Renchard, Vincent, and Mike, and for the plague zombies that attack them. Mike is killed (I think he gets his throat slashed) and Vincent is incapacitated, leaving Renchard alone. Renchard eventually finds Brianna's hideout and rescues her, but, as they try to get out of the city proper, they find out that everything is not what it seems.
"I Am Omega" tries to make the most of its obviously meager budget, and to a certain extent succeeds as a low budget movie. It's a little disconcerting, though, that the movie doesn't maximize it's potential for gore. The plague zombie makeup on display her looks great, but for some reason we see very little blood and guts either when a zombie attacks or when a zombie is attacked. There are a few bloody moments here and there, but there are no major "motherfucker!" moments on display. What the heck ever happened to low budget horror flicks taking pride in their gore? And there are too many moments where you can't see what the heck is going on, especially in the underground garage sequence. And while the quick cut editing thing works for the first half of the movie, it gets distracting in the second half. What's wrong with showing stuff? When did that become an impossibility?
I also wish the movie had explained itself a little more. What exactly is the plague that destroyed the world? When did it start? Why did it start? Who is responsible? We don't necessarily need "accurate" information on this stuff, but why the heck doesn't the movie start out with a voiceover by Renchard explaining at least what he knows? And who the hell is Renchard anyway? Is he a former black ops soldier? Is he just some guy that figured out how to make bombs and shoot machine guns because he's now got a lot of time on his hands? And where the hell does the power come from?
The cast is fabulous. Mark Dacascos is awesome as Renchard. He carries the movie like a pro, and he actually shows off some acting ability, which is always cool (Dacascos is an underrated actor that should definitely have a higher profile. Why doesn't he get bigger parts in bigger action movies? He can handle it). It's also pretty damn cool when he smashes the wooden fence in a martial arts exercise rage. He sure as heck showed that fence who is boss. Jennifer Lee Wiggins does a good job as Brianna. She's a little annoying at first, but once you see her wield a handgun all is right with the world. She also makes a good partner for Dacascos.
Geoff Meed does a good job as Vincent (nice reference to the Vincent Price version of the I Am Legend novel "The Last Man on Earth"). As soon as you see him you know you can't trust him. His big moment at the end of the movie, when he explains himself, is creepy as hell. Meed is also credited as the movie's screenplay, so good job there, too. And Ryan Lloyd does a fine job as Mike (he seems to be channeling Jamie Bozian's Gutterboy from the 1986 killer car classic "The Wraith").
Despite the flick's flaws, I liked "I Am Omega" quite a bit. It's got a good cast and some good moments spread throughout its 86 minute running time. I wish it was bloodier and that it used more scene lighting, but what we get is a pretty decent B-movie. It could have been worse.
So go ahead and check out "I Am Omega." It's worth a look.
So what do we have here? A mother and son attacked by zombies, gratuitous Mark Dacascos, gratuitous Mark Dacascos killing three zombies with a gun and a machete, zombie head stabbing, road flare hooey, gratuitous Mark Dacascos abusing prescription medication, gratuitous can of Folgers coffee with the "L" removed, gratuitous Mark Dacascos shaving his face and brushing his teeth, knife sharpening, old home movie flashback, gratuitous karate exercises with fence destruction, a timed bomb, gratuitous Mark Dacascos punching a time clock like he's got a job, gratuitous Mark Dacascos driving an Oldsmobile Omega, a radio freak out, gratuitous Mark Dacascos playing cards with a corpse, a rabbit zombie trap, various instances of tape bondage, gratuitous Mark Dacascos keeping his map in his underwear, gratuitous Mark Dacascos reading old newspapers and talking to a mannequin, an electrified zombie, gratuitous laptop communication, gratuitous Mark Dacascos eating crunchy trail mix in the dark, old newspaper reading, various hallucinations, gratuitous Mark Dacascos getting drunk in the desert and then urinating in the sand, more survivors, exploding garage, knife thrown through the head, an underground tunnel zombie attack, a headshot with blood splatter, gratuitous Mark Dacascos eating tuna out of a can, a funny dumpster bit involving a grenade, neck snapping, nunchuck attack, a wild car flip, a big ass character change,, car hotwiring, attempted rape, tire throwing, metal pipe attack, knife to the back, pipe to the head, gratuitous cool Corvette, exploding city, and the grounds for a sequel.
Best lines: "Stay away! Get away from my child!," "There is no radio!," "Another day, another dollar," "I don't have any friends," "I'm pissing on you!," "This guy's hardcore," "What is your damage, compadre?," "Can I get a little help, please?," "What's the slogan for the state of Alabama?," "We need to find a stick shift!," "I am so fucking tired of you...bitches!," "Why don't you just shoot 'em all? Because any fool can pull a trigger," "You twisted piece of shit!," and "You enjoy making this world a pisshole again!"
Rating: 7.5/10.0
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And now, the weekly Fearnet update
Do you have Fearnet on your cable/satellite system? If you do, you're lucky because it's the only free all horror/thriller on Demand station going (it's also one of the few places that is proud of B-movies). If you're a Time Warner cable subscriber, you don't have it. You probably used to have it, but it was snatched away from you last year. But there is a way to see what Fearnet has to offer. Just go here.
Yes, that's the Fearnet website, where you can check out the free movies Fearnet has to offer (the site gets new ones every Wednesday), horror news, and more. Francis Ford Coppola's "Bram Stoker's Dracula" was on there last week. Is it still there?Check and see. The site also has a pretty nifty web series featuring Freddy Krueger hisself, Robert Englund, and Kane "Jason Voorhees" Hodder, "Fear Clinic" that's definitely worth a look.
If you're a Facebook nerd you can check out the Fearnet fans Facebook page, which can be seen here. There are plenty of people out there interested in Fearnet. Come join them.
(As always, thanks to both Mark Lindsey and Mathew Hirsch for info regarding the Fearnet fan movement).
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"Live Evil" is now on DVD!
"Live Evil," the movie I've been talking about for close to a year and reviewed here is now on DVD and available to purchase.
It's been a long time coming but "Live Evil" is finally on store shelves all over the country. If you don't have a reputable DVD seller near you (and by reputable I mean a seller that deals in damn near everything that comes out on DVD, from major studio releases to small independent movies like "Live Evil") go to the movie's website and order it from there or you can go here to amazon. You can also rent the flick from various video rental places, but you'll have to go to those places to find out if they have it.
The DVD contains the following:
- Unrated movie
- 5.1 Surround Sound
- Audio commentary with director Jay Woelfel, producer Mark Terry, and Mark Hengst ("Benedict")
- Deleted scenes
- Q & A with star Tim Thomerson and director Jay Woelfel at Fangoria LA convention
- Tim Thomerson intro from Flashback Weekend 2009
- Promo video of "Live Evil" at Fangoria Weekend of Horror 2009
- Theatrical trailer
- And more!
With all of those cool special features how could you not want to own "Live Evil"?
So go out right now (well, you can wait until after you finish reading this column) and purchase "Live Evil." You'll be glad you did.
Long live the Priest!
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Well, I think that'll be about it for this issue. B-movies rule, always remember that. And if there's anything you want to see reviewed here in this column, feel free to offer a comment below or send me an e-mail. I'm always on the lookout for new stuff to watch.
And don't forget to bookmark 411 via the little line below. You'll be glad you did.
"I Am Omega"
Mark Dacascos- Renchard Jennifer Lee Wiggins- Brianna Geoff Meed- Vincent Ryan Lloyd- Mike
Directed by Griff Furst Screenplay by Geoff Meed, based on the novel I Am Legend by Richard Matheson
Distributed by The Asylum and Echo Bridge Home Entertainment Not Rated Runtime- 86 minutes
