The Omega Man was a product of it's time. It played to Cold War fears of a biological war. In the original story, the plague was never really specified as to where it came from and how-it just kind of happened, however in the 1964 Vincent Price film of the same book, it was hinted at that it was something that escaped from a Eastern bloc country's biological weapons lab but it was only in passing. In The Omega Man, a flashback Heston has, shows us that Russia and China had some kind of escalating border war, and the US is somehow pulled into it. All this is done with a montage of stock footage of bomb tests,missile launches,voice overs warning of "Bacillus carrying warheads!" and bit later, we learn that "Jonathan Matthias" was once a news commentator as things went to Hell, as the plague takes full effect with scenes of overcrowded hospitals, people dropping on the street, and him on TV talking to dead viewers about "Judgement day". The virus, or whatever it was, hits very fast and seemingly kills most people within minutes. Some, however,we learn, it takes longer and they wind up as light sensitive,albino zombies, with the now insane- "Matthias" the guru of at least the Los Angeles area ones, battling Robert Neville, the last plague-free man on the planet. Alive,thanks to an experimental drug that seemed to be the cure,he found in the waning days of civilized society, but because of a helicopter crash, too late for anyone but him. We see him, apparently in 1977, two years after the plague had hit-in Spring, 1975(an old wall calendar and Easter greetings reveal this. The "Easter" reference would not be the film's only "Christ" allegory.)
The film has a tremendous Ron Grainer opening score, and positively drips everything 70's-fashions, expressions,cars and including nods to blaxploitation films of the time and managing to portray Heston's Neville as "The Man...on his own"
It became a seemingly terribly dated film after the Cold War ended in 1989, (kind of like The Day After became of it's time) and many people chortled at the idea of a biological war. After the Soviet Union collapsed, it was found that those fears were not unfounded-that in fact as a "doomsday" weapon the Soviets had secretly stockpiled massive amounts of Smallpox to create just such a last-ditch situation had they been on the losing side of a WW3 that never fortunately occurred.
However, now, with both fears of Avian Flu, and the threat of terrorists gaining some kind of viral agent and unleashing it, the film has a new relevance. A good piece of 70's nostalgia but with a current ring to it.
The film has a tremendous Ron Grainer opening score, and positively drips everything 70's-fashions, expressions,cars and including nods to blaxploitation films of the time and managing to portray Heston's Neville as "The Man...on his own"
It became a seemingly terribly dated film after the Cold War ended in 1989, (kind of like The Day After became of it's time) and many people chortled at the idea of a biological war. After the Soviet Union collapsed, it was found that those fears were not unfounded-that in fact as a "doomsday" weapon the Soviets had secretly stockpiled massive amounts of Smallpox to create just such a last-ditch situation had they been on the losing side of a WW3 that never fortunately occurred.
However, now, with both fears of Avian Flu, and the threat of terrorists gaining some kind of viral agent and unleashing it, the film has a new relevance. A good piece of 70's nostalgia but with a current ring to it.