1964's The Last Man on Earth has been crassly repackaged as a promotional tie-in to Will Smith's big-budget sci-fi/horror flick I Am Legend, the most recent of the three films based on Richard Matheson's acclaimed 1954 novel of the same name (the second was 1971's The Omega Man). The Last Man on Earth was actually released by MGM three years ago (with the same pristine, widescreen b&w transfer) as a "Midnight Movies" double-feature DVD, paired with the 1962 sci-fi thriller Panic in Year Zero—a low-priced two-fer disc that is still available, so it makes little sense to pay more for this film alone (especially when Panic in Year Zero is the better of the pair). The Last Man on Earth—initially panned but now recognized as an influential precursor to Night of the Living Dead—stars Vincent Price (in atypical action-hero mode) as the lone survivor of a global plague that has transformed everyone else into vampire-like zombies. The earlier widescreen DVD release helped to repair the film's tainted reputation among horror buffs (who endured substandard pan-and-scan versions for years), but the fact remains that this Italian co-production—set in San Francisco but filmed in Rome—is an often flat, unimaginative adaptation (of which Matheson disapproved, as viewers will learn in the brief interview that is the disc's sole extra). Optional. (J. Shannon)
[Blu-ray Review—Aug. 17, 2021—Kino Lorber, 86 min., not rated, Blu-ray: $24.95—Making its second appearance on Blu-ray, The Last Man on Earth (1964) sports an overall fine transfer and extras including audio commentary by Richard Harland Smith, a featurette on screenwriter Richard Matheson, and an alternate ending. Bottom line: a so-so horror film that will mostly appeal to fans of Vincent Price.]