The Omega Man is an extremely literate science-fiction drama starring Charlton Heston as the only survivor of a worldwide bacteriological war, circa 1975. Thrust of the well-written story [adapted from Richard Matheson's novel] is Heston's running battle with deranged survivors headed by Anthony Zerbe.
63
Chicago ReaderDave Kehr
Chicago ReaderDave Kehr
Not bad, but far from a classic.
60
EmpireIan Nathan
EmpireIan Nathan
It's not the plot that disappoints, it's the poor dialogue between action sequences. Sadly another film to file under not as good as the book.
The ghouls are a little too ridiculous to quite fulfill their function in the movie. They make all the wrong decisions, are incompetent and ill-coordinated.
Peppered with some sharp, even amusing dialogue, the story temporarily shelves the heavy allegory and slips into good, slam-bang suspense. But it doesn't last.
50
TV Guide Magazine
TV Guide Magazine
Badly dated and clumsily allegorical, The Omega Man has some fairly interesting moments, the most memorable being the view of a devastated, empty downtown Los Angeles.