15 Film Adaptations Completely Different From The Book
5. I Am Legend
I Am Legend centers on Robert Melville, who survives in a post-apocalyptic world ruled by nocturnal creatures. In the novel, these beings are vampires, not super-fast, mindless zombies. They're not particularly intelligent but can speak and strategize.
The vampires know where Melville lives and camp out his house, taunting him by constantly calling his name. Also, Melville isn't a brainiac or trained in weaponry and viruses; he's just a normal guy, doing his best to survive.
The change that caused the most uproar in the adaption is the ending. In the film, Melville finds a cure for the zombies. He entrusts the antidote to a woman who then brings it to a community of survivors.
In the book, Melville never found a cure before he was killed. Because he was literally the last man on Earth, his death implies humanity is doomed.