The Omega Man 1971

As the calendar flips from March 1975 to August 1977, the world descends into utter chaos following a brutal Sino-Soviet border conflict that unleashes biological warfare upon humanity. Amidst the devastation, U.S. Army Col. Robert Neville (character not specified), a scientist by trade and a medic by calling, finds himself struggling to survive in a Los Angeles ravaged by the plague. As his own life begins to ebb away, he injects himself with an experimental vaccine, a desperate move that ultimately renders him immune.

As the days turn into weeks, Neville becomes increasingly convinced that he is the sole survivor of this apocalyptic event. Haunted by the memories of martial law being imposed and the swift asphyxiation of most people, he spends his days patrolling the desolate streets, driven by a singular purpose: to eradicate the Family, a cult of plague victims turned into mindless, homicidal mutants.

Nights are spent atop a fortified apartment building, Neville’s sanctuary and prison all at once. The Family, relentless in their pursuit of him, consistently fails to extract him from his stronghold due to their anachronistic reliance on archaic siege warfare tactics. In the rare moments when they’re not besieging Neville, they take out their frustration by destroying any remaining vestiges of science, convinced that technology is the root of all evil.

In a moment of fleeting sanity, Neville ventures into a department store to scavenge for new clothing, only to be jolted back to reality by the sight of a healthy woman. His pursuit of her outside proves fruitless, and he chalks it up to a hallucination, having previously imagined multiple telephones ringing in unison. The discovery of a Family member’s corpse serves as a grim reminder that the plague will eventually claim them all, a morbid prophecy that hangs over Neville like the sword of Damocles.

As the Family’s relentless pursuit of Neville reaches its climax, they finally capture their quarry. A hasty tribunal is convened, presided over by Jonathan Matthias (played by a former news anchor), who has traded in his teleprompter for a position of authority. After a perfunctory hearing, Neville is found guilty of heresy and condemned to death. As he stands tied to a massive wooden wheel, a symbol of modernity and technology, set ablaze in the iconic Dodger Stadium, rescue arrives in the form of Lisa, a woman who had initially been dismissed as a product of Neville’s fevered imagination, and Dutch, a former medical student. Together, they form part of a small band of survivors, all of whom are under the age of 30. Though their youth has granted them some resistance to the disease, it is not an absolute shield, and they will eventually succumb to its ravages.

As Neville contemplates the daunting task of preserving humanity, he realizes that duplicating the original vaccine will require a significant amount of time. His immunity may be extendable, however, if he can create a serum from his own blood. This revelation sparks a sense of purpose in Neville, and he begins to formulate a plan to share his immunity with others.

As the night wears on, Neville and Lisa return to his apartment, where they work tirelessly to treat Lisa’s brother Richie, who is rapidly succumbing to the disease. The air is thick with tension as Neville and Lisa prepare for a romantic evening together. However, their plans are foiled when the generator sputters out of fuel, plunging the apartment into darkness. In the ensuing chaos, the Family launches a surprise attack, sending Brother Zachary, Matthias’ trusted lieutenant, to scale the exterior of Neville’s building and infiltrate his apartment through an open balcony.

As Lisa remains blissfully unaware of the danger lurking mere feet away, Neville departs to restart the generator in the basement garage. Upon his return, he finds himself face-to-face with a deadly surprise: Zachary has crept up behind an unsuspecting Lisa. Without hesitation, Neville takes aim and dispatches the would-be assassin, who falls to his death from the balcony, his spear clattering loudly as it hits the ground below.

As the serum’s efficacy is confirmed, Neville and Lisa contemplate abandoning the ravaged metropolis with its dwindling population, opting instead to forge a new existence in the wilderness, leaving the Family to their fate. With his creation now a reality, Neville successfully administers the cure to Richie, who subsequently reveals the location of the Family’s stronghold - the iconic Los Angeles Civic Center - but implores Neville to extend the same mercy to the Family members, citing their humanity. Neville’s reservations are met with resistance from Richie, who decides to take matters into his own hands and attempt to persuade the Family to accept the cure without Neville’s involvement.

Matthias, ever the skeptic, refuses to believe Neville’s altruistic intentions, instead viewing Richie as a spy sent to infiltrate their ranks. In a tragic turn of events, Matthias orders Richie’s execution, leaving Neville with no choice but to race against time to rescue his friend. Alas, he arrives too late, only to find Richie’s lifeless body tied to a judge’s chair in a courtroom, the result of Matthias’ cold calculation.

Meanwhile, Lisa’s condition rapidly deteriorates, and she succumbs to the disease, ultimately becoming one of the Family herself. Returning home, Neville is met with a shocking revelation: Lisa has betrayed him by allowing Matthias and his followers access to their property, leaving Neville’s home and equipment vulnerable to destruction. As Neville confronts Matthias, he watches in horror as the Family sets fire to his belongings.

With his options exhausted, Neville manages to break free from his captors and makes a desperate attempt to rescue Lisa. However, Matthias’ cunning proves too great, and Neville is struck by Zachary’s spear, leaving him mortally wounded. As the sun rises on a new day, Dutch and the survivors stumble upon Neville’s lifeless body in a fountain, where he had left behind a crucial flask containing the blood serum.

With Lisa - now weakened and subservient due to her exposure to sunlight - by his side, Dutch takes possession of the flask and leads the group away from the city, leaving its ruins forever behind.