the omega man be a product of it time . it play to cold war fear of a biological war . in the original story and the plague be never really specify a to where it come from and how it just kind of happen and however in the 1964 vincent price film of the same book and it be hint at that it be something that escape from a eastern bloc country biological weapon lab but it be only in pass . in the omega man and a flashback heston have and show u that russia and china have some kind of escalate border war and and the u be somehow pull into it . all this be do with a montage of stock footage of bomb test and missile launch and voice over warn of bacillus carry warhead . and bit later and we learn that jonathan matthias be once a news commentator a thing go to hell and a the plague take full effect with scene of overcrowded hospital and people drop on the street and and him on tv talk to dead viewer about judgement day . the virus and or whatever it be and hit very fast and seemingly kill most people within minute . some and however and we learn and it take long and they wind up as light sensitive and albino zombie and with the now insane matthias the guru of at least the los angeles area one and battle robert neville and the last plague free man on the planet . alive and thanks to an experimental drug that seem to be the cure and he find in the waning day of civilized society and but because of a helicopter crash and too late for anyone but him . we see him and apparently in 1977 and two year after the plague have hit in spring and 1975 ( an old wall calendar and easter greeting reveal this . the easter reference would not be the film only christ allegory . ) the film have a tremendous ron grainer open score and and positively drip everything 70 fashion and expression and car and include nod to blaxploitation film of the time and managing to portray heston neville a the man . on his ownit become a seemingly terribly date film after the cold war end in 1989 and ( kind of like the day after become of it time ) and many people chortle at the idea of a biological war . after the soviet union collapse and it be find that those fear be not unfounded that in fact a a doomsday weapon the soviet have secretly stockpile massive amount of smallpox to create just such a last ditch situation have they be on the losing side of a ww3 that never fortunately occur . however and now and with both fear of avian flu and and the threat of terrorist gain some kind of viral agent and unleash it and the film have a new relevance . a good piece of 70 nostalgia but with a current ring to it .