Rating: 6/10
US Certificate: R UK Certificate: 15
At least Legion isnt another horror remake destined for mediocritythough there are enough references in both story and visuals to so many movies that it might start to feel like a remake if you could pin down what was being re-imagined. Theres a sort of sweet (??) charm to paying tribute to the genre so blatantly, which goes a long way in a film wracked with unexplainables and inconsistent storylines.
Newly fallen angel Michael (Paul Bettany) has some news for folks at the Paradise Falls Diner, including owner and operator Bob (Dennis Quaid), his good guy son (Lucas Black), and religious fry cook Percy (Charles S. Dutton)Gods pretty darn tired of all our worldly shenanigans and, instead of sending a flood or fire or some sort of blight, hes sent what appears to be the cast of 28 Days Later to exterminate the human race. Oh, and why is Michael fallen, sans wings? Because he doesnt agree with Gods assessment of mankind, so he refuses to join the destruction, starting with just saying no to killing the baby that can somehow lead the world out of darknessa baby just about to be birthed of Paradise Falls waitress Charlie (Adrianne Palicki).
At least Legion isnt another horror remake destined for mediocritythough there are enough references in both story and visuals to so many movies that it might start to feel like a remake if you could pin down what was being re-imagined. Theres a sort of sweet (??) charm to paying tribute to the genre so blatantly, which goes a long way in a film wracked with unexplainables and inconsistent storylines.
Newly fallen angel Michael (Paul Bettany) has some news for folks at the Paradise Falls Diner, including owner and operator Bob (Dennis Quaid), his good guy son (Lucas Black), and religious fry cook Percy (Charles S. Dutton)Gods pretty darn tired of all our worldly shenanigans and, instead of sending a flood or fire or some sort of blight, hes sent what appears to be the cast of 28 Days Later to exterminate the human race. Oh, and why is Michael fallen, sans wings? Because he doesnt agree with Gods assessment of mankind, so he refuses to join the destruction, starting with just saying no to killing the baby that can somehow lead the world out of darknessa baby just about to be birthed of Paradise Falls waitress Charlie (Adrianne Palicki).
Religious viewers will cry foul about the not-so-pro-deity view of the Almighty, and non-religious audiences may not like the Christian themes. From someone that watches a movie as a movie, Legion isnt necessarily bad in the way that other horror films of the last few years, like The Unborn, were bad. There were intentionally funny lines that made me laugh out loud, some of the actingBettany, in particularwas quality stuff, and there really were some genuine scares. But seriouslyGod, whos known for doing all kinds of stuff, cant destroy the population and kill off one baby without turning half the world into really evil, scary zombie-angels? And why do they have to be so freaky and mean anyway? Plus, even if we somehow just ignore all our questions and try and enjoy things just for the kill-fest it is, there are stretches that get stuck in verbal quicksand with too much exposition or bonding dialogue moments, slowing things way downand when a lot of these intimate moments involve either the slightly hammy Quaid or Black, who was better as Slingblades friend back in the day, slow becomes slower due to cheese. Legion is a movie so full of flaws that it SHOULD be unwatchable, but its actually somehow interesting in a way, and depending on how much belief you want to suspend, this one has its moments, you just have to be patient enough to wait for them.
It's Got: Some cool effects, lots of horror references, a scary old lady on the ceiling
It Needs: Less touchy-feely moments, more why, more impressive God
DVD Extras Featurettes: Creating the Apocalypse (Physical Effects); Humanity's Last Line of Defense (Cast and Characters), and From Pixels to Picture (Visual Effects) DVD Extras Rating: 6/10
Summary
Legion presents some interesting ideas, and a bunch of movie references, but its definitely got some issues to work through.