Legion

Legion

Starring: Paul Bettany, Dennis Quaid, Charles S. Dutton, Tyrese Gibson, Adrianne Palicki

Directed by: Scott Stewart

Reviewed by: Conor Flynn







The biblical apocalypse is something which Hollywood loves to delve into on a regular basis. Look no further than the very successful ‘Left Behind’ series or if you’re looking for a more commercial effort then ‘End of Days’ will suffice. To this day my personal favourite, like the majority of other film goers, would have to be ‘The Omen’ series. The reason is simple. Each film is wildly over the top and all the more entertaining for it. One thing that each film mentioned so far has in common is that they all rely on a contrived concept which you must buy into to believe, however, no amount of rapture can lessen how straight-faced this latest film is…

God, because of “all the bullshit,” has lost his faith in mankind. He sends forth his legion of angles to bring about the Apocalypse. Standing in his way is the rebellious Archangel Michael (Bettany) and a band of diners holed up in a restaurant in the desert…

Once again the apocalypse has raised its ugly head, but due to the budget of the film, seems to be localised to a restaurant in the middle of nowhere. Basically we’re in John Carpenter territory sans any sense of claustrophobia or dread. This is the films biggest failure; instead of building suspense through character conflicts inside the restaurant, the film revels on the glossy special effects on the outside, leaving little to the imagination.

Sadly by the time you get round to having some answers, the film is practically over, adding up to a whole lot of nothing. Considering the films early promise of a battle of the ages, the last third of the film ends on an anti-climatic note which isn’t helped much by the films lack of a proper antagonist. At the centre of all these problems is Scott Stewart’s po-faced writing and direction. Not a moment goes by that isn’t taken with the utmost seriousness, however, try taking a scene in which an elderly lady spouts out all sorts of cuss words then starts scaling the roof top of the restaurant seriously. It’s laughable at best and lacking any real sense of horror at its worst. Thankfully there is a slight saving grace in the form of some reliable acting, particularly from Charles S. Dutton, who pushes the weak material much further than it really deserves. I can’t even get into how awful the dialogue is or how the film manages to rip off a legion (pun intended) of vastly superior action flicks.

Legion is a big disappointment. There are a few promising moments, but they come to nothing. It’s instantly forgettable stuff.