Legion (D or 1/4 stars)
When a vengeful God loses all faith in mankind, he sends his 'Legion' (directed Scott Stewart) of angels to start an Apocalypse; thanks a lot, God. Humanity's only hope lies with Archangel Michael (Paul Bettany), who falls to Earth, cuts off his angel wings, & raids a police arsenal for weaponry. Confronted by 2 cops, one becomes 'possessed', kills his partner, & Michael kills the other one. The rest of the story unfolds (mostly) in a New Mexican diner named Paradise Falls. The inhabitants inside include: Bob (Dennis Quaid), the owner; his son, Jeep (Lucas Black); the cook, Percy (Charles S. Dutton); and a waitress named Charlie (Adrianne Palicki). Charlie is pregnant (the child's father is gone), & Jeep has always loved her - but she doesn't know it ... yet.
Also inside the diner is a single dad, Kyle (Tyrese Gibson), a married couple, Howard & Sandra (Jon Tenney, Kate Walsh), & they're rebellious teen, Audrey (Willa Holland) is in tow. Before long, a seemingly sweet old lady walks in - but tells Charlie that her baby is going to burn! Furious, just as she leaves, the old lady starts attacking Howard (biting him in the neck); thus making him possessed. Sh*t hits the fan. And the remaining survivors make for an escape via car. What stops 'em now? Oh, a fly swarm, of course. It is upon their return to the diner when Archangel Michael arrives. You see, God has lost faith in mankind & has sent his angels to Earth to kill everyone. Nice, huh? After heavy discussion on the matter, the survivors must fend off their next foe: a possessed ice cream man.
Next, an onslaught of cars full of possessed beings barrels down on them. A key member of the cast is taken away. Another Archangel descends upon the diner (Gabriel, played by the formidable Kevin Duran). He's there to kill everyone in the diner once & for all. Problem for him is: Charlie's unborn baby is the apparent savior of mankind. Gabriel & Michael go at it. Blood is shed. Things go boom! (not to steal from Kevin's review. But really, there's no other way to put it, haha). Tragedy ensues, followed by sacrifice & redemption. Blech.
Oh well. This film had great potential to be a fun, dark, religious/mythology thriller. But it just falls way short of greatness. Religious fiction can be creepy as all Hell (in a good way!). But the basic flow of the film is: introduce the primary characters ... talk, talk, talk ... action, action, action ... talk, talk, talk, & repeat. No creepy factor. There's a fair amount of dialogue in this film; but it doesn't really go anywhere. As Kevin mentions in his review: so much talking, but almost no back story, exposition, or explanation for what's going on. Questions abound (about the source of God's anger, why Charlie's unborn is the savior, etc.), but there are few answers to be found; making this feel like a slight film.
I always enjoy Paul Bettany. But you'd have to think that he realized he was a part of a crappy movie. The film does not rise to his level (and even that wasn't great). I quite enjoyed the larged-mouthed, multi-legged Ice Cream Man character (Doug Jones, of Pans Labyrinth). At least he brought some humor. But as far as the other characters go, you won't care about any of 'em. You know, 'Legion' will be entertaining for some folks. And there are intermittent bursts of inspired energy. If only this movie had better production values, better actors, explained itself more, & toned down some of its preposterousness, it could have been kick-ass. Instead, it just comes across as over-the-top (action), purposeless, & gratuitous at the expense of religion.
Also inside the diner is a single dad, Kyle (Tyrese Gibson), a married couple, Howard & Sandra (Jon Tenney, Kate Walsh), & they're rebellious teen, Audrey (Willa Holland) is in tow. Before long, a seemingly sweet old lady walks in - but tells Charlie that her baby is going to burn! Furious, just as she leaves, the old lady starts attacking Howard (biting him in the neck); thus making him possessed. Sh*t hits the fan. And the remaining survivors make for an escape via car. What stops 'em now? Oh, a fly swarm, of course. It is upon their return to the diner when Archangel Michael arrives. You see, God has lost faith in mankind & has sent his angels to Earth to kill everyone. Nice, huh? After heavy discussion on the matter, the survivors must fend off their next foe: a possessed ice cream man.
Next, an onslaught of cars full of possessed beings barrels down on them. A key member of the cast is taken away. Another Archangel descends upon the diner (Gabriel, played by the formidable Kevin Duran). He's there to kill everyone in the diner once & for all. Problem for him is: Charlie's unborn baby is the apparent savior of mankind. Gabriel & Michael go at it. Blood is shed. Things go boom! (not to steal from Kevin's review. But really, there's no other way to put it, haha). Tragedy ensues, followed by sacrifice & redemption. Blech.
Oh well. This film had great potential to be a fun, dark, religious/mythology thriller. But it just falls way short of greatness. Religious fiction can be creepy as all Hell (in a good way!). But the basic flow of the film is: introduce the primary characters ... talk, talk, talk ... action, action, action ... talk, talk, talk, & repeat. No creepy factor. There's a fair amount of dialogue in this film; but it doesn't really go anywhere. As Kevin mentions in his review: so much talking, but almost no back story, exposition, or explanation for what's going on. Questions abound (about the source of God's anger, why Charlie's unborn is the savior, etc.), but there are few answers to be found; making this feel like a slight film.
I always enjoy Paul Bettany. But you'd have to think that he realized he was a part of a crappy movie. The film does not rise to his level (and even that wasn't great). I quite enjoyed the larged-mouthed, multi-legged Ice Cream Man character (Doug Jones, of Pans Labyrinth). At least he brought some humor. But as far as the other characters go, you won't care about any of 'em. You know, 'Legion' will be entertaining for some folks. And there are intermittent bursts of inspired energy. If only this movie had better production values, better actors, explained itself more, & toned down some of its preposterousness, it could have been kick-ass. Instead, it just comes across as over-the-top (action), purposeless, & gratuitous at the expense of religion.