Legion

Legion

Starring:  Paul Bettany, Lucas Black, Tyrese Gibson, Adrianne Palicki
Mystery, Suspense, 2010 (Rated R)

A group of people at a remote desert diner find themselves in a fight for their lives as they battle those sent from up above intent on destroying human kind.

• This movie was just OK for me and not nearly as good as I was anticipating. 
• This whole thing about the fate of the world and human kind resting on an unborn child is so unoriginal which is fine, however I don't feel they brought enough of anything new to the table to make it fresh.
• Definitely entertaining but did not blow me away at all.

3 STARS

Just Me

Legion

Whatever you may think of Legion, it certainly has one of the most eye-catching trailers of recent years. Possessed grandmothers scuttling across the ceiling, ice cream men who turn into spider-creatures, Paul Bettany as a wingless, gun-toting angel... it's not lacking in the spectacle department.

The same can't be said for the finished film, however, which manages to combine all these intriguing elements into a muddled - and suprisingly dull - mixture of From Dusk Till Dawn, Wings Of Desire, and the worst Scripture study lesson that you can possibly imagine. There's plenty of rippling muscle and rampant testosterone, but when a script makes this little sense it takes more than a few well-placed explosions to cover the cracks.

Bettany is the film's one high point, proving that he's actually prime action hero material as the Archangel Michael, the tooled-up, humanized member of God's army. The fact that Bettany did almost all his own stunts should also act as a suitable showcase for his talents - Hollywood producers take note.

Michael has come to Earth on a mission from God, but as matters unfold we learn that he has rebelled against his master, who has lost faith in mankind. What his original mission was is unclear, but he's now tasked with protecting pregnant waitress Charlie and her unborn son from a horde of the possessed. They have razor-sharp teeth, swear like troopers, and speak in gravelly voices that wouldn't have sounded out of place on The Exorcist - but apparently they're on God's side. Go figure.

That God's warriors go around swearing and causing mayhem is just one of the inconsistencies that plague Legion, as director Scott Stewart focuses on the action and bloodshed and allows anything resembling common sense slide. If you think the opening is over-the-top and ridiculous, just wait for the finale.

Still, there's some pretty cool imagery among all the pseudo-Biblical nonsense, and there are a few fine performances too. Dennis Quaid seems to think that pulling increasingly strange and elastic expressions is a substitute for acting, but the young crowd do much better: American Gothic's Lucas Black pops up as a well-meaning mechanic, while Adrianne Palicki plays the feisty Charlie with spunk and charisma.

Plus, of course, there's Bettany as that kick-ass fallen archangel - and he's undeniably the coolest thing on the screen.

None of this makes any more sense of Legion's muddled plot and mindless bullets-over-brains approach, but at least it's nice to look at. By the time Kevin Durand appears as the Archangel Gabriel, you'll be wishing for a quick end to Stewart's testosterone-soaked take on the classic horror movie. Maybe God had a point after all.

2/5

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Super Marcey's Legion Review

This  film introduced things and didn't explain them, so many awfully obvious  plot holes, it really gave me a headache. They did not explain why the  unborn child was important, why Michael wanted it to be kept alive and  why God needed the minions to kill it. None of that was explained,  nothing was explained about why suddenly God got so angry at mankind, I  mean we've been bastards for a long time. It felt like no one had read  this script, and it was just a big old mess. Visually the film was good  though, the affects were decent and there were some good looking scenes  as well. But that cannot save a bad film, along with everything else  this film felt long. It wasn't long but I sure felt every second of it,  and I was just waiting for it to go somewhere and get better but it  didn't. Do something better with these 90mins and skip this one, please.  I sure wish I had!

(Written on April 11 2010, first published at SuperMarcey.com)

Recommendations: Moon (Duncan Jones, 2009), Milk, Hurt Locker, The (Kathryn Bigelow, 2009)

Last updated: 2010-04-10 20:04:03 by SuperMarcey

Movie Reviews from The Fox Hole – Legion (2010)

LEGION (2010)
TRAILER HERE
CAST: Kevin Durand, Lucas Black, Jeanette Miller,  Kate Walsh, Tyrese Gibson, Dennis Quaid, Paul Bettany, Charles S.  Dutton, Jon Tenney, Adrianne Palicki, Willa Holland

REVIEW ~

I’ve only reviewed movies from my DVD collection so far, but this  time I’m doing a recently released movie Legion from writer  Peter Schink (Gotham Café-2005) and Scott  Stewart (producer – Big  Love). There are numerous reasons I chose to review Legion. One  of the main reasons though is (as a friend of mine likes to say) that I  seem to obsess over angel crap. Well, it’s not an obsession and I’ve  told her numerous times, but she’s not interested in religion so it’s  all crap to her. 

Since my teenage years, I’ve had an interest in myth and religion,  two subjects inextricably entwined in the history of mankind’s  existence.  It’s not just Christianity (after all, I am Pagan) but  rather all religions that have existed or still exist and their  similarities in belief and the written word. Christianity just happens  to be one of the most visible and verbal. With the newest belief the Apocalypse will hit in 2012 (courtesy of a misunderstanding of the Mayan  calendar), Hollywood has grabbed onto the Apocalypse and rode  it bareback rodeo-style into the arena of the theater as well as  television—nothing new there. What I do find new is the throwback to the  original source material—yes folks, Revelation.

Schink and Stewart take a page from Revelation and smack us  in the face with a version of the original biblical end of the world.  Anyone who has read the bible knows that the angels are the ones that  start the Apocalypse under God’s orders. Hollywood and society  spent decades convincing us that angels are beautiful beings of light  with huge fluffy white wings and halos when in reality angels were far  from that in the Bible. Angels were in fact, warriors, soldiers of God,  and the original bad asses of the universe. The sight of them put the fear of God into man—no pun intended.

Legion opens with a montage of desert scenes voiced over by  Charlie (Adrianne Palicki, Friday Night Lights & Supernatural).  She talks of her childhood and her mother’s faith in God. When her  father leaves her mother’s views on God change and she asks her mother  why God is angry with his children. Her mother’s reply; I don’t  know. I guess he just got tired of all the bullshit. I personally  love this line because to be honest if I were God I’d be pissed. Mankind  has been using their religion as an excuse to murder millions in the  name of God for centuries.

We are then delivered to a dark alley, somewhere in Los Angeles, two  days before Christmas to witness the appearance of the archangel Michael  (Paul Bettany, The Da Vinci Code). It’s apparent he’s on the  run from something, his wings sliced off leaving two massive wounds in  his shoulder blades and he’s kicking ass and taking names. Breaking into  a warehouse of illegal weapons, he cleans himself up, and packs some  bags for a massive showdown. When he blows the doors of the warehouse,  he attracts the attentions of two cops who soon become the first to fall  in the war that’s coming. One killing the other while possessed by what  appears to be a demon that tells Michael these are not  your orders. Michael informs said demon that I’m  following my own orders now before killing it. He then takes off  with the police car, the lights of the city going dark in his wake.

Skipping forward we’re introduced to our two leads who have no idea  what’s headed their way in the middle of the Texas desert; Jeep (Lucas  Black, American Gothic), the son of the diner/garage owner, and  Charlie (Adrianne Palacki), a pregnant waitress who he adores, although  she doesn’t love him the way he loves her. Our cast is rounded out by  Jeep’s father, Bob (Dennis Quaid, Pandorum); a hook-handed cook  Percy (Charles S. Dutton, Fame); a family trapped until their  vehicle is repaired (Jon Tenney, Willa Holland, & Kate Walsh); and a  father on his way to see his kid, Kyle (Tyrese Gibson, Transformers).  This motley assortment of characters possess unique flaws that make  for some interesting interactions. They’re wrapped up in their own  problems so deep they don’t see the writing on the wall, so to speak,  until it’s too late.

Around them are signs that something isn’t right; no television  signal and loss of phone service. Enter an elderly woman that turns out  to be far more than just human. She delivers a message to Charlie, Your  baby is going to burn, and then turns on the occupants with a  demonic vengeance. At this point, the good folks of this isolated way  station begin to wonder exactly what they’ve stepped in. Trust me folks  it isn’t dog shit.

Terrified, they hole up in the diner, and soon Michael appears,  arsenal in tow, and informs them that he isn’t there to protect them,  but rather Charlie and her unborn child.  You see, Charlie, who never  wanted the baby in the first place, is carrying humanity’s only hope of  surviving the apocalypse.

Legion isn’t the best movie I’ve ever seen, but I admire the  writers for going the route they do. They spin all our heads with the  idea that God, his angels, and heaven aren’t exactly what we believe  they are. The special effects are impressive: especially during a  violent showdown between Michael and Gabriel (Kevin Durand, Lost  & Dark Angel) who still has his wings. Legion taps  into a number of genres to tell its story including the classic western  showdown (can we say Alamo?), fantasy, and horror. It even takes a  chapter from James Cameron’s original Terminator.

Although not shocking, the ending does have a twist that amused me  and holds a lesson for anyone who has followed orders blindly. In a  society bombarded by the media, telling us how to dress, speak, look,  and what to read and believe on a daily basis it is a lesson we should  take to heart. Welcome folks to free will and thinking for yourself. Not  to mention taking responsibility for our own lives and the decisions  you make–whether good or bad.


Final Rating: 3/5 Fox Pups

~*~

Jesse's Rating System:

5 Fox Pups – Must See/Can’t Miss
4 Fox Pups – Excellent
3 Fox Pups – Good
2 Fox Pups – Passable
1 Fox Pups – Skip It

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Dying is an art, like everything else. I do it exceptionally well. I do it so it feels like hell. I do it so it feels real. - Sylvia Plath

Last updated: 2010-04-10 12:32:17 by Jesse_Fox

Legion Movie Review

By Rafael Solece

I journeyed to the movies this past friday Night to see Sony Pictures New Movie Legion. Let me tell you, it really did put the fear of God in me. This beautifully written screen by Scott Stewart and Peter Schinli really does make you think about the love, grace, and mercy of God. It doesn’t come off preachy but it certainly speaks volumes to the soul. What would happen one day if God just got fed up with mans bull shit and decided to exterminate us all. I promise you if it’s anything like the movie Legion man is not going to come out on top. This was no Independence day type of a movie. Because these angels are not your regular merciful creatures that we read about in the bible, in this movie they are the dogs of heaven, aand their bones.

Starring Paul Bettany as Micheal the Angel of mercy, Who comes down to earth in strict difiance of GOd’s will. He sets out to save the race of man. Let me tell yawl man needed it too. And thank god for mercuiful angels like Paul Bettany, He really did his thing in this movie. His portrayal of Micheal was flawless. He was merciful in a Rambo meets 007 type a way. And though the sad little side stories and prayers were a bit much for me, i can relate to the remensing of life in the midst of ones utter demies.

Of course nothing a beats a good fight scene. and though breif, the fight scenec between the two brothers of heaven Gabrelle and Micheal was nothing less than poetic justice in it’s truest form. It was Gods Mercey verses Gods Law. I loved it. Legion has everything possesion, great gun fights, an awesome battle scene between two angels, and the sweetest truth of about what could happen if God ever got tired of the Bull SHit.
I Give Legion 4 1/2 Stars Strong….
This is a you betta see it movie of 2010!

Rafael Solece

Legion

What  a complete rip. Angels were promised, battles against heavenly hordes  and angels were insinuated. But what do we get? A collection of badly  acted southern stereotypes, generously performed by actors of second  rate TV shows and Dennis Quaid sitting around a drab diner communicating  man candor and then dying pathetically. Then there's Paul Bettany, who  somewhat tragically gives a good performance ( well, for this kind of  thing) and yet again finds himself trying valiantly to save a shit film  from itself, and not quite being able to. Bettany would be high in the  running for the best actor with the worst CV, and Legion being the  stale, lifeless bore that it is, is not going to change that.

The  plot, which is basically the Terminator if you replace the metal with  angels, sees a mother of the future savior saved from one bad angel by  one good angel. Bland gunfights ensue and nobody cares. I don't think  I've been this bored in a movie for a long time, and I don't quite  understand how that came to be. Its an action movie with angels and Paul  Bettany for christ's sake. Also, this maybe the most retarded film in  history in terms of plotholes. Accepting the fact that six million  angels in human skins can't overrun 6 guys with shotguns, why don't they  set the diner on fire. They don't even have to go in. Then they'd you  know, have to come outside and you could maybe kill them. You are  omniscient beings, not zombies. Why you so stupid? As far as the acting  goes. it seems to be a running game of dare of who can be the most  terrible. Of course, the force of nature that is Dennis Quaid wins by a  country mile. He seriously looks like he was pissed off his face on at  least three different substances when he made this movie, as he did in  GI Joe and Pandorum. What the fuck dude. I think somebody needs an  intervention. Lucas Black gives a performance that you'd expect off the  male lead of Fast And The Furious: Tokyo Drift. The whole thing is a  like a soap opera with the occasional bit of biblical apocalypse. Which  sounds kind of awesome. Its not.

I guess things pick up a bit  when rival angel Gabriel shows up ( The legendary Kevin Durand, Keamy  from Lost) and he and Bettany do some passable work together, leaving  you wishing that the whole movie should have been about the angels and  not a load of space-wasting meat sacks. And Dennis Quaid, who should be  defined by his own level of ridiculousness.

Rating: 4/10

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Review: Legion

*1/2 out of four stars

What if H. G. Wells’ epic tale “War of the Worlds” was told through the eyes of some people in a diner in the middle of nowhere? It works with zombie movies, right? Have an enclosed location with no one around for miles and hoards of monsters clawing at the door. It’s a good premise for that genre. But when god declares war on all of humanity and sends an army of angels after us, the story would benefit from a bigger picture.

God is pissed. Big time. He sees no hope in the human race and thus unleashes his wrath on everyone… or at least, unleashes it on a small diner on a desert highway with a few people ripped from movies with settings like these. There’s the pissed off owner, his son Jeep, the pregnant girl Jeep is taking care of (who is also the waitress), the old black guy who’s long-time friends with the pissed off owner and graduated head of his class in Morgan Freeman 101 (played by none other than Charles S. Dutton), not to mention the four people stranded there.

Then there’s Michael… as in the angel Michael, who is the last believer in humanity. He decides to protect the tired clichés from the angels, who have taken over human bodies and are now walking around like zombies (they’re even biting people).

Ok, so the monsters in the film are humans with angels inside of them. Shouldn’t they be impervious to bullets? There is so much slaughter by gunfire in this movie I wasn’t sure if I was watching a movie or someone playing a video game. And once the zombie-angels are shot, down they go, never to return. How convenient!

The star of the film is Paul Bettany (“Iron Man,” “The Young Victoria”), an actor I’ve seen plenty of and honestly can’t remember at all. “Legion” explains why. His delivery in this film is monotone, unemotional and dull. Those are all synonyms, but I had to say it that way so that you got the idea. Watching Bettany’s performance, I’m reminded of a young Dolph Lundgren (“Rocky IV,” “Universal Soldier”). Bettany walks through the film trying to play the calm and collected superhero, but comes off sleepy and bored. A bad-ass always needs some kind of charisma. Check out Travolta in “From Paris With Love” in a couple weeks. You’ll see what I’m talking about.

Visual effects guru Scott Stewart (whose company The Orphanage did effects for many films including “Sin City,” “Superman Returns,” and “Iron Man”) directs his first feature film here and has received plenty of positive buzz. From a stylistic standpoint, the film looks about mediocre, but the story and screenplay, co-written by Stewart, are predictable and silly at times.

The story in general simply doesn’t work. I’m reminded of “Starship Troopers 2,” the direct-to-DVD sequel to the hugely underrated 1997 classic. In it, there is an interstellar war, spanning several solar systems, between humans and giant spiders. Needless to say, there is a lot happening in that story. The sequel’s director, Phil Tippet (also an effects guru), had not much to work with money-wise. So he told the story from the viewpoint of a squad of human soldiers marooned in an outpost on a bug planet. The film was awful for that very reason. Why take a huge premise, in “Legion’s” case a war between god and humanity, and only deliver a miniscule perspective?

Ummm… perhaps a small budget. I looked for but couldn’t find “Legion’s” cost. I’m guessing it wasn’t very much. So that makes shooting easier and cheaper when you are shooting at one location, a diner in the middle of the desert for example. The problem is, the end of the world on a biblical level needs to be seen from a lot more than just Alice’s Restaurant. For proof, check out Roland Emmerich’s filmography (“Independence Day,” “The Day After Tomorrow”). Thing is, Emmerich has a budget. Scott Stewart doesn’t.

Where am I going with this? I think Mr. Stewart needed to take his smaller budget and tell a smaller story, something that felt more original, but didn’t have to rely on big effects, an epic setting, or great cinematography. An ensemble cast is a good idea. But putting them all on the uninteresting side of an epic war to end all wars is a step in the wrong direction.

Finally, there is a film (low-budget as well) starring Christopher Walken, Elias Koteas and Viggo Mortensen about a similar biblical war that should not be missed by anyone even remotely interested in “Legion.” It’s called “The Prophecy.” It’s action-packed, funny and well-written. “Legion” is not.

Legion

Starring:
Paul Bettany, Lucas Black, Tyrese Gibson, Adrianne Palicki, Dennis Quaid, Charles S. Dutton
Director: Scott Stewart
Genre: Action, Thriller, Horror
Rated: R

The Angel Michael in defiance of GOD comes to a small diner in AZ to protect a waitress whose unborn child can rebuild Humanity.

Paul Bettany stars as the Angel Michael who goes against God’s wishes to wash the earth clean after he has lost faith in mankind. Michael in defiance of the order cuts off his wings and comes to a small diner in the outskirts of the Arizona dessert to protect Charlie (Adrianne Palicki) who is with child and help the patrons fend off the hordes of the undead sent to do them in.

Legion or as it should have been referred to Biblical Terminator is not new in the story department rather than have Kyle Reese go back in time to save Sarah Connor from the deadly Terminator because her offspring will save the future, we have the Angel Michael come down from Heaven to protect Charlie from the deadly Angel Gabrielle because her offspring will save the future.

The cast includes former Sling Bade star Lucas Black as Jeep, yes jeep and the name is so stupid that every time he is spoken to, they say his name to remind you that it really is in fact Jeep.  Although Jeep was raised in Arizona he sounds like he is from the Deep South. Lucas does not even attempt to change his Alabama accent which is both sad and lazy. Dennis Quaid plays Jeep’s down on his luck Father Bob who opened up the diner named Paradise Falls (what a pun filled name for a diner that will host a battle for humanity) in the middle of nowhere thinking more development would come along that never did.  Quaid plays Bob the down on his luck schlub completely over the top in the schlub department apparently he felt watching his brother play Cousin Eddie in the original Vacation was all the inspiration he needed.

The problem with legion is its lack of consistency, an old lady can become possessed and walk on the ceiling and a small child later in the film does the same however the thousand or so other zombies that show up can only walk like Zombies. There is also an ice cream man whose limbs stretch but once again none of the other thousands of Zombies are capable of this; clearly god provides a very selective form of evil that possesses these people. There is no other explanation as to how a couple of them can walk on the ceiling but the majority of them can’t even climb a one story building to get on the roof where the patrons are shooting them.

Another interesting tidbit about the characters in legion is that apparently when you cry you can only cry out of your left eye and that is a sign that you are going to die (so hold in that Demi Moore single tear when the apocalypse comes!)

The movie is bookended by a voice over, the exact same voice over word for word, which is just stupid and the final scene of the film was completely unnecessary. Evil has been vanquished so I am not sure why Immediately after we see them on the top of a hill looking at a picture perfect town to raise the child, We then see Jeep and Charlie driving in a car stockpiled with guns like they are on their way to visit Thunderdome.

No amount of Paul Bettany can lend enough credibility to outshine the fact that this is an Inconsisten movie that stars the main characters of the Fast and the Furious 2 and 3 (Lucas Black and Tyrese Gibson). Legion is both ridiculous and nonsensical with too much generic zombie and not enough biblical apocalypse, as it stands now Legion is an enjoyable rental. Grade -75

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legion

this one kinda sucks.  and that’s disappointing.  but it happens.  they stole lots of stuff from lots of movies and ended up with some kind of potpourri of the terminator, tremors and the prophesy.  all pretty good stand alone movies, but they have no business being together.

instead of a futuristic cyborg, the angel michael comes down to protect a pregnant lady and her unborn baby because the baby is the key to the survival of the human race…really?  okay, so he holes up in a remote gas station/diner in the middle the desert with about 7 or 8 people.  kinda like in tremors.  and it’s like the prophecy in the way there’s some kind of whacky god hates men and wants them exterminated way.

i don’t know.  don’t rush out and see this one.  really.  it sucks.

starring paul bettany, dennis quaid, lucas black and tyrese gibson.  directed by scott stewart and written by peter schink and scott stewart.

Cal Reed

Legion

Basic Premise:
God has lost faith in man. Instead of sending a flood, he has sent a horde to wipe out mankind's last hope, an unborn child. Only Michael, an angel who has cast himself out of God's favor, stands in the way of that goal.


Review:
*slump*

As my husband put it, we're 0 for 3. If you took the Mary and Joseph story, mixed it with Night of the Living Dead and threw in a dash of Terminator, you would come out with something that looks a lot like Legion. Please note that NONE of that is a compliment.

I wish I could list off all the the issues I had with this movie but to do so would break my no spoilers rule. To name a few that don't give anything away: the director showing little kids being mowed down by rapid fire ordinance, chain-smoking mother of our yet-to-be-born savior (yup, that kid will be healthy), and implying that there might be a sequel to this train wreck. Oh and let's not forget, totally ripping off the ending of Terminator.

The only redeeming factor of this movie (for me) was Gabriel. I loved the way they did his wings. I would buy the DVD just so I could use that as a reference for my books with winged people. It's the most realistic wings on a human I've seen in a movie yet (live action or animated). If I could just buy those clips, I would because I'd hate to make the director think I'm encouraging him to do more.

And maybe it was just me but I kept expecting Micheal to kiss either Jeep or Gabriel. One more inch and this would have been a gay porn with the greatest special effects ever. I might have liked it more if they had just dropped that shoe and been done.

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Recommendations: Star Trek (2009), Avatar, 300

D. Renee Bagby<br />
Building New Realms of Passion<br />
http://dreneebagby.com

Legion: Horror with your Hamburger

Uh oh! Remember what happened last time God was angry with mankind? (Thanks Noah.) Well, now he/she is mad again and has sent his angels to do the dirty work. Gabriel is on board. But kind-hearted Michael (Paul Bettany) hasn't given up on us.
The action takes place in a diner — owned by Dennis Quaid - located somewhere in the middle of nowhere. Michael must protect an eight-month-pregnant woman whose baby could be our only salvation.

So far so bad. And, happily, it gets worse.

Gabriel has transformed humans into zombie-esque creatures with itty-bitty pointy teeth and the ability to crawl on ceilings.

And it gets even worse.

So much worse, in fact, that "Legion" fits snuggly into one of the Movie Slut's fave niches: Movies that are so bad they're good. She loved every awful nanosecond of it.

See you at the movies, The Movie Slut

Legion

It's not every day you see the archangel Gabriel cling to the back of a police cruiser whipping side-to-side in an attempt to throw him.

You're treated to that spectacle -- and others -- in "Legion," a very Hollywood take on the Book of Revelations.

A very Hollywood take.

Very.

Fortunately I love Hollywood! So I liked "Legion."

The story in short: an angel falls to Earth. And not just any angel, but the storied archangel Michael (AKA Mr. Jennifer Connelly.)

Michael's on a mission to load up on weapons, get his divine ass to a roadside diner in the middle of the Arizona desert and prepare for an onslaught of demons bent on slaying the unborn messiah incubated by waitress Charlie. Charlie is played by Adrianne Palicki, "Tyra" of "Friday Night Lights" fame, and if you don't watch FNL, shame on you.

So we've got a fairly standard plot structure, at least in the broad strokes. A collection of good guys on the inside, a host of baddies on the outside.

This means the story will alternate between scenes of combat and scenes of character revelation, at intervals almost predictable enough to set your watch to.

The character revelation stuff almost uniformly sucks, but the action set pieces are fun. Seeing an angel wield a heavy machine gun is, let's face it, pretty cool, and I imagine it's the visual that sold the movie to Sony in the first place.

The original writer is Peter Schink, an editor by trade whose work includes such masterpieces as "Barb Wire" and "The Chase." This is his first big screenplay.

Director Scott Stewart comes from the world of visual effects. He worked at Industrial Light and Magic and then its offspring, The Orphanage. This is his first directing gig.

Surprisingly, the entire movie is well-wrought. Dialogue is more or less sparse. The camera is dynamic. The special effects are, if anything, understated. There's actual craft at work in "Legion." Who'da thunk it?

But back to the story. There's a nice wrinkle which the film is not terribly concerned with hiding: God is on the side of the bad guys.

That's right, the Man Upstairs has decided to drop the curtain on human life. But his irascible military genius Michael has other ideas. He can't just "turn off" his love for humanity the way God can. So he's going to fight.

This will bring him into conflict with God's other big gun, Michael's fellow archangel Gabriel. You may not have realized you wanted to see a knock-down-drag-out fight between a pair of archangels, but once you do see it, you're fine with it.

There's a neat psychological angle to this relationship. Gabriel and Michael are very much like brothers, the older and more responsible of whom -- Gabriel -- does whatever his Holy Father tells him to. The slightly younger Michael is more prone to going his own way. As hokey as this might sound, it actually grounds the relationship in terms we can understand and, to a point, believe.

There is, of course, a deus ex machina ending. And not just any deus, but the grand daddy of them all, the Judeo-Christian God himself!

He doesn't put in a personal appearance, since that would be hard for even a seasoned effects man to pull off, but he has a change of heart at some point and humanity is spared.

Schmaltzy, sure, but it's not as bad as you think. The movie doesn't linger long on its weak spots, and when it comes to the big emotional scenes, at least it knows what it is.

It's a Hollywood flick about a rebellious archangel intent on machine-gunning anyone God sends to get him.

If that doesn't sound kinda cool, you might want to avoid "Legion."

SCORE

How Accomplished: 62/100

How Much I Enjoyed: 72/100

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Review: Legion

Paul Bettany.  I've had great admiration for him since his winning performance on A KNIGHT'S TALE and he's never, ever disappointed.  The thing about him though, is that he's always so much better than the movies he chooses to be part of...for the most part.  An LEGION is not exception.

His performance here is good, and you just want to place him on a better movie.  This is nothing more than popcorn at is greasiest, stalest.  A few amusing moments here and there, but it is out of your mind the moment the credits role.  Kevin Durand whom I've always though of one of those capable, underrated actors that never got the break he should had, does what he can with the Gabriel part.  One thing I'll say though, whomever decided to make the angels wings soft and belowy one second, sharp and lethal as a steel blade the next, was clearly onto something, that was definitely exciting.  Grade: C-

Legion

     I didn't really know what to think about "Legion" going into it.  The previews had a lot of fast action and and one, mean grandma.  I was hoping that the action was all in the trailer and there was a lot more of grandma or her ilk.  I wasn't too disappointed. 
 
     "Legion" is an action/thriller about a coming apocalypse and a renegade angel who it trying to save humanity from it.  Paul Bettany plays the fallen Archangel Michael, who has come to protect Adrianne Palicki's character, Charlie, and her soon to be born (on Christmas!) baby from the Archangel Gabriel, played by Kevin Durand, who is now leading heaven's armies aganist humanity, Michael, Charlie, and her soon to be born, savior child.  Dennis Quaid, Charles S. Dutton, and a few others round out the cast as well written, pretty well acted supporting characters and cannon fodder. 
 
     "Legion" does a good job at building suspense, developing its characters, and moving the story along while still giving you plenty of action, explosions, and angel fights.  Much of the movie has a nice, trapped in a house/zombie movie feel to it as the main characters barricade themselves in a diner and fend off waves of angel possessed humans.  Bettany and Durandis both do well as frighteningly dedicated angels, both hellbent on carrying out their respective missions, but it really is Quaid, Dutton, and some of the other supporting characters who make this film as good and enjoyable as it is.  This shows in the ending, which is satisfying enough and appropiate for a movie like this, but is also a little dry with the majority of the supporting characters gone and is a bit too action oriented. 
 
     "Legion" isn't going to be a classic or win any Oscars, but it is an enjoyable time in the theater and is worth, at least, a matinee ticket price. 
 
     P.S.  "The Prophecy" is still the reigning champ for creepy angel movies.  You just can't beat Christopher Walken and Viggo Mortensen.

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Brian
Ciné Critique Américain

Legion

If you took the Mary and Joseph story, mixed it with Night of the Living Dead and threw in a dash of Terminator, you would come out with something that looks a lot like Legion. Please note that NONE of that is a compliment.

I wish I could list off all the the issues I had with this movie but to do so would break my no spoilers rule. To name a few that don't give anything away: the director showing little kids being mowed down by rapid fire ordinance, chain-smoking mother of our yet-to-be-born savior (yup, that kid will be healthy), and implying that there might be a sequel to this train wreck. Oh and let's not forget, totally ripping off the ending of Terminator.

The only redeeming factor of this movie (for me) was Gabriel. I loved the way they did his wings. I would buy the DVD just so I could use that as a reference for my books with winged people. It's the most realistic wings on a human I've seen in a movie yet (live action or animated). If I could just buy those clips, I would because I'd hate to make the director think I'm encouraging him to do more.

And maybe it was just me but I kept expecting Micheal to kiss either Jeep or Gabriel. One more inch and this would have been a gay porn with the greatest special effects ever. I might have liked it more if they had just dropped that shoe//gi and been done.

Final call -- pretty to look at so long as you ignore everything else. Essentially a Butter Face movie.


Review originally posted at The Multiverse's Archival Chambers on 25 Jan 2010.

Recommendations: Star Trek (2009), Avatar, 300

D. Renee Bagby<br />
Building New Realms of Passion<br />
http://dreneebagby.com

Last updated: 2010-02-13 10:23:17 by dreneebagby

Legion is not a film for the masses...

*spoiler filled review (you can’t spoil what is already rotten!)*

I’m not a big fan of zombie or vampire movies but give me a good ‘end of the world’ story any day. I’m a sucker for angels, demons, and judgment day movies. However, against the better judgement of my peers, critics, and the entire Western hemisphere (13% on RottenTomatoes), I caught Legion in hopes of having something worthy to review for the faithful readers of B5. I apologize a head of time and please consider this a public service warning to protect your sense of good taste.

Legion starts with less than angelic Michael, played by Paul Bettany (Da Vinci Code, Beautiful Mind), dropping down from the heavens as a rogue agent on a mission of mercy. After inexplicably cutting off his wings, he heads off by car (?) into the darkness (not sure why he couldn’t just land at his destination). Meantime, a motley crue of characters are stranded at a crappy diner in a desolate town called Paradise Falls (I guess referring to Milton’s Paradise Lost?). 8 months pregnant Charlie, gets a visit from a sweet, old grannie traveler that turns out to be a freaky, wall crawling beast. After loss of power, loss of communications, and some serious bug problems, the panicking group is finally visited by the gun-toting Michael. The wingless angel explains that for some reason God is done with humanity and is about to destroy it with an army of heavenly hosts. However, for some inexplicable (you’re going to get tired of this word) reason, Charlie’s baby is the key for mankind’s survival. So like a video game, the new recruits have to gun down wave after wave of angel-possessed human-zombies as they try to break into the diner and kill Charlie’s baby. Eventually, there is a showdown between Gabriel and Michael. Michael somehow dies (I guess he’s a human now?) and returns just in the nick of time to save Charlie and baby for their inexplicable destiny. Whew, the only thing worse that watching it was writing it all out.

Legion had potential. There is not a lot of movies out there about angels, and even fewer that focus on heavenly warfare. The first half of this film sets up ok. The remote diner turns into a ’haunted house’ with zombies running around outside so that was pretty cool. However, it started to feel like they were trying to tell an ‘end of the world’ story within the confines of an aquarium. Instead of being about epic cataclysmic events, it just turns into a claustrophobic shoot out that takes place in about 2,500 square feet. To make it worst, when the plot tries to shift into high gear, the thing comes apart forcing you to suspend belief and all reason. Why are angels ‘possessing’ the weakling humans and try to zombie-walk their way up to the diner when they could just swoop down and tear the roof off? Why do the ‘angel possessed’ humans look more like demonic zombies? How exactly do bullets stop angels anyways? Angels seem to be able to possess anyone, why can’t they possess the principal characters? How did Paul Bettany get this gig? I’m thinking about this way too much…

By the time it reached its way to cliché, car chasing climax I was kind of hoping the good guys would lose just to see what would happen. The big shocker ending? Michael is elevated back to his angelic status because he was brave enough to turn on God and compassionate enough to save the baby- oh geez. By the end, the good guys win and drive off into the cliché sunset.

Tipped off by the trailer, the special effects are pretty amateur. Certainly nothing you wouldn’t see in a direct to DVD or cable TV program. It also didn’t help that this was one of the first movies for rookie Director Scott Stewart. I could have thought of about 100 other actors other than Paul Bettany to play Michael. His slim build and English accent hardly does the mighty archangel justice. A few of the other characters do an okay job but they had little to work with. A few cool things: The crazy grannie from the trailer was pretty freaky. There is also a brief toddler killer which was disturbing. I thought about 30 seconds of the final showdown between Michael and Gabriel was entertaining. Gabriel flapping around wielding a giant mace and slicing things up with his metallic wings was the best part of the movie. That was it for the likes.

For a movie named Legion, there was nothing big, epic, or interesting about this movie. With the exception of a little gore, this looked like something Christian broadcasting like TBN or Left Behind’s Kirk Cameron would have produced. Which is unfortunate because this is a topic still unexplored. With the right story, director, and budget, the next big genre could be discovered. Until then, I think even God will have trouble forgiving this sinful act.

Check out more of my reviews at BabbleOn5.com

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Last updated: 2010-02-09 01:36:28 by tonybkim

God, Why Send Angels To Destroy Us?

When God loses faith in humanity, He send flood to the Earth. But in the latest model, God and angels look so much deviated from the norm we always knew of. The angels, suited in black armored dress code, with paladin wings that act like an armor and they have weapons does not sounds like something we are familiar off. Welcome to Legion because there is nothing you have known will be portrayed here.

Two days before Christmas, a restaurant becomes the last station for a group of strangers. It happens following an apocalypse when God decided to exterminate the human being because of their bad virtues. However, Angel Michael (Paul Bettany) defied the orders of God to help the human by coming to the Earth to protect Charlie (Adrianne Palicki) whom is eight month pregnant and her child is the only saviour for humanity.

For Christianity, this movie goes the opposite road. It can be labelled as a total anti-Christ movie but looking at the bright side, this is a fantasy feature that take things over as a fiction, merely fiction I repeated. The problem about this movie is that the writers are trying to embody a huge complex backbone story. Apocalypse, faith to God and human survivor; the three themes that transformed into a heavy movie to be accepted. At times, the movie lost its focus on what the anchor story supposed to be. It is very obvious that no one will really understand what the movie is trying to execute here in the beginning.

The pace of the movie is so slow and the explanation only occurred on the final twenty minutes. You can expect a lot of action and punch-thrilling on the first hour. The dark vibes were heavy throughout the movie but the actions and thrills were completely halted midway of the movie. Not so much of an action but the film decided to go more into talking and words exchange that does not served any answer to what intriguing the audience earlier.

The ensemble casts are powerful although they are more like a B-class casts. With such a prolific casts, led by Paul Bettany, the acting does not disappointing at all. They have their share of moments of character development and the history behind them prior the gathering at the restaurant. The other cast includes Adrianne Palicki, Lucas Black. Dennis Quaid, Tyrese Gibson and Kate Walsh.

I would have to say the studio did a decent moderate job in terms of the visual effects and the cinematographic play. It made the movie a playable one and convincing. However, the whole mood of the movie was dampened so much because of its confusing plot, sloppy pace and over-dialog. Be ready to get confused!!

From,
Bernard,
http://greenteamovie.blogspot.com

Recommendations: Inception

Have yourself a cup of green tea

Last updated: 2010-02-07 08:31:01 by BernardGT