Legion
Starring: Paul Bettany, Dennis Quaid, Lucas Black, Tyrese Gibson
Director: Scott Stewart
Rating: 3/5
It’s always great to see Paul Bettany on the big screen and Legion is his latest project, his first film since Darwin last year.
And it’s a change of pace for the actor, leaving behind the likes of A Beautiful Mind and Darwin, as he takes on the role of an action hero.
An out-of-the-way diner becomes the unlikely battleground for the survival of the human race. When God loses faith in Mankind, he sends his legion of angels to bring on the Apocalypse.
Humanity's only hope lies in a group of strangers trapped in a desert diner and the Archangel Michael and he tries to protect the unborn child of a stranger.
Alright, alright this movie is by no means perfect, and at time really a bit silly but it’s a good romp if you are prepared to sit back and accept it for what it is.
Legion is a mix between Assault on Precinct 13 and any zombie movie that you have ever seen resulting in this fast paced, gun toting movie.
It’s great to see Bettany embrace the action hero role as he bulks up and takes on the all killing angels in true Rambo style. And while there is a love story in the middle of the apocalypse and all of the killing it's nice to see that not rammed down out throat.
The movie is steeped in religion but it does bring up some interesting points the main one being that God would order the death of a child, particulary after the way that Jesus was hunted when he was born.
There is also an interesting rivalry between angels Michael and Gabriel as they both battle it out for the approval of God.
Perhaps the screenplay isn’t as complex, and I suppose as dark, as it could be but Legion has some great gun fighting set pieces and the CGI is also very good.
This movie is by no means a classic it’s an exciting, fast paced and showing of some very good central performances, Dennis Quaid injects some much needed humour into the movie.
The apocalypse movie is becoming a little too regular an occurrence on the big screen of late but it’s nice to see a movie that does have a stroke of originality about it.
Legion is out now.
FemaleFirst Helen Earnshaw