Co-Writer/Director: Scott Charles Stewart
Running time: 96 mins (approx)
Certification (UK): 15
Genre: Action/Fantasy/Adventure
USA Release date: 5th March 2010
Watched on DVD Sunday 22nd May 2011.
PLEASE NOTE: THERE MAY BE SPOILERS IN THIS REVIEW.
This film has attracted some really bad reviews but I decided to see for myself just what everyone was getting so het up about. Well, although it’s not the best film in the world, it’s far far better than many would have you believe. Yes, the premise is pretty preposterous, but I like the execution and I like the performances and so it turned out not as awful as I feared. I should say for the record that I’m not a religious man as so wasn’t offended by the use of religious iconography in this film.
A waitress, Charlie, who works in a diner on a deserted road in the Mojave Desert is heavily pregnant. She is looked after by Jeep Hanson and his father Bob, who owns the diner. It’s a typical day with the usual comings and goings, but there’s something in the air. And when a sweet old lady tells Charlie her baby is going to burn before going crazy and trying to kill everyone, they all know something is seriously wrong. Then a stranger arrives, he is heavily armed and ready for a fight. He calls himself Michael and claims he is a fallen angel. He has come to save Charlie’s baby from the coming apocalypse as he is the only hope for mankind. More people arrive, but they are possessed and have only one thing on their minds. Many are killed but they are soon beaten back. Can this small band hold out until the baby comes, or will the possessed return to take the baby? A tough one I know, but I’m not going to tell you here.
The film is pretty well made with some nice special effects and some decent performances. It is let down by a rather weak story that could have been done with much more mystery than it was. Decent performances all round; Paul Bettany did a good job as Michael, although I felt he wasn’t really stretched, although he did have some of the best dialogue. Lucas Black was ok as Jeep Hanson and it was nice to see Dennis Quaid as his father Bob. Tyrese Gibson was also good as the reformed bad guy Kyle Williams and Adrianne Palicki was ok, without being spectacular as Charlie. Finally a mention for Charles S. Dutton who did a good job as the chef, Percy Walker.
It very much put me in mind of the 1976 John Carpenter film, Assault on Precinct 13 with the quite claustrophobic feel of it. It’s just a shame that the premise behind the storyline wasn’t better thought out, or that the character of Michael didn’t have more mystery about him. As I said at the beginning though, I think it was well produced and there were some decent performances. I know many won’t agree, but I didn’t dislike it all that much… I won’t recommend it, but neither will I consign it to the reject pile, with this one I’ll give you a free choice.
My Score: 5.2/10
LINKS:
(RT = Rotten Tomatoes)
IMDb Page: http://uk.imdb.com/title/tt1038686/
RT Page: http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/legion_2010/
Official Site: http://www.sonypictures.com/homevideo/legion/
Trailer:
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