Legion: A killer angel movie that goes too over-the-top
Katie Avery
Issue date: 2/3/10 Section: Reviews
"Legion," the newest apocalyptic action thriller, which premiered in theaters Jan. 22, simply did not live up to all its hype.
The stage of "Legion" is set when God, once again, loses faith in mankind. He sends his angels to possess and take over human beings so they can kill a baby who will, according to some obscure prophecy, grow up to lead mankind away from darkness. The archangel Michael, who holds onto his faith in humanity, goes against God's orders, falls from heaven and seeks to protect the unborn child.
This premise seemed very exciting. Who would've thought a movie could work where angels are the bad guys? If done properly, this was going to be a film celebrated for its inventive and original ideas.
The problem is, the most important part of the plot doesn't make sense. God sends his angels to possesses humans and force them to attack the protagonists. Why couldn't the angels, who are much stronger than humans, kill off everyone without even a struggle? Answer: Because then we wouldn't have a movie. So basically the entire story structure is based on completely illogical battle orders from a supposedly infallible deity.
Plot inconsistencies aside, the movie isn't a total loss. The special effects used to demonize the villains are very well done. When Gladys, a sweet little old lady, turned into a demonic villain the tension and fear in the audience was palpable. One of the scariest moments occurred when a child falls prey to possession. The filmmakers turned the cute and seemingly innocent into the creepiest monsters making the audience feel like nothing is safe.
Paul Bettany, who played the fallen angel Michael, gave the best performance. He pulled off the right attitude to make his character work and stood out among the mediocrity.
Adrianne Palicki who played pregnant girl Charlie, and Lucas Black, who played her intensely loyal companion Jeep, gave passable performances as well. However, the over-the-top intense dialogue was poorly written and, for the most part, poorly delivered by the cast.
The stage of "Legion" is set when God, once again, loses faith in mankind. He sends his angels to possess and take over human beings so they can kill a baby who will, according to some obscure prophecy, grow up to lead mankind away from darkness. The archangel Michael, who holds onto his faith in humanity, goes against God's orders, falls from heaven and seeks to protect the unborn child.
This premise seemed very exciting. Who would've thought a movie could work where angels are the bad guys? If done properly, this was going to be a film celebrated for its inventive and original ideas.
The problem is, the most important part of the plot doesn't make sense. God sends his angels to possesses humans and force them to attack the protagonists. Why couldn't the angels, who are much stronger than humans, kill off everyone without even a struggle? Answer: Because then we wouldn't have a movie. So basically the entire story structure is based on completely illogical battle orders from a supposedly infallible deity.
Plot inconsistencies aside, the movie isn't a total loss. The special effects used to demonize the villains are very well done. When Gladys, a sweet little old lady, turned into a demonic villain the tension and fear in the audience was palpable. One of the scariest moments occurred when a child falls prey to possession. The filmmakers turned the cute and seemingly innocent into the creepiest monsters making the audience feel like nothing is safe.
Paul Bettany, who played the fallen angel Michael, gave the best performance. He pulled off the right attitude to make his character work and stood out among the mediocrity.
Adrianne Palicki who played pregnant girl Charlie, and Lucas Black, who played her intensely loyal companion Jeep, gave passable performances as well. However, the over-the-top intense dialogue was poorly written and, for the most part, poorly delivered by the cast.
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