I sat down in the theater and waited for the screening to begin. As I sat there quietly watching the pre-show advertisements, I resigned myself to the fact that I was stuck in front of a row of popcorn-munching kids who did not understand the concept of closing their mouths. Then the trailers rolled. The first trailer was for Iron Man 2, a film I can't wait for, and when the title came up to the strains of Black Sabbath, a tear came to my eye. Then Legion started, and later, as the end credits began to roll, another tear came to my eye, but for a completely different reason.
The base concept is an interesting one. An angel comes to Earth to protect a chosen few (or one) from an oncoming assault of angels working on orders from God. It was done to better effect back in 1995 when Christopher Walken took the name Gabriel and wreaked some havoc of Biblical proportions in The Prophecy. Now we revisit the concept with Legion. The angle is different from the Walken film and we would be better off for it if Legion was half as good as The Prophecy.
Legion opens much the same as the trailer. Archangel Michael (Paul Bettany) lands in Los Angeles and promptly cuts off his wings, freeing himself from the collar around his neck (what was the purpose of that again?). After this, he hits up an armory just before things "begin." By "begin," I believe he is referring to the extermination of the human race.
The scene quickly shifts to a dusty diner/service station in the middle of nowhere, run by the trifecta of Dennis Quaid, Charles S. Dutton, and Lucas Black. Joining them is Adrianne Palicki as the pregnant waitress they are helping out. The diner has a variety of patrons and they are about to become a ragtag group of would-be survivors when the angel horde strikes.
All right, let's cut to the chase — what happens here? God is disappointed in humanity, but instead of repeating Himself with a flood, he sends his angels to exterminate the infestation. One angel still has hope for humanity and chooses to side with them, not to mention an unborn child destined to save humanity. So, this angel and a random group of people set up shop at a remote diner where they arm themselves to do battle with the oncoming army.
Sure, it sounds like a decent enough tale. I know I'm always up for a little survival-type horror. Unfortunately I don't think anyone actually read the script before they decided to make it. You see, the screenplay is littered with atrocious dialogue. The obvious questions are not asked, the characters are mere sketches, and what the do say is riddled with obvious cliches. It is poorly written all around. Any opportunities to get into the story and add any sort of depth are wasted.
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Article comments
1 - LoRi
I totaly agree with everything you said!! I was asking myself many quetions about the movie hoping that in the end they would be answered... But they weren't......
Idk what to say about this movie.. I guess I was expecting more. ( alot more ) Throughout the whole move the only parts that I liked were when the angels Michael and Gabriel fought.
And I ask myself is Michael Jesus Christ? because in the bible Jesus takes the name of Michael after he is reserected from his human form....??
2 - adam
Spot on, my buddy even leaned over at one point in the. movie and said, " this is terminator!" Could have been an interesting movie, but fell short.