By: Blake Edgington, Movie Critic

 

 

 

 

Film: Legion
Directed by: Scott Stewart
Starring: Dennis Quaid, Lucas Black, Paul Bettany and Tyrese Gibson

Rated: R
Review: 2 bags

 

   
 
Photo Courtesy: Sony Pictures

Forget all they’ve taught you in Sunday school, folks! God is not as nice as originally thought.

That’s right, here we have a very rare film, not the first of its kind, but the first to actually make God an outright villain. Although the premise of the film is interesting enough, and the action and effects are first rate, the overly indulgent, formulaic, and brainless dialogue transforms Legion from an edge-of-your-seat action flick into a borderline laughable and somewhat entertaining couple of hours.

The story takes place mostly in the Mojave Desert at a small diner named Paradise Falls (originality at its best). God, tired of mankind and our blasphemous behavior, decides to do away with mankind. He sends his angels to do his bidding, led by Gabriel and Michael the Archangel. Lucky for us, Michael decides he still has a soft spot in his heart for humans and decides to fight the army of angels sent by God.

Some parts of the film are quite amusing, and although the dialogue at times seems to drag and hold the movie back, the film delivers with plenty of action and entertainment.

For example, during the film, this sweet old lady congratulates one of the characters on a pregnancy and all of a sudden, the old lady turns into a possessed demon, crawls on the ceiling of the diner and tries to abort the baby, only to be gunned down to death.

The special effects, although not mind blowing, do impress. The hordes of flying angels trying to enforce God’s wrath looks quite impressive. I guess you can expect that from director Scott Stewart, who has collaborated in films with stunning effects such as Jurassic Park and a couple of Harry Potter films.

That said, there were major problems with this script. The writers had a difficult time keeping it simple, which would’ve worked for a film like this. Due to this poor script, the movie at times is quite confusing. The dialogue is overly wordy. And when it’s not too wordy, it’s downright sophomoric. Also, the already mediocre cast (Dennis Quaid, Paul Bettany, Tyrese Gibson) is limited even further with the subpar script.

Legion is worth watching for the interesting premise, but be prepared to be disappointed if you’re expecting a film with substance.