Psycho's Movie Reviews #203: LEGION (2010)

Legion is a 2010 American action horror film directed by Scott Stewart and co-written by Stewart and Peter Schink. The film stars Paul Bettany, Lucas Black, Tyrese Gibson, Adrianne Palicki, Kate Walsh, and Dennis Quaid. Sony Pictures Worldwide Acquisitions Group acquired most of the film's worldwide distribution rights, and the group opened the film in North America theatrically on January 22, 2010, through Screen Gems.

A television series titled Dominion, set 25 years after the film, premiered on the American cable television network Syfy on June 19, 2014.

Plot

The Archangel Michael falls to Earth in Los Angeles and cuts off his own wings. After looting a weapons warehouse and stealing a police car, he travels towards the Paradise Falls Diner, near the edge of the Mojave Desert. Meanwhile, Kyle, a single father driving to Los Angeles, stops at the diner. He meets the owner, Bob Hanson; Jeep, Bob's son; Percy, the short-order cook; Charlie, a pregnant waitress; Howard and Sandra Anderson, a married couple; and Audrey, their rebellious teenaged daughter. As the diner's television, radio, and telephone fail, elderly Gladys enters the diner and becomes abnormally hostile, before biting a piece out of Howard's neck, whereupon Kyle shoots her. A gigantic swarm of flies surrounds the diner and isolates its patrons from the outside world, thwarting their attempt to transport Howard to the hospital.

Michael arrives and arms the patrons as the entire sky turns black. Hundreds of cars approach, filled with possessed people who begin to attack the diner. Michael leads the patrons in the fight, but Howard is dragged away. Later, Michael explains that God has lost faith in mankind and has sent his angels to destroy the human race. He also reveals that Charlie's baby must stay alive, as it is destined to be the saviour of mankind; Michael disobeyed God's order to kill Charlie's baby, as he still has faith in humanity.

The next morning, Sandra discovers Howard crucified on a cross behind the restaurant and covered with huge boils. She tries to rescue him, but he explodes into acid. Percy dies shielding Sandra from the blast. Sandra goes insane and must be restrained. Meanwhile, the remaining survivors hear a radio transmission that reveals other pockets of resistance. One such refuge is nearby, but Michael advises them not to go, since they would be too vulnerable on the move. That night, a second wave of possessed people attacks. Kyle is lured into a trap and killed, while Charlie goes into labour. Audrey and Michael help to deliver the baby as trumpets sound, signalling the approach of the Archangel Gabriel. In a panic, Sandra breaks her restraints and tries to give the baby to the possessed, but Michael executes her. Moments later, Gabriel enters the diner and fatally wounds Bob. Michael urges the group to escape and tells Jeep to "find the prophets, learn to read the instructions".

The hordes of possessed humans cannot approach Charlie's baby; Jeep, Audrey, Charlie, and the baby go to Michael's stolen cruiser. Gabriel and Michael fight to a standstill before Gabriel stabs Michael through the chest with his morning star. Michael dies, and his body disappears. Dying, Bob uses his lighter to ignite the diner's gas main and blow up the diner, incinerating himself and the remaining possessed.

Jeep, his body covered in the same mysterious drawings seen on Michael's body, concludes that the tattoos are his instructions. Gabriel appears and a scuffle ensues in which Audrey is killed. Gabriel corners them in the nearby mountains and is about to kill them when Michael descends from Heaven, healed and restored to the rank of Archangel. Michael tells Gabriel that Gabriel gave God what He asked for, but Michael gave Him what He needed, giving humanity another chance; Michael says this was God's plan to test his angels and that Gabriel failed Him. Ashamed, Gabriel leaves. Michael explains to Jeep that he is the child's true protector and that they will see Michael again. Michael flies away. Charlie and Jeep reach the top of the mountain and see a small town in the valley below.

Later, Charlie, Jeep, and the baby drive away – the shot widens to show that the back of their vehicle is full of weapons.

Production

Principal photography took place in New Mexico in the spring of 2008.

The Director of Photography was John Lindley.

Critics panned the film. Review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes gives the film a score of 19% based on reviews from 104 critics, with an average rating of 3.78 out of 10. The site's consensus is: "Despite a solid cast and intermittent thrills, Legion suffers from a curiously languid pace, confused plot, and an excess of dialogue." Metacritic, which assigns a weighted average score out of 0–100 reviews from film critics, has a rating score of 32% based on 14 reviews.

Paul Nicholasi of Dread Central gave the film a one and a half out of five stars, saying, "The finished product is shockingly bad. If countless angles of people firing guns with spent shells clinking to the ground is all your heart yearns for, then Legion may be your ideal Saturday night. Hoping for anything more is an exercise in futility. Spare yourself the agony." Brad Miska of Bloody Disgusting gave it 1 out of 5 stars, calling it "a prude film with some potential. It's boring, slow paced and it takes itself way too seriously." Variety film critic Joe Leydon gave the film a mixed analysis. Leydon claimed "Even when the blood-and-thunder hokiness of the over-the-top plot tilts perilously close to absurdity, the admirably straight-faced performances by well-cast lead players provide just enough counterbalance to sustain curiosity and sympathy." Frank Scheck of The Hollywood Reporter also gave the film a mixed review stating, "the goings-on in Legion are seriously silly (not to mention more than a little derivative of endless movies, especially the Terminator series), but director Scott Stewart has provided enough stylish finesse to make the proceedings a real hoot."

Kim Newman compares the film to Tales from the Crypt: Demon Knight, The Terminator, and The Prophecy, stating, "In most religious-themed-end-of-the-world films - and there are more than you'd think - its the righteous who stand against the dark. Here, it's gun-owners, which suggests how thoroughly screwed-up Legion's values are."

Collis Clark of Entertainment Weekly refers to this movie as dull: "The problem lies not with the cast, and Kate Walsh in particular deserves some sort of medal for the scene in which she narrowly escapes being dissolved by pus. Alas, the script is a rough beast that slouches toward utter ludicrousness. 'The future has been unwritten!' intones Paul Bettany's Michael at one point. But Legion barely seems to have been written at all."

Mike Hale of The New York Times says, "Unfortunately, the script by Scott Stewart, who directed, and Peter Schink emphasizes stage bound melodramatics and banal television-style catharsis over action and humour... Amid a bull market for end-of-days tales, 'Legion' stands out for its explicitly biblical underpinnings and its claustrophobia."

Peter Bradshaw in The Guardian says, "Not many horror movies have the decency to let elderly performers steal the show. But Jeanette Miller absolutely walks off with this one, in the robustly written role of a potty-mouthed satanic old lady who takes a fatal bite out of someone's neck. Paul Bettany plays the particularly badass angel who comes to earth in an attempt to stop God and his heavenly armies wiping out humanity."

Legion was released on January 22, 2010, in 2,476 theatres and took in $6,686,233—$2,700 per theatre its opening day. On its opening weekend, it grossed $17,501,625—$7,069 per theatre and placed second behind Avatar. It placed No. 6 on its second weekend, and grossed an estimated $6,800,000—$2,746 per theatre, a 61.1% drop from the previous weekend. The film has come to gross $67,918,658 worldwide.

Budget $26 million

Box office $67.9 million

My Review

I watched Legion in hopes that some of the missing elements of Dominion, like how all the cities rose, among other topics, would be foretold. But, unfortunately, while we do get a bit of back-story about Michael, Jeep, and Alex's mom, I must admit I am unsure why this, of all movies, was chosen to become a series. However, the question needs to be asked: is this necessarily a bad movie or just one not strong enough to warrant a series?

For those who watch Dominion, the sole thing this movie offers is a bit of background behind Jeep as well as help us get to know Alex's mother. Outside of that, this movie does make the Michael and Gabriel on Dominion a bit disappointing. If just because Paul Bettany as Michael, and Kevin Durand as Gabriel, are far more appealing in the roles than their successors on Dominion. Bettany doesn't have Tom Wisdom's weird brooding persona which makes it seem like he wants to be in an Anne Rice movie, but more so belongs in Twilight. Then, as for Durand as Gabriel, there is this actual menacing persona which isn't diluted as he speaks in a sentimental nature when it comes to God or Michael. Unlike Carl Beukes on Dominion.

I must note though, when it comes to scenes without Bettany and Durand, I am unsure how this movie made nearly 70 million dollars. For while Quaid and company certainly aren't boring, at the same time the action scenes don't bring anything which makes the film look any better than the show. In fact, with the movie being focused solely in or around the diner, I would argue the pilot of Dominion brings you a much more interesting universe than the movie.

For while we see a young Jeep, Alex's mother Charlie, and even get some flashbacks to this small set which represents heaven, nothing seems to really flesh out the story to the point it makes the movie worth seeing, even if you are a fan of the show. I say this because the story itself is rather shallow and keeps the audience on a need to know basis. Then when it comes to the angels taking over humans, while I did enjoy Miller's scenes, and this evil child which came after her, at the same time it felt more campy than scary. Which may have been the point, but at the same time it just seems like the movie is stuck between wanting to be taken seriously and having an almost Zombieland tone without any outright jokes.

I'm glad I didn't pay for this film because it really does feel underdone for an action movie. For with a shoddy story, rather tame action, and really most of the characters not being all that interesting, I must admit I am tempted to say to skip this. Though if you are a fan of the show which was inspired by this, I think this movie does have some value. Even if it seems like a two hour promo. However, if you have no interest in Dominion I don't think this movie at all will convince you to give the show a chance. And, to be quite honest, this film isn't even good enough to really help me understand why it was turned into a TV series. 6.6/10