‘Legion’ not exactly blessed

For some odd reason, Paul Bettany is fascinated by religious thrillers. From The Da Vinci Code to the more recent Priest, the Academy Award nominee seems attracted to these largely mediocre films with spiritual bents. He continues the trend in Legion, a pitiful movie that re-imagines angels as pseudo-mercenaries on the eve of the apocalypse. It’s a laughable affair that somehow was able to gather the acting talents of not only Bettany, but also Dennis Quaid, Charles S. Dutton and Kate Walsh.

The movie has a decidedly Stephen King approach: A run-down diner on the outskirts of nowhere proves to be the final battleground for an angel who turns against the will of God (that’s Bettany, and he’s named Michael) and his nemesis, Gabriel, who is following the will of God, but appears to be more satanic than anything else.

The human collateral damage includes a rich married couple and their annoying daughter, a frightening old lady, a pregnant girl (need one of those in a religious thriller), plus the diner’s owner (Quaid) and his short-order cook (Dutton). There are a few more people who find themselves stuck at the establishment (boy, that apocalypse really brings in the customers!), but they only serve as extra meat in Scott Charles Stewart’s ridiculous movie.

There is not much explanation in the film. Why has the world turned zombie? Why can old ladies crawl on the ceiling? Why this diner? And when the exposition does arrive, it’s in one of those horribly disjointed scenes where the action stops and everyone crowds around Michael to hear about all the details.

Some credit can be given for the visuals of the film, which are intermittently stirring. The barren landscape of the Mojave Desert and the surroundings of the diner are evocatively filmed. But they ultimately serve no purpose. A film needs good characters to populate interesting locales.

Watch the trailer for the movie (see the YouTube clip above), and you’ll have seen the best parts of the film.

Legion is not exactly atrocious, but it’s far from godly.

John Soltes / Publisher

• Legion

• 2010

• Directed by Scott Charles Stewart

• Written by Stewart and Peter Schink

• Starring Paul Bettany, Dennis Quaid, Charles S. Dutton and Kate Walsh

• Running time: 100 minutes

• Rated R for strong bloody violence and language

• Bubble score: 2 out of 4

• Click here to purchase Legion on DVD.