Legion (2010)

A group of strangers fight for the welfare of humanity.

Director:

Scott Stewart

Writers:

Peter Schink, Scott Stewart

Stars:

Paul Bettany, Dennis Quaid, Charles S. Dutton

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Paul Bettany	...	Michael
Lucas Black	...	Jeep Hanson
Tyrese Gibson	...	Kyle Williams
Adrianne Palicki	...	Charlie
Charles S. Dutton	...	Percy Walker
Jon Tenney	...	Howard Anderson
Kevin Durand	...	Gabriel
Willa Holland	...	Audrey Anderson
Kate Walsh	...	Sandra Anderson
Dennis Quaid	...	Bob Hanson
Jeanette Miller	...	Gladys Foster
Cameron Harlow	...	Minivan Boy
Doug Jones	...	Ice Cream Man
Josh Stamberg	...	Burton
Yancey Arias	...	Estevez

Storyline

An out-of-the-way diner becomes the unlikely battleground for the survival of the human race. When God loses faith in humankind, he sends his legion of angels to bring on the Apocalypse. Humanity's only hope lies in a group of strangers trapped in a desert diner with the Archangel Michael (Bettany).

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Plot Keywords:

angel | religious faith | diner | human race | faith | 

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Taglines:

When the last angel falls, the fight for mankind begins.

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Genres:

Action | Fantasy | Horror

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Certificate:

13+

Details

Official Sites:

Official Facebook Official site

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

22 January 2010 (Canada)

Also Known As:

Legión de ángeles

Box Office

Budget:

$26,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend:

£212,328 (UK) (5 March 2010)

Gross:

$40,168,080 (USA) (19 March 2010)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Bold Films

Technical Specs

Runtime:

100 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital DTS SDDS

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The name of the diner is "Paradise Falls", a reference to the changing nature of God's attitude to man and the nature of angels from protectors to destroyers. Also a nod to John Milton's Paradise Lost, where it describes the fall of Satan to earth and the war between angels and man.

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Goofs

When Kyle first arrives he asks Charlie for a cigarette. Her cigarette keeps changing lengths during this scene. Obviously a different cigarette.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Charlie: [voice-over] When I was a little girl, my mother would remind me each night before bed, to open up my heart to God, for He was kind, merciful, and just. Things changed when my father left a few years later, leaving her to raise me and my brothers in a place on the edge of the Mojave Desert. She never talked of a kind and merciful God again. Instead she spoke of a prophecy. Of a time when all the world would be covered in darkness and the fate of mankind would be decided. One night, ...

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Crazy Credits

At the very end of the credits, there is about 10 seconds of "Turkey In The Straw" (the ice cream truck music).

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Connections

Referenced in The King James Code, Volume 6: The Cult of 33 (2011)

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Soundtracks

Turkey in the Straw
(uncredited)
Traditional

User Reviews

Neat concept not very well done

Legion is about the apocalypse and one fallen angel who tries to save the last hope for humanity. With such a high concept, it's weird how it's actually taking place in a rather constrained space : a truck diner lost in an American desert. My first impression was that the special effects looked cheap (witness the first human transformation and the way "it" talks while barely moving its mouth). It's an impression that stayed with me throughout until perhaps the final antagonist. My second impression was that the acting wasn't that bad. I didn't recognize the actor playing the main angel character (Paul Bettany) until the day after while reading the credits. He's not one we usually see as an action hero in this kind of flick but he gave a decent performance as the strong stoic type. I also remembered Lucas Black (playing Jeep : what a lousy character's name) from the time he was a talented child actor. He still is. We also have the ever reliable Dennis Quaid in a supernatural thriller yet again.

My third impression was that the little old lady (seen in previews) reminded me of the crazy old gypsy woman from "Drag me to Hell". It's no wonder she's shown in previews, it's one of the best moments. However it spoils the surprise. My fourth impression was that following the granny, the "possessed" people were rather slow, stupid and not particularly menacing, very much like zombies even though they were not. My fifth impression was that at least the filmmakers were trying to achieve character moments instead of tiring us out with incessant action. My sixth impression ,after the film, was that considering the origin of the possessed humans and the objective desired, it was really ridiculous and unbelievable to proceed that way especially considering the supposedly superior intelligence at work. My last impression is that although it's certainly watchable as a distraction, it's not really effective or a particularly good film in the genre despite the "angels", seldom seen in features these days. Don't watch "Legion" expecting a big-budget epic fantasy, it's more like an intimate, closed space, last stand b-movie thriller without that many thrills.

Rating: 5 out of 10 for mediocre

P.S. Don't watch it expecting a "legion" of "angels" either. You would be disappointed.