Legion

Again grieved by mankind, God has willed that the world's population be wiped out wholesale so that Earth might begin anew. One child could change all that, the problem is, he's not been born yet. And so, the Heavenly Host is dispatched to Earth to destroy his mother, a waitress named Charlie (Adrienne Palicki) who tends a diner called Paradise Falls along with Jeep (Lucas Black) and his father, Bob (Dennis Quaid). The situation is dire and hope is nowhere, and the diner is besieged. Reluctant to carry out his Master's plan, Michael (Paul Bettany) rebels and stands with the band of misfits for one last stand. As time comes down and the baby is born, God sends a replacement, Gabriel (Kevin Durand,) the only one who can destroy the child.

Apocalyptic stories come in all forms. And my collection has a fair share of those: Resident Evil, The Happening, The Day the Earth Stood Still, 28 Days Later, Terminator, Cloverfield, Planet Terror and Daybreakers. And Legion is one of those. The typical formula for an Apocalyptic film is that there is a pestilence that comes to wipe out mankind, sometimes supernatural (as in this case and in The Happening) and sometimes viral (Resident Evil, 28 Days Later, Daybreakers, Planet Terror.) And rarely, it's a creature (such as is the case with Cloverfield.) This pestilence is fought by a small group of humans, such as our diner patrons. Someone usually shows up, like Resident Evil's Alice, who knows everything about what's coming and has a short time to recruit, train and fight with the small band against the onslaught. The film usually spans the time of a day or a night and the small band overcomes the creatures attacking with the help of a secret weapon of sorts. In this case the baby is the secret weapon: when he's born, the lesser Host cannot come near. But there's a last "Big Bad" who's got all the advantages and none of the weaknesses of the horde, in this case Kevin Durand's Gabriel. In one last battle with the believer (the one who equips our heroes to fight,) the most experienced warrior is usually killed fighting The Big Bad, leaving the real hero to prove himself.

This film follows the formula to the letter; however, the story itself is weak. Its main concern is a slam and slander upon the Christian Christmas story and a perversion of the Christian God where He is the villain and his Host is as well. So concerned were the writers to be overly preachy, that they failed to construct a tightly woven plot. The action is routine, the mechanics capably executed, but the story lags and, as my Dad would say, is "flopping around like a dead fish" whereupon one of my college roommates would remind me that "dead fish don't flop." However, a dying fish does, and so does this plot.

So where is the excellence? Every film has a redeeming point, and this one is in the performances brought by Kevin Durand and Paul Bettany and their chemistry as reluctant enemies. After his stunning stint on ABC's Lost, Kevin Durand has become someone I am inclined to follow. His physicality hides a soulful creature, passionate in performance. Here, with one of my favorite method actors, his Gabriel doesn't want to kill his brother; in fact he's grieved that he must. But he must; thus pushing his will to achieve his Master's purpose. And Bettany, always brilliant from ship's doctor to intelligent mainframe, brings a wisdom to Michael who accepts he's not to survive; as long as the baby does. And is willing to let his brother, Gabriel, kill him to prove his faith as righteous. And this brilliance between our two angels comes from pristine preparation by our two performers, whose work boosts the overall performance of the piece to a tolerable level, despite the material provided. This film is a fantastic example of great acting, despite bad writing.

****

In: Paul Bettany

Out: Tyreese Gibson

Coming Soon: Transformers and Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen