Legion

Religion and the belief in God has been an issue from the beginning of time. Many people all over the world believe in one based on their religious status and some choose not to believe at all. If we look at religion from the standpoint of the Bible, we know that in the beginning, God was a fierce angry God who destroyed any humans who did not abide by His rules. Then, He became the loving God that we all know of today, and for centuries it has been that way. Legion is the “what if” story. What if God has finally given up on mankind and has decided to destroy the world and start over once again .

Legion begins with the archangel Michael betraying God’s will when he is asked to begin the war to end the human race and start Armageddon. Michael still sees hope in mankind and is kicked out of heaven. On Earth, Michael knows that there is one last key to saving the human race: a child yet to be born. After getting a hefty load of weapons and ammo, stealing a police car and running away from the angels possessing humans, Michael heads out into the desert where the pregnant mother of the new messiah works at a rest stop. The people there have no clue what is going on until all communication with the world ceases and a demon-toting grandmother attacks everyone. When Michael arrives and explains everything to the people holding up in the place, they soon learn that they are fighting demons sent from heaven, and in order to protect the unborn messiah, they must put up one hell of a fight against the legion.

Legion can be a bit of a confusing film, especially during its conclusion. If you know your Bible, you’ll have a better understanding of the Biblical side of the story and how each character in the film relates to a person in the Bible. Do you really need all this information to enjoy the movie? Not really. But it will help you better understand the deeper part of the story besides the horror and the action. The characters are very well written, some more than others, but you will at least be able to relate to the characters and some of the dilemmas before the war.

The film has a cast of familiar and unfamiliar faces. For the most part, the acting is decent, nothing special, but the cast hold their own in their respective roles. The cast includes Paul Bettany, Lucas Black, Dennis Quaid, Tyrese Gibson, Kevin Durand, Charles S. Dutton, Jon Tenney and television actors Adrianne Palicki, Willa Holland and Kate Walsh. There is also a cameo appearance by Doug Jones who is best known as the Silver Surfer in the Fantastic Four sequel and Abe Sapien in the Hellboy movies. Veteran actress Jeanette Miller also has an appearance as the creepy old lady who brings more scares to the screen than any of the other angels and demons that attack the helpless characters.

The Blu-ray disc has a lot of special features, including three featurettes about the making of the film. Creating the Apocalypse – Behind the Physical Effects; Humanity’s Last Line of Defense – The Cast and Characters of Legion; and From Pixels to Pictures – A look at the Visual Effects. Exclusive to the Blu-ray disc, there are a few features such as Bringing Angels to Earth, Picture in Picture feature, MovieIQ as well as the ability to connect to BD-Live and get real time information about the film, trivia, the cast and more. A digital copy of the film is also included with the Blu-ray.

Legion is a bloody film that is sure to please horror fans who need the shock value. There are some really bloody and gruesome scenes, and the visual effects are decent. Don’t expect the visuals to stand out and be as great as they are in a film with a 100 million dollar budget behind them, but they stand up to at least giving you the visual sense that the movie looks more real than just a bunch of CGI.

Legion is a film that reminds me of horror films that were made in the late eighties and early nineties. It has the feel of such films as Near Dark, The Lost Boys, Event Horizon and Nightbreed. although it was not a big hit, it has that “horror film that was fun to watch feeling.” I had fun with this one. It has a decent story and some great horror action scenes. The ending is a bit confusing, and to people who don’t know to much about the Bible, the story can be confusing as well. However you don’t need to know your Bible to enjoy this one as a straightforward horror film, but knowing just enough will enhance the story for you and make it that much better.

– Horror Bob

Blu-ray Clips from Legion

Added Value – Climbing The Ceiling

http://www.sonypictures.com/sphe/legion/climb_1200_640x360_wm.wmv

http://www.sonypictures.com/sphe/legion/climb_1200_640x360_ws_mov.mov

Added Value – Embarrassingly Fun

http://www.sonypictures.com/sphe/legion/fun_1200_640x360_wm.wmv

http://www.sonypictures.com/sphe/legion/fun_1200_640x360_ws_mov.mov

Added Value – Very Intense

http://www.sonypictures.com/sphe/legion/intense_1200_640x360_wm.wmv

http://www.sonypictures.com/sphe/legion/intense_1200_640x360_ws_mov.mov

Added Value – Bob Hanson

http://www.sonypictures.com/sphe/legion/bob_1200_640x360_wm.wmv

http://www.sonypictures.com/sphe/legion/bob_1200_640x360_ws_mov.mov