'Legion' Movie Review

Archangel Michael (Bettany), however, feels that humans deserve another chance and sneaks down to Earth disguised as a human (cue wing-clipping scene). But what can he do against an army of angels, you say? Well, it turns out that a prophecy has foretold of a child who will be born and grow up to lead mankind out of the post-apocalyptic darkness.

At the time of Michael's arrival, that baby is in the belly of a young woman named Charlie (Adrianne Palicki) who works in a dusty roadside diner in the middle of the New Mexico desert. She's single, aimless and none too pleased to be pregnant, carelessly continuing to smoke and planning to give the baby up for adoption.

The only person who seems to want her to keep the child is Jeep (Lucas Black), the young, sensitive son of the diner's owner, Bob (Dennis Quaid). Jeep isn't the baby's father, but he cares for Charlie and can see them becoming a family if only she'd see him as more than just a friend.

But first things first: Michael tracks down Charlie and convinces the diner inhabitants -- including cook Percy (Charles Dutton) and weary travelers Kyle (Tyrese Gibson) and the Anderson family (Jon Tenney, Kate Walsh, Willa Holland) -- to barricade themselves against the coming onslaught of humans possessed by angels seeking to kill the baby and everyone else inside.

Why would God choose to wipe out humanity with angels rather than a flood, fire or some other more efficient (and less sadistic) method of extermination? Why do angels need to "possess" humans to do their dirty work? Why would the possessed humans become "demonic": pointy teeth, physical mutations, taunting "you're gonna burn" language laden with profanity?

The answer is, in part, because Legion is an action movie peg trying to force its way into a horror movie hole. It's essentially a shoot 'em up flick, taking three-quarters of its plot from The Terminator, but by trying to smush it into a horror movie, the filmmakers end up with an awkward hodgepodge of demonic angels, automatic weaponry, martial arts combat and horror clichés.

Besides the problems with the approach, the script suffers from bland, one-note characters who range from annoying to uninteresting, dull dialogue and an overly serious tone. The latter is particularly surprising, given the writers seem to be aware of the campiness inherent in having innocuous individuals (old ladies, kids, ice cream men) turning into murderous fiends, but the rest of the script doesn't follow the lead of these scenes (featured heavily in the trailers), sapping the potential fun from an otherwise flat, straight-faced tale.

That said, a lot of Legion's faults could've been overlooked if the core of the film -- the action -- had been satisfying. But despite a story loaded with potential for high-octane excitement, the action sequences are simple, clichéd and too few in number and impact.

Playing against type, Bettany is passable as an action hero, and Kevin Durand is formidable as the angelic antagonist Gabriel. The humans, however, are less likable, starting with Palicki as the negligent mother wallowing in self-pity, Black as her limp, timid protector and Quaid, who seems to be channeling a crotchety old prospector from a '50s western.

• Acting: D+ (Durand is the only one who seems to put forth genuine emotion, but he's only in the movie for 15 minutes.)
• Direction: C (Competent but sterile, generating few thrills.)
• Script: F (Nonsensical plot, simplistic characterizations, dim dialogue.)
• Gore/Effects: C (Mediocre CGI, unimaginative gore.)
• Overall: D+ (Lacking in the visceral excitement needed to cover up the intellectual and creative shortcomings.)

Legion is directed by Scott Stewart and is rated R by the MPAA for strong bloody violence and language.