Legion

End of Days with Style

[Dennis Quaid, Paul Bettany, Adrianne Palicki]

As another week passes by, "Avatar" continues to dominate the box office, and continues to break records. I do have the New York Jets to take my mind off of movies this week since they are gathering to take on the Colts in an attempt to get to the Super Bowl!

SYNOPSIS:  After God loses with faith with humankind, an army of angels is assembled to bring forth the End of Days. In order to stave off armageddon, one angel rebels against Heaven in order to save one unborn child and its mother.

Scott Stewart co-writes and directs his take on armageddon. A mix of "The Prophecy" and "The Feast" with a dash of "The Terminator", Stewart brings us a story that's both well-worn and somehow fresh. We've seen all of the elements before in other genre films, but "Legion" cocktails them together in a nice, smooth blend.

Mixing horror, action, and religion, "Legion" gives the audience a taste of each. Reminiscent of popular horror plots, the owners and patrons of the road-side diner on the edge of the Mohave desert quickly encounter angel-possessed, shark-teethed people with the singular mission of killing Charlie (Adrianne Palicki) and her unborn child. With nods to other actioners, they barricade themselves inside the restaurant along with the renegade angel, Michael (Paul Bettany).  Now human, Michael brings an arsenal of weapons to help in the building's defense. And with the center of the story revolving around Revelations, the plot must include the requisite hoard of flies and the angel minions bend on man's destruction.

Paul Bettany's understated, low-key performance of Michael is perfect for an angel with love and faith in his heart for humankind. Charles S. Dutton provides us a couple lighter moments in his turn as the sarcastic short-order cook. Good casting gives us Dennis Quaid and Lucas Black as father and son - the former the bitter, broken-down man, and the latter with the world on his shoulders , but faith and hope in his heart. Adrianne Palicki, more known in the small screen, is surprisingly good.

I was captivated by the film throughout, being a horror, suspense and action fan. The quiet moments do not slow down the movie, instead propelling the story and characters forward. I could get into a huge philosophical dissertation about the religious points of the story (faults of mankind, God's wrath and loss of faith, the book of Revelations), but I will leave that each person's point of view.  On the other hand, it is just a movie!

Worth: Matinee and DVD