Legion (15)

Alison Rowat's Review

Last seen playing gentle scholar Charles Darwin, Paul Bettany evolves into an avenging angel for this bizarre action adventure, which is a little bit western, a tad science fiction, with hints of Terminator and a dash of biblical epic. Oh, and did I mention the zombies?

Bettany is Michael, an angel fallen to Earth with a mission to save humankind. Holing himself up at a truck stop in the middle of nowhere with the likes of Dennis Quaid and Adrianne Palicki, playing a pregnant waitress, Michael, with the aid of more guns than the US military, goes about his business of ensuring the child is born safely.

There are moments when Scott Stewart’s film almost gets away with the massive number of tricks he is attempting to pull, but the clarity never lasts for long. As for the chances of the so obviously cued-up sequel happening, see rich men, needles, kingdom of heaven, etc.

Paul Greenwood's Review

The end of the world is nigh yet again, but instead of zombies this week god has sent down angels to eradicate humanity.

Salvation is at hand in the shape of Paul Bettany as a gun-toting Archangel Michael, come to protect mankind in the final reckoning that will take place at a diner in the middle of the desert and be settled with lots of heavy weaponry, just like in the Bible.

Oh, and it’s set at Christmas and there’s a pregnant girl whose child must be saved at all costs. Melding the basic premise of The Terminator with the Book of Revelation and dressing it up as a hilariously po-faced action horror leads to mixed results.

The special effects are nifty and there are a couple of solid fight sequences, but the dialogue is feeble and it’s brutally dull for long stretches in the middle. Bettany is well cast and you can always rely on Dennis Quaid to provide stoic support but Legion really should be a lot more fun.