What initially looked like a promising and original take on the 'End of the world' genre of movies, ends up being a significant let down with only a few moments of note... and even those are played for laughs.

In the supernatural action thriller Legion, an out-of-the-way diner becomes the unlikely battleground for the survival of the human race.  When God loses faith in Mankind, he sends his legion of angels to bring on the Apocalypse. Humanity's only hope lies in a group of strangers trapped in a desert diner and the Archangel Michael who remains on the side of the human race... just.

The film boils down to a race against time (as well as the 'Legions' of the undead/dead) for diner waitress Charlie (Adrianne Palicki) to give birth to the child that will save the day. The assortment of oddball regulars are joined by a family straight out of The OC (literally true in the case of Willa Holland) and some no-good gangland type in a big 4x4 (guess who Tyrese Gibson plays in this film?)

As the world is destroyed, off-camera of course, the diner receives sporadic information as phones and TV signals begin to fade. We are then treated to a series of bizarre visits from messengers of god who take the form of not-so-lovable grannies and demonic Ice Cream men. As the disparate group struggle for answers, salvation arrives in the form of Paul Bettany and his fallen angel.

The plot struggles to give us a cohesive drive throughout, with the angels being all-powerful beings one minute and then being knocked out by a few gunshots in the very next scene. You also wonder how well thought out the central premise is, as it would be so easy for the massed armies waiting outside to charge in unison at the diner and get exactly what they want rather than the one after the other nature of their attacks.

The characters also fall into the very predictable category of disaster movie stereotypes... guys looking for redemption and women struggling with motherhood. Willa Holland's role inexplicably covers all bases from alluring tease to caring daughter within a few short minutes. Dennis Quaid again gets short change from a poorly written character, he more than anyone else deserves a lot better than this.

The limited fun on offer comes from the aforementioned Granny and Ice Cream Man, but their appearances are very brief and in the grand scheme of things amount to very little. The idea behind the film is wonderful and could have given us an innovative take on the over-crowded genre... but the execution gives us a by the numbers throwaway adventure which is quickly forgotten.

Rating: **

Starring: Paul Bettany, Dennis Quaid, Willa Holland, Lucas Black, Tyrese Gibson and Kevin Durand
Director: Scott Stewart
Written by: Scott Stewart and Peter Schink
Release Date: March 5th
Runtime: 100mins
Certificate: 15

Be sure to check out Daybreakers, Book of Eli and The Road for something more satisfying.

Also check out our Film Kids who saved the world feature.

Cassam Looch