Legion~ 9 out of 10

So last night was Tuesday night and you know what that means? Well I guess for some people it means meatloaf for diner, but in our house it means cheap movie night! Although it may not be for long as both movie theatres in town were sold to another company recently. I don't know if they'll keep the Tuesday special going or not. I certainly hope so! The Tuesday special is that everyone gets in for matinee price, which around here is $5.75, and you get a free small bag of popcorn. Last night my kids were especially generous and Lu took us out to eat Mexican and Sean paid for the movies. I left tip at the restaurant and bought us a large soda at the movie (Lu had brought her own). We had all three been dying to see Legion so the movie choice was unanimous.

I will do my very best to not give out spoilers since the movie's so new and most people may not have seen it! But the basic storyline, which you can get from the trailers, is that God has had enough of man and decides to destroy his creation and start over. He sends the angels down to exterminate mankind. But the angel Michael rebels against his command. He still has faith in mankind and the possibility of it's salvation. He falls to earth and cuts off his wings to become human. Then he sets out to find Charlie, the girl carrying mankind's only hope for survival and redemption.

He finds Charlie, an average ordinary girl, working at a tiny little diner/gas station in the middle of the desert. She's 8 months pregnant with a baby she doesn't want and plans on giving up for adoption. There's not a lot of back story but you get the idea her life hasn't been easy. Charlie is played by Adrianne Palicki, not an actress I'm familiar with, but she does a good job. She's employed by Bob, the alcoholic owner of the diner, played by Dennis Quaid. Now I've always been a Dennis Quaid fan, and even as an aging rough alcoholic he's still got that engaging little boy smile. He has a son, Jeep, played by Lucas Black. Jeep is an odd young man with a serious crush on Charlie, even though it's not his baby. He's been having oddly prophetic nightmares about her. Also present at the diner is Percy, the one armed cook, played by Charles Dutton. You get the impression, that though odd, they are their own type of family.

Several strangers also get stranded at the diner just in time for the Apocalypse. A rich family of three with some relationship issues played by Jon Tenney, Willa Holland and Kate Walsh. And a tough guy with a heart of gold, played by Tyrese Gibson. The first clue that there might be a problem is the loss of TV signal, phone lines and then power. Also some weird ass clouds rolling in. The next clue comes in the form of a creepy old lady who orders a rare steak and then proceeds to cuss fluently and insult everyone while telling them they're all going to burn. She tops off this performance by ripping out someone's jugular and crawling on the ceiling. Luckily, tough guy Kyle has a gun and knows how to aim it.

There's a token escape attempt that quickly goes bad and then the angel Michael shows up to take charge. He tells them what's up and that they all must protect Charlie until the baby's born if they want to have a chance. What follows is some really creepy shit. Suffice it to say that I will be checking all the teeth of any strangers I encounter (even small children) and I may run for cover if I hear an ice cream truck. Oh, and after that granny scene, I'm pretty sure nursing homes are out too. Sorry Grandma.

The movie is action and violence packed. It incorporates religious themes and characters without being too preachy. It definitely challenges everything you thought you knew about angels. I mean, they wear black armor? I thought white was the good guys? Also, apparently their wings = razor sharp. You can wield those puppies in battle like a circular saw blade. What kind of feathers are those exactly? And why are they black too? I'm so confused...

And if you thought demon possession was scary...wait until you see angel possession on a mission. Everyone ends up with shark teeth and scary jaws that seem to unhinge. And angels are really hard to kill. And oh yeah, they do not fight fair. At one point, in a fight between Michael and Angel Gabriel, I'm pretty sure Gabriel junk punches Michael. Dude. So not cool. Ever. Especially if you're better armed to begin with.

Anyway, we unanimously liked the movie. We heard a few grumbles outside the theatre. One guy complained that he didn't think there was a plot. Really mister? Because I thought the plot was pretty obvious and easy to follow. I'm sorry you missed it. No. I take that back. You're an idiot. And two girls were complaining that it was too "God-y". Really? A movie with angels in it had too much God? How did you not know there might be religious themes?? And it wasn't preachy. Trust me, I'd be the first to call it out on that account.

It was full of action, it moved along at a good pace, the acting was good and it was plausible. Well, provided you believe in angels and God to begin with. And Paul Bettany was kick ass in it. He was all hott and buff and wait...lusting after an angel might be a no-no...damn.

I would definitely recommend it. We will, in fact, probably buy the DVD when it comes out. My thought on leaving the movie? Little Baby Jesus' story might have turned out a lot different if Joseph had carried a gun...

♥Spot

PS~ I just read some reviews and they weren't good. And alot of people had some really ridiculous questions and said that the movie didn't explain things. Seriously? People are dumb. I'd prefer to have to think a few things out on my own. And frankly, I thought the things that weren't specifically explained were pretty obvious. This totally explains why most movies are so predictable and easy to figure out. The movie going public feels the need to be spoon fed instead of thinking for themselves. *shaking my head in despair*