Movies Review
The Last Legion

The historical epic is an interesting genre. It’s brought us some of film’s most memorable ventures, from Cecil B. Demille’s The Ten Commandments to Mel Gibson’s Braveheart. It’s also one of the most difficult kinds of films to make; successfully combining history, story, characters and large set pieces is a monumental task that few directors are willing to tackle. The Last Legion, the latest sword-and-sandal movie to come since the genre’s revitalization with 2000’s Gladiator, has been mistaken by many critics as an attempt to recreate these films’ size and scope. When in reality all the filmmakers set out to do was to make a fun action/adventure film, and if you watch the film with this in mind and your inner-child at the forefront, you’ll have a lot of fun.

First off, before you see this film you should realize that it mixes several legends and toys with history to make its story work and it’s fully aware of this, the criticisms the film has received for not being historically accurate are beside the point (show me a historically accurate Hollywood Epic and I’ll show you a boring film). Early on in The Last Legion you find out that the film is really about the genesis of the sword Excalibur, King Arthur’s legendary blade. It’s actually quite fun how they mix things up to explain this, in this film the sword was originally forged for Julius Caesar who wielded it while he conquered Gaul and passed it down to his ancestors. The film’s young protagonist, Romulus (named after the mythical founder of Rome), is the last in Julius Caesar’s line and is about to be named Emperor of the crumbling Western Roman Empire. Unfortunately for him his reign only lasts a day or two when the Visigoths attack and destroy Rome once and for all, taking the young Romulus prisoner along with his teacher, who turns out to be Merlin. Those who remain loyal to Caesar stage a daring rescue and travel north to Britannia to join the last free Roman Legion to continue the Empire’s legacy. There, of course, another battle takes place that results in Romulus’ son, Arthur, being king and wielding Excalibur.

The film is at times predictable, and it’s full of cheesy dialogue that’s reminiscent of every myth and film that inspired it. This is both a strength and a weakness, while the film’s very old-fashioned and cheesy nature make it hard to take seriously, it makes the light-hearted fun more apparent and enjoyable. This strikes me as a film that the director really enjoyed making. In fact the director, Doug Lefler, worked with Sam Raimi on his cult-classic Army of Darkness; it’s clear that he’s a director who enjoys what he does. So the film may be predictable at times and loves old-fashioned inspirational dialogue that’s become cliché in our day, but it doesn’t take itself too seriously.

The acting in the film can best be described as functional. None of the actors give very note-worthy performances, but no one sticks out as being especially bad or distracting either. The characters are rather one-dimensional, so the actors really didn’t have much to work with to begin with. Although none of the actors deserve Oscars, the villains in the film clearly had fun with their roles; with the evil warlord of Britannia even sporting an elaborately over-the-top mask to cover his disfigured face. Characters and story in this kind of movie really aren’t what’s meant to draw their audience, it’s in the action and lighthearted sense of adventure that the writer’s concentrated on. And it’s here that if you’re not too cynical and are willing to suspend disbelief that you’ll be fully entertained.

The Last Legion, while not the kind of movie you’d expect to do big numbers at the box office (and it didn’t), is in its own way a hidden gem. It’s not a deep movie, and it’s not one that will stick out in your mind as the years go by. But if you’re the kind of moviegoer who likes to just sit down with a tub of popcorn with a few friends or their family, and this is an adventure film suitable for the family, then The Last Legion will be plenty of fun.

Overall: ***

By: Chris M. (2007.12.25)