Directed by: Doug Lefler
Premise: In the final hours of the Roman Empire,
Roman military leader Aurelias (Colin Firth) leads a mission to protect the
preteen Caesar Romulus Augustus (Thomas Sangster) and combine forces with the
last remaining Roman legion to make their final stand.
What Works: At its best, The Last Legion is
a fun, swashbuckling adventure like Jason
and the Argonauts or the original Pirates
of the Caribbean. The characters are mostly likable, especially Ben
Kingsley as Ambrosinus, the mentor of the young Augustus. He brings humor and
wisdom to the role in much the same way Alec Guinness did in the original Star
Wars. Also likeable are Colin Firth as Aurelias and Aishwarya Rai as
Mira, and the two have a very nice, PG-rated romantic subplot. The action scenes
are full of bloodless carnage that is made to be exciting rather than revolting
and in general the film does not take itself too seriously, pausing along the
way to deliver some welcome laughs.
What Doesn’t: The Last Legion is confused
about whether it is attempting to be a serious historical piece like Braveheart or Gladiator or a light fantasy entertainment like Pirates of the Caribbean. The film
keeps shifting from one to the other, and does so very ungracefully. The
conclusion of the film completely disrupts the narrative, attempting to link the
end of the film to the future adventures of King Arthur. Despite a promising
opening, the young Caesar is never given opportunities for growth as a leader
and he is constantly relegated to the sidelines. No character in the film
emerges as an interesting protagonist, just an ensemble of mildly amusing
warriors. The Last Legion also suffers from a lack of a coherent
antagonist. The film keeps introducing new villains in every act of the story
and most come off more as professional wrestlers than villainous warlords of the
early Dark Ages. As a period piece, The Last Legion does not look very
good either. The beards on the men look do-it-yourself Halloween makeup, the
costumes are not very convincing, and the sets lack scope.
Bottom Line: For better or worse, The Last Legion is very reminiscent of 2004’s King Arthur in style and in quality. A few might be amused by the action and adventure, especially those who enjoyed films like Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves, but there is too much that is sub par in The Last Legion to recommend it.