The Last Legion (12A)
UNFORTUNATELY for director Doug Lefler The Last Legion came, saw and wimped out. Set shortly before the decline of the Roman Empire, 470 AD, young Romulus (Thomas Sangster) is in line to inherit Rome and all its fallen glory. But when his parents ar
UNFORTUNATELY for director Doug Lefler The Last Legion came, saw and wimped out.
Set shortly before the decline of the Roman Empire, 470 AD, young Romulus (Thomas Sangster) is in line to inherit Rome and all its fallen glory.
But when his parents are slain by an invading Gothic army he is captured and locked in a dungeon.
While the evil Odoacer (Peter Mullan) takes the city, as well as the surrounding territories, as his own.
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In reality, Romulus's departure out of Rome marked the end of the Empire and he was never heard of again, but in this mostly fictionalised story, he is taken under the protection of a former legion commander, Aurelius (Colin Firth).
Aurelius frees the youngster and with a small faction of his best men, including an Eastern woman warrior (former Miss Universe, Aishwarya Rai) and a small-time magician named Ambrosinus (Ben Kingsley) set sail for Britannia - the home of Rome's last legion.
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And on finding the ninth legion, as well as a legendary sword, the motley band of Romans join forces and make one last stand against the Goth army in the hope of claiming back the last remnants of their once-mighty Empire.
Throughout, The Last Legion predictably evokes a host of other movies. You will witness Lord of the Rings-esque landscapes, martial arts straight from Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, Raiders of the Lost Ark ramblings and even a bit of Yoda-style mentoring.
And while 300 brought a new dimension to the swords-and-sandals adventure, The Last Legion is nothing more than an exhausting mega-mix of history and legend that lacks end product.
The Last Legion is pretty much on par with the last legion depicted within.
It's a small scale, ill-equipped conglomeration that hasn't the tools or the ingenuity to be truly formidable.
