The Last Legion. Why am I just now hearing about this?
- Thread starter Mouseferatu
- Start date
Man in the Funny Hat
Hero
Went to see it last night. It wasn't BAD as such but definitely wasn't good. It was an excuse for guys in armor to hack at each other with swords and axes. There really isn't a shred of historical reality, the characters are bland and the acting uninspired. But it's worth a weekend matinee to kill a couple hours.
I suspect the reason nobody heard about this movie until the last minute is that it wasn't until the last minute that they decided to even bother spending money on advertising and distribution rather than saving that money and trying to recoup with a straight to DVD release.
I suspect the reason nobody heard about this movie until the last minute is that it wasn't until the last minute that they decided to even bother spending money on advertising and distribution rather than saving that money and trying to recoup with a straight to DVD release.
Glyfair
Explorer
On Metacritic it's getting a 37 (out of 100). Most of the professional reviews are in the middle range of about 40-50, but a couple of very low reviews are dragging down the average. Users are rating it in the middle, too (5.2 out of 10).
L
Lewis526
Guest
I was surprised by how much I liked it. I especially liked how the movie interprets Merlin.
You won't see any computer generated special effects, but the movie's use of real makeup, real pyrotechnics, and real, live stunt men was a refreshing difference between it and other recent action movies. Some worry that it contradicts history, but other than fudging some dates and inventing the myth of Cesar's sword, I didn't see anything unhistorical about it. The date fudging was only mildly bothersome, and without the mythical sword, there would be no story in the first place. It thought it was plausible and fairly well grounded in history. In any event, Arthurian legend has always lived in the margin between history and fiction, which is part of its appeal. There's also a hot heroine and lots of violent barbarians. What's not to like?
You won't see any computer generated special effects, but the movie's use of real makeup, real pyrotechnics, and real, live stunt men was a refreshing difference between it and other recent action movies. Some worry that it contradicts history, but other than fudging some dates and inventing the myth of Cesar's sword, I didn't see anything unhistorical about it. The date fudging was only mildly bothersome, and without the mythical sword, there would be no story in the first place. It thought it was plausible and fairly well grounded in history. In any event, Arthurian legend has always lived in the margin between history and fiction, which is part of its appeal. There's also a hot heroine and lots of violent barbarians. What's not to like?
Steel_Wind
Legend
I enjoyed Merlin as well.
It was an okay film. I've certainly seen worse.
I rather thought the worst part was the music though. It seemed like something I heard before a bazillion times. Not that I had - simply that it was derivative and had no soul. It never inspired you in the movie.
Still - this was better than that last "Arthur and the Romans in Britain" flick from a few years ago (except for the fight on the frozen lake - which remains very cool).
It was an okay film. I've certainly seen worse.
I rather thought the worst part was the music though. It seemed like something I heard before a bazillion times. Not that I had - simply that it was derivative and had no soul. It never inspired you in the movie.
Still - this was better than that last "Arthur and the Romans in Britain" flick from a few years ago (except for the fight on the frozen lake - which remains very cool).
