Legions is a campy, horror movie that has some blood and action, but could have been better with more. The ending falls a bit flat but the journey is a blast.
Legions is a fun enough horror movie, but there are some serious issues with it as well. The journey is a blast but the big bad never really works and the ending is one giant misstep as it feels like the last twenty minutes lead up to something that should be amazing and then it falls flat. Thankfully there is enough blood and action to make it worth watching, although there certainly could have been more.
This story follows a shaman who is committed to an asylum. While trapped in the asylum he sense that a powerful demon is coming and plans to use his daughter in a ritual. Legions explores both the present and the past, as the story is told via flashbacks at times. This is where it is the most interesting. Watching the shaman’s early days and his rituals to fend off demons is where Legions excels.
The biggest issue comes when the movie tries to add in too much comedy — making it somewhat campy at times. This isn’t always a bad thing when it comes to the genre, think Shaun of the Dead, but for some reason it doesn’t completely work in Legions. There are moments where it does, but more often than not it will cause viewers to roll their eyes rather than laugh.
As someone who loves a good blood bath in horror films, this critic was a bit disappointed by what we get in Legions. That is not to say that there isn’t a fair amount of blood and gore, because there is. But with a name like a Legions and a premise like we are given, there could have been so much more.
Being just about an hour and a half long, Legions flies by for the most part. It has its slow moments that can be a struggle, but the final act is so massive and fun that it makes up for any of those issues. Not one of the best movies, but certainly a fun one for those who love the horror genre.
Rating: 2.5 out of 5
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About Legions
As demonic forces descend on Argentina, the world’s best hope is confined to an insane asylum, powerless to avert a dark resurrection. The once legendary warlock Antonio Poyju (Germán De Silva) is haunted by the mistakes of his past, and is now reduced to rebelling against orderlies in an institution.
When a malevolent demonic force reveals itself, Poyju must rally a ragtag ensemble of certifiable inmates to spring him from his confinement, so that he can reconcile with his estranged daughter Helena (Lorena Vega) and reunite their magical bloodline to stave off the evil. But the confines of modern life and an unnatural influence has stripped Helena of her belief and cheated the world of her magic.
Will Poyju be able to remind his long-lost daughter of her cultural heritage and reignite the magic that has been smothered by corporate life?
Legions played at Fantasia 2022.
