Movies - Legion
I just watched the movie Legion on Netflix. I had such a strong reaction to the film, I felt compelled to write a review. I've never done that before, so I took some time to read some of the other reviews first. Lesson learned...many people are stupid and I should NOT read the reviews on Netflix. They are pretty much useless.
I swear, if I had been in the same room as some of these mouth-breathers, I would have a sore arm from smacking them repeatedly in the back of the head. I feel sorry for film makers. They have to pander to the masses. They are the people with disposable income, I guess. I get it. But try and slip a deeper message into your film and you get a crapload of stupidity from those same mouth-breathers. The masses don't like it when you get too deep or preachy. "More action! Kill more stuff! It ain't an angel if it don't got wings! Why her? Why her baby? I'm so confused! The story makes no sense! Wah! God would never kill a baby!" Gah! Go sign up for a world religions course at your local community college, people, and get a clue.
God would never kill a baby? Really? Did you miss the part in the bible with the flood? What did you think happened? All the babies floated like rubber ducks for 40 days and nights? How about God asking Abraham to sacrifice his son as a symbol of his faith? Yes, I know. I am just pandering to the "bible is literal fact" crowd. I am firmly in the Bible is full of parables meant to teach through example and NOT literal fact crowd. Just trying to make a point.
Old Testament God was a wrathful God and not above doing some serious smiting. I do like the New Testament God better. The loving and forgiving God is much nicer. But then you take a read through Revelations and you see that old wrathful God is still in the mix. He may have promised to never send another flood, but there is more than one way to give the earth a clean sweep.
But I digress. I often do that. Back to the movie... while the action was cool, it was not the point of the film. Dennis Quaid did a good job portraying a man beaten down by life and poor choices. I don't know why so many people were knocking his acting in this. I thought all the actors did a great job. There was a mood and darkness to the film. Almost no sign of hope, until nearly the end. They did a nice job of leaving me hanging and wanting to see more of the story. I'd be happy to see a Legion 2.
This movie is not for zealots who think God is only loving and forgiving. It speaks more to the disenfranchised among us. Those force-fed faith as kids only to grow up and see the way the world REALLY works and where organized religion is failing us.
No, I haven't lost my faith in God. Just my faith in men who claim to be believers, but don't DO as they SAY. Words and professions of faith are meaningless if you go to church on Sunday but put people down, pass judgement on others and wait for someone ELSE to fix the ills of the world the rest of the week.
So I say watch the movie and look for the deeper messages. The action bits keep things interesting, but the beauty of the film is in the character interactions. Seeing the flaws we all have and how we can fail, epically, to overcome them, or how we can rise above them.
I swear, if I had been in the same room as some of these mouth-breathers, I would have a sore arm from smacking them repeatedly in the back of the head. I feel sorry for film makers. They have to pander to the masses. They are the people with disposable income, I guess. I get it. But try and slip a deeper message into your film and you get a crapload of stupidity from those same mouth-breathers. The masses don't like it when you get too deep or preachy. "More action! Kill more stuff! It ain't an angel if it don't got wings! Why her? Why her baby? I'm so confused! The story makes no sense! Wah! God would never kill a baby!" Gah! Go sign up for a world religions course at your local community college, people, and get a clue.
God would never kill a baby? Really? Did you miss the part in the bible with the flood? What did you think happened? All the babies floated like rubber ducks for 40 days and nights? How about God asking Abraham to sacrifice his son as a symbol of his faith? Yes, I know. I am just pandering to the "bible is literal fact" crowd. I am firmly in the Bible is full of parables meant to teach through example and NOT literal fact crowd. Just trying to make a point.
Old Testament God was a wrathful God and not above doing some serious smiting. I do like the New Testament God better. The loving and forgiving God is much nicer. But then you take a read through Revelations and you see that old wrathful God is still in the mix. He may have promised to never send another flood, but there is more than one way to give the earth a clean sweep.
But I digress. I often do that. Back to the movie... while the action was cool, it was not the point of the film. Dennis Quaid did a good job portraying a man beaten down by life and poor choices. I don't know why so many people were knocking his acting in this. I thought all the actors did a great job. There was a mood and darkness to the film. Almost no sign of hope, until nearly the end. They did a nice job of leaving me hanging and wanting to see more of the story. I'd be happy to see a Legion 2.
This movie is not for zealots who think God is only loving and forgiving. It speaks more to the disenfranchised among us. Those force-fed faith as kids only to grow up and see the way the world REALLY works and where organized religion is failing us.
No, I haven't lost my faith in God. Just my faith in men who claim to be believers, but don't DO as they SAY. Words and professions of faith are meaningless if you go to church on Sunday but put people down, pass judgement on others and wait for someone ELSE to fix the ills of the world the rest of the week.
So I say watch the movie and look for the deeper messages. The action bits keep things interesting, but the beauty of the film is in the character interactions. Seeing the flaws we all have and how we can fail, epically, to overcome them, or how we can rise above them.
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