The Last Legion
Directed by Doug Lefler
Starring Colin Firth, Ben Kingsley, Aishwarya Rai
Weinstein Company/Genius Products
Available Dec. 18, 2007

Before seeing this DVD, I suspected that The Last Legion was an awful movie. I originally intended to see this film shortly after its United States release, but it could only be found at two movie theaters within fifty miles of my home within two weeks after it entered the market. Given the size of the metropolitan area in which I live, this only happens for one reason: the movie is horrible.

So with expectations set rather I low, I watched this DVD and was pleasantly surprised. Is it the next Gladiator? No, but that said, it’s not a bad film either. It falls into the category of “flawed but interesting.” Whether or not you enjoy The Last Legion depends a lot on if the audience can accept the film’s central premise: linkage of the Fall of the Roman Empire with the roots of Arthurian legend.

The film takes place in 476 CE. A young boy named Romulus, played by Thomas Sangster (from Love Actually and Nanny McPhee), becomes the last Western Emperor of the Roman Empire (there is an Eastern Emperor in Constantinople). On the night of his installation, the Goths attack, slaughter his parents, take Rome, and spirit him away to the island of Capri. He is freed with the help of Aurelius, the head of his Imperial guard (Colin Firth), his tutor Ambrosinus, (Ben Kingsley), and Mira, a warrior from the Eastern Empire (Aishwarya Rai). To be more than Emperor in name only, Romulus needs an army, but the Legions of Empire side with the Roman Senate, which has made an accommodation with the leader of the Goths. The one possible exception is the Ninth Legion of Britannia, which hasn’t been heard from for quite some time. Romulus, Aurelius, Ambrosinus, and Mira journey to Hadrian’s Wall to find “The Last Legion” that can help them restore the Emperor to Rome.

At the same time, Romulus is on a personal quest for the sword of his ancestor, Julius Caesar. Forged by a Chalybian smith for Caesar after his campaigns in Britain, the sword is connected to a prophecy:

One edge to defend, one to defeat, in Britannia was I forged to fit the hand of he who is destined to rule.

As Romulus struggles to bring some legitimacy to his position as Emperor, he strives to find the sword and realize the promise of those words.

The film itself is reasonably made and acted. Mr. Firth is a little stiff in his role as the warrior/action hero of the film (perhaps being more used to very different costume dramas), but is solid none the less. Mr. Kingsley skirts the line of caricature in his performance as Ambrosinus, but his talent and humor lets him carry it off, though only marginally. Ms. Rai and Mr. Sangster acquit themselves reasonably well, given the limitations of the script… which tends slightly toward wooden dialog.

Where perhaps the film fails is in terms of audience expectation. Films like Gladiator and 300 have set the bar for visual spectacle in this genre. The Last Legion makes little use of CGI-generated effects. Mr. Firth and Mr. Kingsley are respected actors, but not known for these sorts of roles in this type of film (though the DVD extras make it clear that both were eager to do something different and stretch themselves a bit). Add a plot that attempts to weave history and mythology, and you end up with something that is neither historical drama nor fantasy. There is little left for the audience to relate to, without some suspension of disbelief. The film asked a little too much of the public, and it never found an audience.

The DVD comes with a moderately interesting set of extras. The “making of” feature that provides some background and contains interviews with the principal cast is perhaps the best of them, mostly because of the complete lack of media presence for the film in the United States. There are some short deleted scenes, a number of which hint at subplots that would have probably been useful to show in the final cut. There also is a commentary track by the director, Doug Lefler, which I was unable to review because of technical difficulties. Finally, there is video of the stunt doubles practicing the choreography of the fight scenes, which is of very limited value.

In the modern world of high-tech action films, there should still be room for the lower-tech popcorn cruncher. The sort of film that is pleasant on the ears and the eyes on an otherwise quiet Saturday afternoon; a film that entertains without overwhelming spectacle. Taken on those terms, The Last Legion does not disappoint. It is not without flaws, but hangs together and will leave a smile in the end.