The Comic-Con teaser package for Scott Stewart's humankind-is-in-deep-shit-with-God actioner Legion has arrived online, and it's not exactly pulling its punches.
This extended, redband (that's 18's and over; sorry kiddywinks) slice of the film delivers a stonking five minutes of footage, about ninety percent of which is action, which certainly explains what got its Comic Con audience so excited a few weeks back. You can see the trailer below or on MySpace if you can punch in a date longer than 18 years ago with good conscience.
The plot goes that God has had it with humanity, so sends down his legion of angels to bring about the Apocalypse, led naturally enough by the Archangel Gabriel (Kevin Durand). Only the Archangel Michael (Bettany) has the angel equivalent of cojones to go against God's will, so he drops to earth, hacks off his wings, and locates the not-quite born Second Coming, who is currently residing in the womb of Mojave desert diner waitress Charlie (Adrianne Palicki). There, they hole up along with diner regulars Charles S Dutton, Dennis Quaid, Tyrese Gibson and some people who'll probably die in creative ways to stave off the attack.
By the very nature of its story, first thing this taste of Legion brings to mind is Gregory Widen's much underrated The Prophecy (the one where Christopher Walken can perch on chairs, among other freaky and inventive touches), but with elements of the traditional siege movie: see Rio Bravo, and its John Carpenter variations Assault On Precinct 13 and Prince Of Darkness, or even the Tales From The Crypt movie Demon Night. The shots of the deserted playground with Palicki's voiceover, meanwhile, feel like a nod of respect to the 'No fate but what we make' elements of the Terminator series.
There's underling ghouls copping it aplenty in all manner of exciting ways, plagues, Doug Jones getting even longer and thinner than he usually is, and a sweary nan.
Does it look like being the next Seventh Seal? Of course not: it looks like bloody good fun in the spirit of Constantine, or something like what we're hoping for from Preacher. Count us in, and to hear more about the movie, check out Empire's newly added complete Comic Con interviews with Bettany, Stewart and Gibson (along with loads of others).