A warrior and a wizard embark on an action-packed mission to save the crumbling Roman empire and its young heir. As they battle across medieval Europe, their epic journey reveals the origin of the legendary sword Excalibur.
Swordfights, battles, and betrayal fuel The Last Legion, which tells the story of the last emperor of Rome: a slight 12-year-old boy who is a descendent of Julius Caesar. Protected by commander Aurelius (Colin Firth) and guided to an extent by the wizard Ambrosinus (Ben Kingsley), Romulus (Thomas Sangster) is an unlikely leader. Too inexperienced to rule wisely, he also shows little of the fortitude and courage needed to be a great warrior. After Romulus finds Caesar's sword--the legendary excaliburnus--he begins a search for the fabled last legion that will help him save Rome. Directed by Doug Lefler and produced by Dino De Laurentiis, the film has a clunky feel, thanks to uneven dialogue and fight sequences that are tepid at best. Portraying a female warrior, Bollywood star Aishwarya Rai is a beauty but unconvincing in her athletic skills. Kingsley makes the most of his role, chewing up the scenery and doing the best he can with some laughable lines. But Firth is out of his element here. More thinking man than action hero, the charming Brit is sorely miscast in this movie, which would've benefited from having better CGI animation and, just as importantly, a more developed script. With its broad strokes and lack of character development, The Last Legion actually would've worked better as a half-hour Saturday morning cartoon than a feature-length epic. --Jae-Ha Kim
Customer Reviews:
Avg. Customer Rating: 3.5 / 5.0
Boooo.:
Ugh! I'm just so disappointed with this movie and the performance of one of my favorite actors, Colin Firth. It was almost as if Colin didn't want the role, but HAD to take the role and throughout the movie seemed simply annoyed at having to do anything at all that resembling acting. Then you have the storyline, predictable and overdone. "You've seen the story of King Arthur, and then saw it retold, but here's the real real REAL story folks, the one that we reveal in all its glory!" BLAH! I think my... more info
Great adventure!:
Impressive ancient war adventure which presumably precedes King Arthur's legend. I will not discuss the actual historic aspects of the plot as before me my Amazon colleagues did so well and taught me a lot!
I like the way the story runs and how all the cast absorbs the soul of their respective characters. Colin Firth as the protector of the last of the Caesars, Aurelius is here in a quite different role, as a fierce warrior. Thomas Sangster as Romulus Augustus is really a clever and courageous child... more info
Fascinating back story of the legend of King Arthur:
The Last Legion is a wonderful tale of the search for the last true Romans in the far hinterlands of the Roman Empire at a time when Rome itself had fallen to the barbarians. It provides a view of how people lived in early Britain and the mythos of that far off time. The introduction of "Merlin" the teacher and the young roman leader who sired King Arthur imagines a prefect back story for the legend of Arthur and Camelot. I have always been fascinated by the legends of Arthur and this story fills in the... more info
Surpisingly Good:
I was suprised by how good this movie is. Full of somewhat known actors, this movie has very good action and an interesting story to go along with it.
