Cinema Hype

Question: What is funnier than a self-serious pre-Arthurian almost-epic starring Ben Kingsley in a wig?

Answer: There is no answer. Nothing is funnier than a self-serious pre-Arthurian almost-epic starring Ben Kingsley in a wig. Which is a good thing for The Last Legion, which would be absolutely abysmal if it weren’t so hilarious in its badness.

The Last Legion, the story of a boy Caesar and his personal security detail, is the kind of movie that inspires nervous laughter: there aren’t many jokes, per se, but something about the swelling of the music, the deliberate posing of the obligatory hot Indian spy/warrior chick, and the use of the worlds “old man” to describe Ben Kingsley (shortly before he demonstrates his cat-like reflexes to indicate, subtly, that He Is Not Just Your Everyday Old Man) lead to snickering during the silent moments. It’s inevitable, much like Colin Firth’s Mel Gibson impression during the “let’s fight the good fight and maybe we’ll die! Woot!” speech. There’s just not much to be done.

The weird thing is that much of the acting in The Last Legion is pretty good. Colin Firth, who’s rapidly outgrowing his long “reedy and awkward, but sexy nonetheless” (aka Mr. Darcy in all his forms) stage, manages to be serious and even touching, even when the gravitas of the script and cinematography are basically falling down around him. He even makes the Braveheart motivational speech–potentially the comic climax of the movie–come across without a hitch or a giggle, which is no small feat, considering. Ben Kingsley is disappointing, but the movie’s child star (red alert!), Thomas Sangster, who’s just on the cusp of the long, dark night of the soul known as “adolescence,” is surprisingly good. (Note: You’ve probably seen him before, as he’s one of the two actors currently sharing the role of The Male Dakota Fanning. He shares that post with Freddie Highmore, the kid from Finding Neverland and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. Sangster is the one from Love Actually. Creepily enough, IMDB reveals that Highmore is 15 and Sangster 17, which can’t possibly be right.) Nearly all of the performers keep their chins up despite any hilarity unfolding around them. It’s impressive.

Worth seeing, especially if you’re planning an Excalibur viewing. I smell a box set!

The Last Legion, Colin Firth, Thomas Sangster, Roman empire, Ben Kingsley