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“As a suspense
score, LEGION is just this side of ordinary. It isn't the most thrilling,
but offers at least a couple of great
tracks that are worth putting on the playlist. ”
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Legion is Not All Doom
Review by Helen San
LEGION is a dramatic thriller about a small rag-tag team at an isolated
diner facing off the apocalypse; except this time, they are fighting God
himself, with shotguns no less. God has sent a legion of angels (who are
armed to the teeth but prefer to possess people) to exterminate mankind
(as in Flood, The Sequel), and the only supernatural being with any faith
left in us is that rebel archangel Michael. Together they protect the
diner’s pregnant waitress, whose child is believed to be the Earth’s only
salvation from the wrath of God. By most accounts, the film fails to
deliver on what could have been a great action, thriller, and/or horror
fest and languishes instead in extended character monologues that couldn’t
engage audiences.
But maybe the narrative angle worked on composer JOHN FRIZZELL.
Surprisingly, FRIZZELL, who is best known for suspense or horror (think
WHITEOUT or THE REAPING), shone in the dramatic cues. The main story
theme, initially heard in “Old and Pissed Off “ (4), perked my ears for
the first time on this album. It is reprised more eloquently in ”I Didn’t
Even Want This Baby” (17) and beautifully developed in one of the best
cues on the album, “Die Like One of Them” (22).
Dramatic beauty aside, most of LEGION is comprised of rather prosaic
horror. The suspense cues are not bad, but have nothing particularly
noteworthy or creative about them either; they stand just a hair above
stock “scary ambience music.” A few of them offer nothing melodious at
all, mostly piercing, scraping violins that remind me of nails on a
chalkboard. It probably works in the movie to make one’s skin crawl, but
on CD? No, thanks (shudder). It is not until “God’s Plan” (13) that
FRIZZELL delivers the kind of tension we know he is capable of. It
introduces the primary action theme, a six-note chord that also plays
strikingly well in “That is Why You Failed Him” (23), although on that
track, the theme is unfortunately intermingled with the aforementioned
irksome dissonance. The most favorable rendition of the action theme
happens to be in, you guessed it, a dramatic cue: the warm and stirring,
“You Are the True Protector” (24), which I believe to be the best track on
the album. Incidentally, there is an alternate version of this track,
which plays at a slower tempo and sounds a bit like lounge music.
Even without the main action theme, most of the action cues are
commendable. “A Rebellious Son” (20) starts off with pedestrian anxiety
but evolves into a terrific, though brief, sequence with a symphony of
energetic strings. “The Battle” (21) and “Dark World” (15) are also
amongst the best tracks in LEGION. Both tracks sport choral accents, which
are quite fitting in a movie with religious overtones and work very, very
well. I wish FRIZZELL had incorporated more choral elements in this score;
with his vivacity, they could have given the foreboding score the rousing
pick-me-up it needed. Finally, one more track deserves honorable mention:
“Clouds Don’t Buzz” (6). It is not as exciting as the others, but its
propulsive drive stands out nicely in an otherwise dreary and dark
terrain.
As a suspense score, LEGION is just this side of ordinary. It isn't the most thrilling,
but offers at least a couple of great
tracks that are worth putting on the playlist. I look forward to hearing FRIZZELL score more dramatic material in the future.
Rating:
6/10
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Track |
Track Title |
Track Time |
Rating |
|
1 |
When I was a
Little Girl |
1:35 |
** |
|
2 |
Michael
Descends |
2:48 |
** |
|
3 |
It's
Started |
2:39 |
** |
|
4 |
Old and
Pissed
Off |
2:41 |
*** |
|
5 |
This
is
Not
a
Test |
1:43 |
* |
| 6 |
Clouds
Don't
Buzz |
1:21 |
*** |
| 7 |
The Aftermath |
0:59 |
* |
| 8 |
Now What? |
1:47 |
** |
| 9 |
They're Here |
1:57 |
** |
| 10 |
The Ice Cream Man |
1:59 |
* |
| 11 |
Attack of the Possessed |
0:44 |
* |
| 12 |
We Got 'Em Running |
1:05 |
* |
| 13 |
God's Plan |
3:50 |
**** |
| 14 |
Percy's Story |
1:30 |
** |
| 15 |
Dark World |
1:53 |
**** |
| 16 |
Bob Blames Himself |
1:10 |
*** |
| 17 |
I Didn't Even Want This Baby |
4:00 |
*** |
| 18 |
Open the Door |
2:45 |
* |
| 19 |
Are We Safe Now? |
2:59 |
** |
| 20 |
A Rebellious Son |
2:17 |
*** |
| 21 |
The Battle |
2:23 |
*** |
| 22 |
Die Like One of Them |
1:45 |
**** |
| 23 |
That is Why Your Failed Him |
3:07 |
*** |
| 24 |
You Are the True Protector |
2:14 |
**** |
| 25 |
You Are the True Protector (Alternate Version) |
2:13 |
*** |
| |
Total Running Time (approx) |
51 minutes |
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