Legions of Destiny

Critic Reviews

With the deliberate pacing of a somber imperial procession, 'Legions of Destiny' trudges through a narrative road paved with historical inaccuracies and contrived mythological motifs. The film egregiously presumes to unfold in a version of the Roman Empire that one can only assume has been liberally seasoned with fantasy — much to the chagrin of any well-versed historian or enthusiast of classical antiquity. Steven Sea-salad's portrayal of Lucius is a dishearteningly monochromatic rendition of what could have been a character of true gravitas, while Donald Sutherlemon's so-called oracle leaves one puzzling over his cryptic mumblings more than the veritable odyssey at hand. Equally, Hiddlestew's Mercury flies too close, not to the sun, but to modern-day roguish cliches, with quips and antics that feel incongruous at best in the intended 'ancient' setting. Director Oliver Stork's meticulousness borders on the obsessive, with minute attention to visual grandeur and less so to the coherence or evolution of the plot. Ultimately, one leaves the theater contemplating the movie's identity crisis — does it wish to be a meditation on destiny or a mythopoetic spectacle? This quandary remains unsolved as the closing credits roll, suggesting that perhaps Cassius, and the audience alike, would have been better served had his destiny been left unfound. In all, the opus emerges as a disjointed paean to an era that deserves better tribute.