Movie Review: Legion

This week I’ll be reviewing FX’s new show set in the X-Men universe, Legion. Based on the popular series of Marvel comics, Legion introduces audiences to David Haller, a troubled young man struggling with mental illness, his love life, and the fact that he may or may not be the most powerful mutant in the world. By the end of the pilot episode, that last bit has landed him in quite a lot of hot water, but the journey to get there is full of fun twists and spectacular visuals. Superhero fan or no, it won’t take the average viewer long to realize there’s nothing else like Legion on TV right now.

Right off the bat, we’re introduced to young David Haller, watching his face as he ages from precocious child to rowdy, troubled teen to genuinely disturbed adult. As his surroundings become more chaotic - over the course of the montage, David goes from being ridiculed by grade school classmates to causing mayhem in a convenience store parking lot and being shuffled into the back of a cop car - the smile slowly fades from his face. As mischievous childlike glee turns into world-weary melancholy, David grows more dejected, until finally he slips an electric cord around his neck and attempts to end it all. Barely two minutes in the audience already knows what it needs to know - David is troubled and he’s sick and tired of whatever’s causing it. The story catches up to David a little while after that. He’s been institutionalized after his effort to end his life, and an “incident” at the facility where he was being held has landed him in an interrogation room. His mild-mannered interrogator prods him to share more about his institutionalized life, and we get to learn more about David’s routine. How he used  to think he could make things happen with his mind, but he’s much better now, thanks. How his only friend in the asylum is an irreverent, musically-inclined chatterbox named Lenny. And how his group therapy sessions suddenly got much more bearable with the arrival of Sydney, a similarly troubled girl with an aversion to touch. As David apprehensively discusses his life, flashbacks show us his world. It’s clear that he struggles to differentiate between fantasy and reality. Is he imagining conversations with Sydney or blurting them out? Did he really levitate everything in his room or just hallucinate as he smashed things until the staff sedated him? It also soon becomes clear that the Interrogator is not completely reliable either. As their talk continues, it becomes apparent that the Interrogator and his staff are after something, and that David may be caught up in a war he didn’t even know was being fought. Downton Abbey alum Dan Stevens is electric as David, skillfully conveying his vulnerability and his (at time literally) explosive anger. Director and series creator Noah Hawley also shines, finding trippy visuals and interesting shots that show off David’s powers and his reality-blurring perspective. The episode clocks in at an hour and a half, but for this reviewer it passed in the blink of an eye. Legion is must-watch TV that will truly blow your mind.

Moonlight Star Uses Money to Fund Cancer Research

A good number of successful celebrities use their riches to acquire material things - fast cars, flashy clothes, access to exclusive events and venues - as is their right, but one young actor is putting his money toward more philanthropic ends. Alex R Hibbert, the actor who plays Young Chiron in last year’s excellent drama Moonlight, shared his noble future plans in a recent interview with HeyUGuys.com. When asked what he plans to do with his earnings, Hibbert said he plans to “take...some of [his] money, and build a lab...and take the best scientists to work on curing cancer and stuff like that.” At just 12 years young, Hibbert’s dream is well within reach, and there’s certainly a great demand for research dealing with “cancer and stuff like that.” More power to you, young brother!

James Cromwell Joins Jurassic World Sequel

Veteran actor James Cromwell has joined the cast for Universal’s sequel to Jurassic World. Cromwell, who made listeners of a certain age shed a sentimental tear as the sheep herder in Babe, is playing an as-yet-unannounced character. He will be joining returning cast members Chris Pratt and Bryce Dallas Howard, as well as newcomer Justice Smith. The J.A. Bayona-directed sci fi thriller is due to begin shooting later this month with a June 22, 2018 release date. All I can say is: that’ll do, Rex; that’ll do.

Ghost in the Shell Releases Full Trailer

In trailer news, the live-action adaptation of cyberpunk anime Ghost in the Shell has gotten its first full-length trailer. The two-minute teaser included footage of the Major and her cohorts raiding an underground crime den, the other members of her elite cyborg police squad, and the first glimpse at the enigmatic villain. The trailer also hinted at some of the film’s major plot points. Apparently, the Major’s cyborg body is a recent development in this continuity, with the government replacing her physical body after a mission goes wrong. The Major herself only recalls “fragments” of her past, unsure of how she originally became part machine. If the trailer’s final shots are any indication, the villain appears to have the answer. “They did not save your life,” he tells her, “They stole it.” This is a significant departure from Mamoru Oshii’s source material. Originally, the Major had chosen a cybernetic body when she was a small child, considering it a part of what made her her. By making it the result of a fatal accident, this new tweak removes that agency from her and potentially puts her at odds with the government that employs her. This could all pan out in a very novel and interesting way when the film actually hits theaters, but nothing has been particularly encouraging about this project or other previous Hollywood attempts to adapt anime. Foul or fair, the Major shoots her way into theaters next month on March 31.

LucasFilm Trolls Everyone With Image of Empty Toy Box

LucasFilm has done the impossible and gotten an empty cardboard box to go viral. The pure stroke of marketing genius came earlier this week in the form of a press release announcing a new line of Star Wars toys. Accompanying the release was an image of an empty toy box, which still became newsworthy thanks to an image of the three main characters plastered across the top. Poe Dameron is decked out in his Resistance pilot gear. Finn is still wearing Poe’s jacket, spawning a million fan-fics on tumblr, I’m sure. And Rey has traded in her trademark buns for a new, longer hairdo. Speculation on the significance of the new style has already skyrocketed, with many a fanboy wondering if or how it will factor into her Jedi training under Luke. Star Wars Episode VIII: The Last Jedi will force its way into theaters on December 15, 2017.

Laurence Fishburne Not Returning for Justice League

Rounding out our trio of DCEU stories is a soundbite from Laurence Fishburne, who appeared in Man of Steel and Dawn of Justice as Daily Planet Editor-in-Chief Perry White. Fishburne, who recently sat down to chat with the LA Times about his latest movie, John Wick 2, revealed that he is not coming back for Justice League. The veteran actor chalked it up to scheduling conflicts, but the next words out of his mouth had some people raising their eyebrows. While talking about how DC has handled portraying its greatest heroes on the silver screen, Fishburne didn’t mince words: “What were they doing over there? Marvel has been kicking their [butt]” He did not say butt, though. He would go on to defend Zack Snyder and swear that he loved Dawn of Justice’s most baffling moment, the infamous “Martha Scene,” but the damage had already been done. I can hear the blogs and message boards lighting up with comments now. I wouldn’t be surprised if Fishburne gets a cushy cameo in Avengers: Infinity War for his little commentary.

Mel Gibson Considered for Suicide Squad 2

We have sequel news for Raspberry Award darling Suicide Squad. In a recent article by The Hollywood Reporter, it was revealed that none other than Mel Gibson is in talks to helm the sequel to last year’s multi-million dollar trash fire. Gibson shared the news during a Q&A for his most recent film, the WWII drama starring Andrew Garfield, Hacksaw Ridge. Although he had struggled to repair his image following a string of drunken incidents over a decade ago, Gibson has seen a recent resurgence in popularity with the release of Hacksaw Ridge. The film was a critical and commercial success, earning $164 million to date and netting him six Oscar nominations. This is still an odd move for Warner Bros to make, especially considering the number of big name auteurs they already have in their wheelhouse. Gibson himself has acknowledged that he is no fan of comic books, admitting that he “is familiarizing himself with the material” before progressing any further, not to mention the fact that an Oscar-nominated director’s unique style may not match with the tone and look that the DCEU is going for. Other directors are in the mix as well, including Safe House’s Daniel Espinosa, Zombieland’s Ruben Fleischer, and Warm Bodies’ Jonathan Levine, but none are generating the same level of buzz. Case in point, listeners, if you want everyone to forget about the horrible things you’ve done and said, all you have to do is make one award-winning film.