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Spoiler Points for The Last Legion (2007) [PG-13] 110 minutes
WIP™ Scale: $12.00
Film's Official Website • Film's Trailer
Directed by: Doug Lefler (Dragonheart: A New Beginning)
Screenplay by: Jez Butterworth (Birthday Girl) • Tom Butterworth (Birthday Girl) with story by Carlo Carlei, Peter Rader, and Valerio Manfredi
Featured Cast (Where You Might Remember Him/Her From):
Colin Firth (Nanny McPhee) • Ben Kingsley (Lucky Number Slevin) • Aishwarya Rai (Dhoom:2) • Peter Mullan (Children of Men) • Kevin McKidd (Hannibal Rising) • John Hannah (Cold Blood 2) • Iain Glen (Kingdom of Heaven) • Thomas Sangster (Tristan + Isolde) • Rupert Friend (Mrs. Palfrey at the Claremont) • Nonso Anozie (Prime Suspect: The Final Act) • Owen Teale (Tsunami: The Aftermath) • Alexander Siddig (The Nativity Story) • Robert Pugh (Kinky Boots) • James Cosmo (The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe)
Read the non-spoiler review instead.
After witnessing the prowess of the mysterious warrior provided to assist Aurelius by Theodorus Andronikos, Aurelius and his men are intrigued. The warrior seems to be capable of dispatching opponents as easily as they might take up arms against him. On the journey to get the boat to sail to Capri to rescue Romulus, Aurelius happens to discover the warrior's true identity. He is, in fact, a she--Mira (Aishwarya Rai) of the highest order of training in her native province of southern India. When it comes time to steal the boat they need to sail to Capri, it is Mira who subdues the boat owner to effect the theft.
Upon reaching Capri, Aurelius orders Mira to stay on the boat, but she fails to follow his orders and it's a good thing for it turns out he needs her frequently in the battle that ensues on Capri prior to their escape.
Romulus finds the sword, that, yes, will become Ex Caliber, by pushing in the eyes of the emperor's mosaic portrait releasing a trap door plunging him into a dark, hidden cavern. There he finds the statue of Julius Cesar and the sword with the mystical prophesy and the notion that one blade is, in effect, for offense and one for defense.
Even though he is strung up, Ambrosinus escapes by swinging himself on top of a statue and untying his hands. Once free, the tosses the guard over the wall and into the sea. This permits him to help Mira and Aurelius in their ascent over the wall and into the prison. Once they are discovered, there is a battle on their hands. Mira subdues dozens of Wulfila's men, much to the amusement of Aurelius's men who then take advantage of her skill sending her first into harms way around each corner. All but Aurelius escape down a well discovered by Romulus, but Mira returns to help Aurelius fend off Wulfila's army of guards. Once on the boat, they wait for Aurelius and Mira, but have little hope of their survival. Just in the nick of time, Aurelius and Mira escape by jumping over the wall and into the sea. They somehow survive the plunge, and the crew sets sail for the meeting place where Nestor (John Hannah) has arranged for the group to travel back to Constantinople and sanctuary.
Their arrival is met with cheers. No one seems to sense that things are no right until it is too late and the ambush is sprung. One of Aurelius's men is killed saving Romulus. It turns out that Nestor and the rest of the Roman Senate has voted the allegiance of their people into the hands of Odoacer. Effectively, Romulus is Cesar no more. The goal now is for the entire party to be killed and for life to go forward for the empire without them. Swift thinking allows for the bulk of Aurelius's men and Mira to survive and protect Romulus. After which, realizing they have but only one option, Romulus orders the party to Britannia to find the 9th Legion and co-opt them into returning to Rome to reclaim his throne.
However, Ambrosinus, has not been entirely forthcoming with anyone regarding what he knows about what they will face back in Britannia. He has been hiding the fact that he is known by another name there and that his Pentangle brand was put upon him by the most evil of men, Vortgyn (Harry Van Gorkum), the golden-masked king who has been taking over all of the kingdoms of Britannia, destroying villages, burning up women and children alive. So, when they finally get to the castle fortress of the last legion, no one is there. In fact, they have all disbanded to a neighboring village and managed to stay off Vortgyn's radar. Meanwhile, yes, you guessed it, Mira and Aurelius are getting quite close. As they blend with the village and consider just staying put, Wulfia, who has somehow tracked them all the way from Capri, arrives and makes a deal with Vortgyn. He mentions that the boy has a special sword, which Vortgyn quickly figures out is the long lost sword of Julius Cesar he's wanted all his life. So, he agrees to help Wulfia. He will get the sword and Wulfia the boy and his school master, whom Vortgyn also figures out is his long-lost servant boy whom he branded and expelled. As a gesture of terror and to smoke out Aurelius's party, Vortgyn and his men kill the Blacksmith's family in cold blood and send a little girl back to tell the village it's either them or they give up the boy and his sword. The town which has been basking in the secret glory of harboring their Cesar, even though he has no real power anymore and no empire at his feet, is quick to wish to turn on him and give him up knowing they cannot withstand Vortgyn's army. But, Aurelius plans to make a stand against Vortgyn at the old fortress of the 9th Legion and invites his former countrymen to join him or not either way as friends. Romulus demonstrates his Cesar leadership by suggesting that he would gladly give himself up were it to be possible to save the lives of the town. This gesture eventually proves instrumental.
In an eloquent speech, Aurelius rallies his volunteers and troops the morning of Vortgyn's planned attack. Unfortunately, if only his plans for resistance against the attack could have been as good as his speech. There's nothing here to make William Wallace proud. And, for some even dumber reason, Romulus has been allowed to sort of chill with the men on top of the wall. This seemed a bit odd, for if you were sworn to protect someone until your last breath, would you not keep them very safe and far from the front line? Romulus has given over his sword to Aurelius to use in the battle as a grand gesture. When Vortgyn's army arrives, it is a thousand strong, and Aurelius comments that he'd expected something larger. As the battle begins, at first, it seems like Aurelius's men will have a chance. Their archers are doing a number on the front lines and Ambrosinus seems to be conjuring fire balls at the first wave as well—turns out these are being launched and made to look like he's conjuring them to scare the opponents into thinking they have a sorcerer on their side. But, Vorgtyn sends in wave after wave, and they eventually overwhelm the wall and the gate. The gates, incidentally, seem to be paper thin, in every battle in the film. Romulus descends to the ground down a ladder and fumbles around a bit. Meanwhile, Ambrosinus has fled off to his former lair where he and Vortgyn used to hang out together. This lures Vortgyn in after him to seek revenge on his former servant boy.
As the battle wages on, it becomes more and more evident that Aurelius has grandly miscalculated his ability to win this battle--his arrogance getting the better of him time and again. Just as all hope is about to be lost, the 9th Legion, reconstituted from those remaining behind in the village, arrives and begins to join the battle. They are not long needed, however, for the fight between Ambrosinus and Vortgyn ends badly for Vortgyn, his mask ripped off and his body tossed into the heart of the tree gave now set aflame. Announcing his demise from the hill top, causes everyone to drop arms in cheer. His own men were loyal only out of fear and can now return to their own lands and rejoin their families. This just after the one-on-one between Aurelius and Wulfila ended when Romulus picked up his sword from loan and ran it through Wulfila's stomach with two thrusts, one for each of his slain parents. With the battle won and over, Romulus tosses the sword declaring an end to all war. The sword pierces a rock and freezes in place, thereby becoming the sword in the stone aka Ex Caliber.
The final scene is of Ambrosinus talking with a young boy, teaching him just as he had Romulus. The young boy turns out to be the son of the great King Romulus who has ruled his new kingdom of Britannia wisely with his queen, a girl who was sweet on him when he was a still a boy and as he was raised by the newly married Aurelius and Mira as if he were their own. Ambrosinus, we learn from their discussion, has returned to using his old name, which is, of course, you probably guessed by now, Merlin; and the little boy is the future king, Arthur.
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