Fridae

Colin Firth may have proven that he is a great romantic comedy lead, but if The Last Legion is his idea of expanding his CV, he may need to put in a little more effort. The Last Legion may be targeted at fans of 300, but it ends up several notches below the seminal film. The biggest reason? A seeming lack of budget, that is most apparent in the action sequences.

Romulus (Thomas Sangster) is the last of the Caesars, but has been imprisoned by a warlord Odoacer (Peter Mullan) and his second-in-command, the villainous Wulfila (Kevin McKidd). However, with the help of Aurelius (Colin Firth), a Roman commander, as well as an Eastern warrior Mira (Aishwarya Rai), and a sorceror Ambrosinus (Ben Kingsley), Romulus escapes his prison, and the group makes their way to Britannia, hoping to make contact with the Ninth Legion.

Casting Colin Firth as Aurelius is a risky move, and at times it almost succeeds, although much suspension of disbelief is still needed. Aishwarya Rai is attractive as always, although her feminine charms does make her role as a warrior slightly less convincing at times. Kevin McKidd energetically chews the scenery, which is perhaps apt and mildly enjoyable considering that the film is best enjoyed as a B-movie.

The Last Legion is somewhat entertaining in its first hour, but in the climactic showdown, it becomes quite clear that the director's grand vision was not matched by the budget, and the end result is somewhat underwhelming. Given more money to play with, The Last Legion would possibly have been a stronger contender this summer.