Product Details

• Actors: Colin Firth, Ben Kingsley, Aishwarya Rai, Peter Mullan, Kevin McKidd
• Directors: Doug Lefler
• Writers: Carlo Carlei, Jez Butterworth, Peter Rader, Tom Butterworth, Valerio Manfredi
• Producers: Chris Curling, Dino De Laurentiis
• Format: Closed-captioned, Color, Widescreen, NTSC
• Language: English
• Region: Region 1 (U.S. and Canada only. Read more about DVD formats.)
  
• Number of discs: 1
• Rating: PG-13 (Parental Guidance Suggested)
• Studio: Weinstein Company
• DVD Release Date: December 18, 2007
• Run Time: 102 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (72 customer reviews)
• ASIN: B000VKL6ZM
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #7,805 in Movies & TV (See Bestsellers in Movies & TV)

  Popular in these categories: (What's this?)

  #62 in	Movies & TV > Art House & International > European Cinema > Italy
  #93 in	Movies & TV > Art House & International > European Cinema > France

• For more information about "The Last Legion" visit the Internet Movie Database (IMDb)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

Swordfights, battles, and betrayal fuel The Last Legion, which tells the story of the last emperor of Rome: a slight 12-year-old boy who is a descendent of Julius Caesar. Protected by commander Aurelius (Colin Firth) and guided to an extent by the wizard Ambrosinus (Ben Kingsley), Romulus (Thomas Sangster) is an unlikely leader. Too inexperienced to rule wisely, he also shows little of the fortitude and courage needed to be a great warrior. After Romulus finds Caesar's sword--the legendary excaliburnus--he begins a search for the fabled last legion that will help him save Rome. Directed by Doug Lefler and produced by Dino De Laurentiis, the film has a clunky feel, thanks to uneven dialogue and fight sequences that are tepid at best. Portraying a female warrior, Bollywood star Aishwarya Rai is a beauty but unconvincing in her athletic skills. Kingsley makes the most of his role, chewing up the scenery and doing the best he can with some laughable lines. But Firth is out of his element here. More thinking man than action hero, the charming Brit is sorely miscast in this movie, which would've benefited from having better CGI animation and, just as importantly, a more developed script. With its broad strokes and lack of character development, The Last Legion actually would've worked better as a half-hour Saturday morning cartoon than a feature-length epic. --Jae-Ha Kim

Product Description

A warrior and a wizard embark on an action-packed mission to save the crumbling Roman empire and its young heir. As they battle across medieval Europe, their epic journey reveals the origin of the legendary sword Excalibur.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

29 of 30 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Historically inaccurate (as usual), but good nonetheless!, August 3, 2007

By	L Gontzes (Athens, Greece) - See all my reviews (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

The Last Legion brings to the screen the fictional attempt by Rome's last emperor, Flavius Romulus Augustus, a.k.a. Romulus Augustulus, to rally the last remaining loyal legion, the Ninth a.k.a. the Dragon Legion, stationed in Britannia, in order to expel the Goths and resume control of the Empire.
The Year is 460 A.D., 65 years since the death of Roman Emperor Theodosius the Great and the subsequent division of the Empire among his sons: the Western Roman Empire left to Honorius, and the Eastern Roman Empire left to Arcadius. Following Odoacer's treachery, his Goths have taken control of Rome forcing the young emperor to flee in search for possible allies for his possible return. His journey will take him to Hadrian's Wall in the far Northwestern part of the crumbling Western Roman Empire.
The major setbacks are in relation to:
1) Romulus Augustulus did not come to power until 475, the year before the collapse of the Western Roman Empire. Why would anybody want to change the date?
2) The Eastern Roman Empire never recognized Orestes, Romulus Augustulus, or Odoacer.
3) The battle/fight scenes could have been much better and much more realistic.
Aside from that, the setting, the acting, the dialogues and the costumes are all wonderful!
The movie relies mostly on a British cast, namely Thomas Sangster, Colin Firth, John Hannah, Ben Kingsley, Alexander Siddig (from Star Trek DS9 and Kingdom of Heaven) and Aishwarya Rai (who is GORGEOUS!). They and the rest of this AMAZING cast have truly outdone themselves with their performances, which are outstanding to say the least! All the actors, without exceptions, give it their 100% and it really shows!
In conclusion, though not a masterpiece, The Last Legion will surely provide for an evening's entertainment. It is a movie definitely worth watching and one to seriously consider adding to your movie collection, especially for those with a soft spot for History and all things Roman. 4.5 Stars

17 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars No Classic, But Old-Fashioned Epic Fun..., March 23, 2008

By	Benjamin J Burgraff (Las Vegas) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)

Okay, "The Last Legion" won't have you proclaiming it as the successor to "Gladiator" and "The Fall of the Roman Empire", but if your expectations aren't that high, and you enjoy sword-and-sandal epics offering a mix of Imperial Rome and Arthurian England, you may find this a very entertaining adventure...I certainly did!

Part of the reason is the casting, which is far better than you'd expect. Colin Firth is cast against type as a world-weary Roman general, assigned to protect the 12-year old Caesar (Thomas Sangster), and he is terrific, very capable in the action scenes, and with the acting chops to make even the silliest dialog sound believable. Matching him is the gloriously beautiful Indian superstar, Aishwarya Rai, as an Eastern Empire warrior. Her dialog may occasionally be a bit inane, but she has a dancer's grace with a sword, and the most beautiful eyes I've ever seen! As the mystic/tutor of Caesar, Ben Kingsley provides the link between the two legendary cultures, and grounds the film with his calm wisdom.

While the less-than-overwhelming armies betray the film's budget, the scenes of Imperial Rome are quite impressive, and the film does have the mandatory sweeping vistas, and sword-swinging heroics that action fans will enjoy. And as a foundation of Arthurian legend, I found this version far more plausible than the recent "King Arthur".

"The Last Legion" is far better than you might think, based on the reviews; give it a chance, with an open mind...you may be surprised!

17 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars The Last Legion?, September 20, 2007

By	Walter M. Speck "retlaw59" (Florissant, Missouri United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Hey, what do this film and the book have in common? The title. And that's about it. What could have been a Roman Indiana Jones thriller, is a middle of the road, sword and sandal epic wannabe. Boasting a huge cast and acting potential with the likes of Ben Kingsley and Colin Firth, etc., it just didn't blossom due to a poor screenplay. So why the three stars? Well, I like Ben Kinsley,Colin Firth, and the multitude of other actors many will recognize,gives it one star. Roman history is my bag, and these guys did well for the budget, that's two. The film also deals with the Arthur legend and its beginnings, and who doesn't like King Arthur, a personal preference,that makes three stars. So, if you don't like one or all of these these don't watch it, rent it or buy it, and please don't pirate it! If you do, then give it try, and enjoy a pretty good, old fashion action/adventure movie. The Kid gets the crown, the good guy the girl, and the bad guy the axe, literally.