LEGION (1998)
“Legion,” a 1998 sci-fi action horror TV movie directed by Jon Hess, unfolds in a dystopian 2036 where Earth battles an unseen enemy after six years of war. Major Agatha Doyle (Terry Farrell), a steely commander, leads a ragtag special forces team of death-row inmates on a suicide mission to infiltrate an enemy fuel-processing plant in space, vital to stopping bomb launches toward Earth. The squad includes Captain Aldrich (Parker Stevenson), a disgraced war hero facing execution, offered a pardon if he succeeds. Alongside him are misfits like Siegal (Corey Feldman), a twitchy loudmouth, and Ryan (Rick Springfield), a stoic soldier, all expendable in the eyes of General Flemming (Troy Donahue).
The team storms the facility with surprising ease, but tension mounts as they find it eerily abandoned—until they’re hunted by a mysterious, lethal force picking them off one by one. Low-budget constraints limit visuals, with monster glimpses delayed until the end, relying instead on atmosphere and squabbling dialogue. Doyle’s no-nonsense leadership clashes with Aldrich’s brooding defiance, while Siegal’s antics grate. The enemy, revealed as a grotesque creature, tests their fragile unity, leading to a frantic climax where survivors confront the beast in a dimly lit showdown.
Produced by Avi Nesher, “Legion” borrows heavily from “Aliens” and “The Dirty Dozen,” but its sluggish pace and minimal effects—like sparse makeup and a monster-cam gimmick—hamper thrills. Farrell strives for gravitas, though the script leans on clichés, and Feldman’s overacting jars against Springfield’s restraint. Critics note its failure to define the enemy or justify the war, leaving a muddled narrative. Still, for B-movie fans, it’s a curious relic—grimy, talky, and oddly earnest, airing first on April 18, 1998, with a cult appeal rooted in its rough edges and familiar faces.