Is there anything sadder than wasted potential? Like a four-year-old with a Stradivarius violin or a Twinkie in a mud puddle, shattered possibilities are genuinely heartbreaking. This weekend, accompanied by my faithful companion and weapons expert Field Marshal Zack, I drove to the local theater anticipating a supernatural slugfest featuring angels and humans locked in special-effects-drenched combat. I was looking forward to thoughtful interludes which would cause me to contemplate my existence. Based on the trailer, my friend and I were ready for the launch of a new franchise. Instead, we saw Legion. (Long, slow sigh.)

Treading in territory reminiscent of Constantine (2005) and The Prophecy (1995) series, Legion imagines a time when God has determined that humanity is vermin fit only for extinction. He dispatches his angels to exterminate the human race. All that stands between us and oblivion are a handful of people in a diner and the archangel Michael (Paul Bettany). In speaking of the circumstances which led to his rescue mission, the archangel Michael states "I was given an order I didn't believe in. He (God) lost faith—I didn't." Bettany's character was ordered to exterminate humanity, but refused and instead tries to save it. As for the other characters in the film, by simply referring to "a handful of people in a diner" I am not merely being concise. These characters are so underdeveloped that my description is actually more of a biography than the film provides. And that is a genuine tragedy considering the cast includes Charles Dutton and Dennis Quaid. They talk and talk and talk, yet seem to say so little.

Most recently portraying Charles Darwin in Creation, Paul Bettany's has definitely taken a devolutionary career step with Legion. His portrayal of the archangel Michael has all the charm, finesse, and nuance of an assault rifle. Speaking of assault rifles, why would an archangel need an M16 with an M203 Grenade Launcher? An angel needs a machine gun as much as a James Cameron needs hubris injections. Sorry, I digress... Still, given the constraints of the script, Bettany does his best; but his character requires little to no emotional range.

The action sequences and special effects are solid, though austere. Legion's director, Scott Stewart, began his career in George Lucas' Industrial Light and Magic and in 2005 formed Orphanage Animation Studios. Orphanage has created visual effects for Iron Man (2008), The Day After Tomorrow (2004), Hellboy (2004), and many other films. Such a prestigious pedigree only deepens the disappointment at Legion's miserly special effects.

Denzel Washington's recent Book of Eli shows that Hollywood can produce quality, thoughtful spirituality. But throwing a biblical phone book into a shredder does not a coherent message produce, and it seems that this is exactly what Legion does. There are numerous scriptural themes and names, but all of them lack accuracy and proper context. The theme of redemption—something for which the current culture is desperate—is present, but oddly enough it is a rebellious archangel who seeks to save. From what little I know, the last rebellious archangel's escapades were not quite so noble. There is more to genuine spirituality than a moody soundtrack and classical names. The makers of Legion should have shed any shred of biblical allusion and remained consistent by bestowing original silly names to match the silly script.

My friend the Field Marshal and I left disappointed. This movie could have been so much more. If you are a hardcore fan of action or the supernatural, you may find one or two things to enjoy in the course of the 110 minutes of your life you will devote to this movie. For most, this is 110 minutes of your life you will never get back... invest it in something else.