Is actor Dan Stevens a chameleon or what?
My first big exposure to him was in Downton Abbey though this was far from his first screen appearance. Then, when watching the 2014 film The Guest, I just knew I recognized the actor who played “David”, the mysterious homicidal killer. It was, of course, Mr. Stevens, this time very buff compared to his more doughy look in Downton.
Well, he’s about to appear in the Emma Watson starring Beauty and the Beast (and he plays the Beast!) but, in the meantime, we have the premiere, yesterday, of Legion, an FX series with ancillary ties to the famous X-Men universe wherein Mr. Stevens plays the show’s primary role, that of the mutant David Haller.
Once again Mr. Stevens disappears into the role. Unlike both Downtown or The Guest, here Mr. Stevens looks, dare I say it, scrawny and his character has great difficulties dealing with reality. His telekinetic mutant powers, however, may well be among the strongest in this show’s universe, and that makes him a target of at least two rival forces.
I enjoyed Legion, though the first half of the premiere episode, IMHO, was much worse than the second half. There was a little too much crazy in that first half but once the plot started to reveal itself the show became very intriguing.
Having said that, what’s also intriguing, at least to me, is the influence David Cronenberg’s early films, particularly his 1981 film Scanners, continues to exert. The fact of the matter is that one could almost view Legion as a modernized update of Scanners, complete with telekinetic mutants and shady government forces try to control them…
Granted, the X-Men comic books came before Scanners, first appearing waaaaay back in 1963. However, it wasn’t until around the time Scanners first appeared (a little earlier, granted) that they became very popular.
Was Cronenberg influenced by older X-Men and then the newer, more popular X-Men were influenced by Cronenberg?
The timing is curious, to say the least.
Anyway, Legion’s premiere was intriguing and, at times, quite humorous. Kudos to Aubrey Plaza for playing one of the inmates in the mental ward who has the ear of David. The third biggest character in the premiere is Rachel Keller’s Syd Barrett (her name being an obvious nod to one of Pink Floyd’s founders who dropped out of the band after he had mental issues…and was a great source of inspiration to the band during their golden years). Ms. Keller has an intriguing screen presence and I’m curious what we’ll learn regarding her character.
I don’t know how close Legion is to the various X-Men related comics out there. Frankly, I’ve never followed them all that closely though I have read some of the “classic” stories, including all the Neal Adams illustrated issues as well as most of the Claremont/Byrne issues, which included the famous Dark Phoenix and Days of Futurepast storylines.
If you haven’t done so already, give Legion a try. If you’re anything at all like me, the first thirty or so minutes of the premiere might try your patience but stick with it. Things come together quite nicely by the end.