"Legion" is a pretty spectacular yarn, something that works better even as an intellectual exercise than as a sheer visceral entertainment. The premise is that God's had it with humanity. He has decided to dispatch the legion of angels to wipe out the species, but what the heavens fail to anticipate is the Archangel Michael (played by Paul Bettany), who has descended from heaven to work in a remote desert diner.

One sunny day breaks into chaos, and the patrons join Michael in fortifying the diner and sitting down to devise a plan. They ask what's going on and he slowly, methodically, lays out the truth: The creatures outside are objects, possessed by angels to wreak holy hell on the human race.

"I don't believe in God," says one skeptical customer.

"That's OK," Michael retorts. "He doesn't believe in you, either."

What unfolds is a curious mix of battlefield warfare, high-flying supernatural tension and religious dogma, all stirred up into an action and frenzied by director Scott Stewart.

I have never really seen a movie like "Legion" before, and what impressed me most was the way it scrambled up your sense of allegiance. Halfway through the proceedings, I found myself wondering if these humans are wrong to go against God's will? Is this archangel being selfish or merciful in siding with humanity. What if apocalypse was not something to be mourned, but accepted? After all, all things must end.

Bettany doesn't do much as Michael, standing in the shoes of the warrior without interfering from the action. Slightly more convincing, however, are the special effects, which portray a heavenly Armageddon in convincing ferocity and detail.

And there's something rather fun about the foxhole quality of "Legion." As the terrified humans huddle together, pondering their predicament and developing an exit strategy, we wander far off the path of your conventional genre thriller. At a certain point, you can toss all expectations out the window; we've entered altogether foreign territory.

The fact that the story is a bit one-note is perhaps inescapable. When you have the wrath of heaven coming down on this diner, there isn't much room for subplots or side stories. The result is a film that's a little monotone, but still a whole lot of fun.

For your angels vs. humanity fix, "Legion" will do just fine.

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