Review of Legend (1985) by Zach B — 10 Aug 2011

NOTE: This review is for the director's cut version of the film, not the horrific American edit.

Okay, from what I can look at, this is a film that has a past that is similar to that of Sergio Leone's Once Upon A Time In America in the sense of how it was released. This film was originally around two and a half hours long, told a great epic fantasy that is not really for kids, and was just wonderful. When this film was released in America, new scenes were filmed, the sequences were changed around, and that version was a complete mess. Thankfully, the first version I saw was the directors cut and having seen both versions, I can safely say that the extra thirty minutes is much needed. Now, I first became aware of this film through my brother when he first got the film on DVD. Now, I was never originally interested in this film until I grew older and started to have a heart for fantasy films. When I saw this film, there were a few things that shocked me. The main thing is just how beautiful this film is. I am not joking. The production on this film, the colors used, the flowers, animals, water, and snow along with the shadows and darkness look so magnificent that you find yourself just staring at the scenes then really paying attention to the story. So, when this film ended, I left with a feeling of happiness that one can only achieve when they see something in nature that is so beautiful that words can never describe it. Now for the details. With direction, this is a rather mixed bag for Ridley Scott. Now, do not get me wrong, Ridley Scott is a great director in his own right. But with this film, he appears not to have his head on what he wants to work on: visuals or story. With this film, it is obvious that he works more on the look and feel of the film, but with the story, while attention is paid their, it just feels like that this film's true potential with the story was not reached. A bit disappointing for me. With story, this film had a lot going for it and was able to accomplish some of it. But, didn't. From what I was told, there was a longer, more explicit version of the script that due to numerous reasons, could not be filmed. One has to wonder what would of happened if Ridley Scott did film the entire script. Next for the acting. With this film, there are only three people I am going to talk about: Tom Cruise, Mia Sara, and Tim Curry. First Cruise. I know this is a little cliched to say, but I am going to go down saying that I have respect for Cruise as an actor because he CAN act and this film proves it. From the start of this film as we see him as this pure spirit to fighting the Lord Of Darkness himself, Cruise makes the character of Jack believable and we feel the urgency of his quest through out the film. Now, is Cruise's performance Academy Award winning? No. But is it impressive? Yes. Next is Mia Sara. I will be honest: I did not like her at all in this film. This is the only film I have seen her in and maybe I am being a little harsh on her, but she was just bad in this film. Her acting was not convincing, her singing voice was not that good, and she was just a disappointment. Now, she is bearable in this film, but they could have picked a different actress for this role. The main reason for all of this is because she is passed off as someone with only three emotions: Love sick, sad, and happy. That is all. No depth, nothing to look forward to, just nothing. Finally Tim Curry. Oh boy, where do I begin with him. Well, after Curry worked on the much loved The Rocky Horror Picture Show as Dr. Frank N' Furter, Ridly Scott saw his acting ability and thought it would be best to put him in this film. But one catch: Except for the voice, you will not recognize him as he is fifteen feet tall, has red muscled suit on (that actually looks pretty damn impressive), two giant black horns that reach out of his head, the hindquarters of a goat, and these yellow contact lenses that completely conceal him. Now, in the director's cut, you do not see him until the last thirty minutes, but even then, he steals the entire show. His acting is beyond great, he is terrifying in this role, and he literally becomes the devil himself. Next the score. With this film, there are two scores: One by Tangerine Dream and another by Jerry Goldsmith. The one I am going to talk about is Goldsmith's score. While Dream's score is actually good, the director's cut features and more real, more natural score by Goldsmith that is breathtaking. The only way for me to describe this score is to imagine the scenery of this film in the form of music and then you understand how wonderful it is. Finally the script. Due to numerous cuts being made, the script is uneven as mess. I mean, the overall plot and story are there, but things like some character development, the fleshing out of some characters, and more background into this world would of benefited greatly. But the one thing I will admit I like is the dialogue. The dialogue has a feel of old English mixed with modern and it works just wonderfully with this type of story. But while that is great and while the look may be phenomenal, it does not excuse lazy story telling and poor character development. Overall, this is a beautiful film with two great performances and a wonderful score, but it does leave to be desired. If you watch this film, watch the directors cut. The American edit is just terrible.