Review of Legend (1985) by James B — 21 Mar 2009

The imagery of this film is steeped in an appropriate wonder and magic, Scottâ??s sense of ambiance so fitting for a fantasy. Instead of merely placing the elvish, spritely characters in a cold, pine-covered mountain setting, Scott literally stuffs the set with life or death, as is appropriate.

Forests are filled with the magic of floating feathers and pollen, the flowers hidden in the grass cover a wide range, and their life and blooms are full, while the Gothic style is overbearing in Darknessâ?? hideaway, filled with rotting, dead straw and angry fires.

One can easily see the mise en scene that Scott had established in earlier works like Alien and Blade Runner, but the thing that is missing from this movie is a clear sense of plot and direction; one can hardly call the struggle for good and evil a plot, that should be a given premise, not the substance of the story.

The world that Scott so vividly portrays has no core, no background, no clear definition of self. One of the tasks of a fantasy story is to defines the rules of its environment so that you know where it is going and for what reason.

This is poorly established throughout the film, and in fact, the film seems to demand that you understand it from the get go without an introduction. I would hope that the following is true: that Ridley Scott knew that the script and plot had little substance, and wisely spent his time burying the fact in the environment he created to surround it.

From all accounts, the directorâ??s cut is much better, and I only hope that this is true, for the theatrical release leaves one wanting much more, even with such an elaborate and attractive wrapping.