Legend

Legend is a weird movie in many ways. Sometimes it seems to be one of the greatest fantasy films ever made, but other times you just wish someone had actually included a scene explaining everything going on (if you’ve seen the different cuts of the film you’ll know that’s what happened).

Despite its oddness however, Legend visually is pretty incredible. Ridley Scott has created a world that looks like he’s built an entire dark fairy tale into his own little universe inside a studio. From the forests and snow, to the glittery bits and goblins, to the fairies and their costumes, it all looks absolutely ridiculous but incredibly detailed. If nothing else, even when the plot lost me entirely, there was usually something going on to keep my eyes on the screen.

And speaking of characters, there’s also the amazing performance from Tim Curry as Darkness. He certainly puts on an amazing show here. The combination of horns, his huge physicality, his red skin, and Curry’s voice all make him seem absolutely mythic, especially when combined with his usual speed and grace. There isn’t really much else I can say about that other than he clearly enjoys saying everything. And what could be a bad thing turns out to be good since he can express himself very well underneath.

Even Tom Cruise seems to fit as Jack pretty perfectly. He looks youthfully enough for him to play it as a fairy tale. Given where we now see him in his career, it’s kind of weird to watch him not yet being the polished movie star version of Tom Cruise at the time.

However, my only gripe with Legend would come from the actual storytelling, which can vary depending upon which cut you’re watching. For those unfamiliar, there are a few substantially differing cuts to Legend (with different music). One way to think of it is if you were given three slightly different movies each telling their own unique story but all using the same characters and universe. Some versions flow much better than others do, and there are parts where scenes happen just because they’re trying to move towards the next beautiful image, rather than giving relationships sufficient time to develop and explaining certain interesting bits of worldbuilding.

I think part of my frustration comes from the fact that all these great elements were present but never came together into one cohesive picture. I mean, look at the practical effects alone! Or consider how many wonderful dark thoughts weaved their way through this film? It’s atmosphere is something that most modern CG heavy fantasy films can’t quite capture.

But if you look past the messiness of the story, the fantastic visuals and Tim Curry giving yet another performance of a lifetime you'll find something special in this movie