Rating: Summary: Believe in fairytales........ Review: I snatched this one up the milli-second it became available - one of my alltime,favorite movies in any genre,EVER. It makes me want to run outside and check the bushes in the backyard for fairies and pixies. :) I was thrilled to be able to see Ridley Scott's original cut, with the orignal score. Although the Tangerine Dream score remains my favorite, there were some really cute scenes cut out. Tons of wonderful interviews and behind-the-scenes, too. The cast is headlined by the always superb Tim Curry - even in the most eye popping makeup, his talents still stand out and chill me as he revels in his role as Darkness. Tom Cruise as Jack and Mia Sara as Lily display a love for each other onscreen that still gives me a little lump in my throat every time - it's that love that we all hope for, endless, powerful, pure. The overall message: no one is perfect - we are all a little innocent, a little wicked, a devil, a princess, a hero. I watch this movie to remind myself to look for the all the love and magic in the world.
Rating: Summary: A Film Classic - Sort Of... Review: Legend is a Film Classic - sort of. I wholly disagree with the Ridley Scott that the Jerry Goldsmith soundtrack is the better of the two. The Tangerine Dream soundtrack is so much more in-tune with the events on the screen that it makes one wonder if Goldsmith had even seen the movie when he wrote his version. Goldsmith's music is very fine music, no doubt, but the Tangerine Dream music is eerie and otherworldly which is exactly what this movie needs. The longer director's cut is sometimes painful to watch, but again, I think it goes back to the soundtrack. If they had re-edited the Tangerine Dream soundtrack to match the original edit of the film it may have worked perfectly. As it is, the shorter version, the U.S. release, is the film classic and the longer version is the curiosity. I'm glad I had the chance to see the original version, but after one viewing, it's the Tangerine Dream version that I'll be watching over and over. The extra's in this DVD are interesting, but not special. I found it interesting that although Tom Cruise is the 'star' of this movie, he wasn't even mentioned once in the making-of documentary. Tim Curry gives the best, most powerful, and most memorable performance in this movie. This DVD is worth it if only for Mia Sara's dance and transformation and Tim Curry as Darkness stepping through the mirror with the ethereal Tangerine Dream masterwork weaving it all together making us all gasp with beauty and terror of it all. A true classic movie moment in a classic movie.
Rating: Summary: The Waiting is Finally Over! Review: These DVDs are packed full of Legend intrigue and fun. Whether you are already a Legend fan or not, this DVD will not disappoint. Enjoy!
Rating: Summary: Excellent Movie Review: After seeing both versions, the extended version is the best Swith Goldsmith's score. Although it was hard to figure out what was actually removed from the US version.
Rating: Summary: Beautiful! Review: Legend is the tale of Jack, a forest dweller determined to kill the demonic Lord of Darkness, Tim Curry, and save the life of a beautiful princess, Mia Sara. Although there may be a lack of dialogue in this film, Ridley Scott's sets and costumes are amongst the most beautiful I have seen. The music is enchanting, setting the time and era to its proper tone. The acting is fair, but the production design is so beautiful to look at, it almost makes it the most well-crafted motion picture to come along in ages. Legend is definitly one of the finest production designs ever...see it tonight.
Rating: Summary: Great Fantasy movie you will enjoy Review: O.K. This movie was before Tom made it really big in Hollywood so don't get upset at his crooked teeth. Ridley Scott creates a beautiful world with stunning cinematography and landscape. Mia Sara is really good and Tim Curry Dawns the figure of Darkness absoultely perfect. But the real story isn't actually the plot itself it is taking in this breathtaking world Ridley Scott has created and losing yourself in it. This ultimate edition has two versions of the movie (American,International) along with tons of extra stuff packed into it. If you like fairies and gnomes and goblins and all that stuff, you will enjoy this movie, guaranteedp.s. Ridley Scott's commentary is pretty interesting. YOu learn a great deal more about the movie.
Rating: Summary: The DVD Was Better Than The Movie Review: LEGEND was somewhat of a good movie but the DVD was better than the movie. The movie is way too slow and too long. I'm not a big fan of Ridley Scott [except HANNIBAL]. I hate it when big time stars do admit to their early work. In this case Tom Cruise didn't bother doing a commentary track or he wasn't in the featurette. I have nothing agianst Tom Cruise [he is one of my favorite actors]. I did like the music video for "Is Your Love Strong Enough" by Brian Ferry [Roxy Music, the coolest part in the video is when David Glimour [Pink Floyd} does his guitar solo. Overall the movie should been like a hour short.
Rating: Summary: Legend? Conventional? Say it ain't so, Ridley! Review: Like many others, I was looking forward to seeing the director's cut of what has long been one of my favorite fantasy films. Now that I've seen it, though, I find myself wishing I'd skipped the director's cut and just watched the U.S. theatrical version again instead. Fortunately, though, you get both versions with this edition. The director's cut contains a lot more background information and character development, resulting in a notably more coherent, more fairy tale-like story. The problem is, it goes too far in that direction. The result is that while the movie makes more sense, it loses much of its magic. Some details are better left to the imagination, or even left out entirely. The scenes that were added back in all serve to make Legend a more conventional movie, while not fully converting it into a standard fantasy/action film. As a result, this cut doesn't really work as either type of film. Also, the orchestral score was really jarring for me at many points. It was far too conventional, and had almost none of the ethereal quality of the Tangerine Dream soundtrack that was so much a part of the theatrical release. If you want to find out more detail about what was supposed to be happening in this film, by all means watch the director's cut. The supplemental features alone will do an excellent job of giving you more background, though, and if you're looking to keep the magic alive, give that version a miss, and watch the U.S. theatrical cut on the second disk, instead. The U.S. theatrical version is a clear five stars as far as I'm concerned, so I'll resist the temptation to rate the whole thing lower just because the director's cut is inferior.
Rating: Summary: See the director's cut first Review: Well, sometimes it has its advantages to live in Europe. For instance when movie makers are bold enough to show their movies with a more artistic and less commercial approach. This was the case with movies like Army of Darkness or Legend. Being European I highly recommend the original cut with Jerry Goldsmith's fabulous score. Then again I guess it's all a question of personal taste. I saw the original cut first and fell in love with it, others may feel the same way about the U.S. version. So here's the good thing about this DVD - now you can own both versions and watch the one you personally prefer. If you have never seen this film before try the director's cut first. Its longer and the characters are better set. The feature commentary by Ridley Scott answers some but by far not all questions you may have about the movie. So I'm still not absolutely certain if the director's cut is exactly the film version I saw 17 years ago. On the other hand there is a nice documentary on the DVD that features some very interesting interviews with the cast and crew - including the Master Tim Curry. Also you learn a lot about how they achieved some of the stunnig art work and overall dazzling look of the picture. This alone would be worth the price for the Ultimate Edition. Still. One wonders what another director like Terry Gilliam would have done with this material. Or what would have happened if they'd done the movie with todays technology. Or if they didn't have to cut down on the script for reasons of money and time. Anyway, if you are looking for a visual jawdropper: buy this DVD.
Rating: Summary: Different... Review: Ok, I'm not too sure how to explain this edition. First of all, if you didn't like the orig. U.S. release, this version prob. won't change your mind. The Directors Cut (which I believe is the "original version" released in other countries) is quite a bit different. I am a big fan of the U.S version, and unlike alot of people I very much prefere the Tangerine dream soundtrack. It isn't that Goldsmiths is not good, but after seeing the movie one way about 100 times, it's hard to adjust to something as major as a different musical score! Also, alot of people complain about movies being "dumbed down" for U.S. audiences. Well, unlike the Blade Runner fiasco, in this case I think it was a good idiea. The extra footage and dialouge in the directors cut really only slows down the overall pace of the movie. Some of the actors lines and expressions just seem out of place, also, even changing the way you think about that character. (The "princess" seems downright arrogant at times...) So, with all these down points, why 4 stars? As I said, I loved the orig. U.S. version and it's here! If you liked it, I would still suggest you get this DVD. Give the D.C. a look, then enjoy the version we love. It's loaded with extras, too!
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