Rating: Summary: a must have in your DVD collection Review: This is defenetively a must have in your DVD collection, specially! if you are a fantasy fan. I am so grateful that I can finally own (and is available for other generations) such a fantastic classic. I must say that this movie is the Lord of The Rings of the 80's they are both grately ambixious in their time. Its a must have! The only thing I regret is that the didn't talked about the actress that plays Oona or the actor that plays Gump. It was awsome to see the person behind Blix, and too bad there was no interview with Tom Cruise, that would have being interesting.
Rating: Summary: Really shoddy DVD production Review: I was really looking forward to the director's cut DVD in this 2-DVD set. I was stunned. But not in a good way. There is really terrible lip-sync for about the first 15 minutes. And throughout the entire film there are bad frame tearing problems, due to either a bad video transfer or a crummy encoding process. I haven't looked at the movie on the other DVD yet, but the production quality on the director's cut was a severe disappointment. I'd rate this a 2 (or even a 1) on DVD production values.On the plus side, the score is excellent. (I like both scores, but had never heard the Goldschmidt score before.) The director's commentary is decent, and there is a decent assortment of "extra" bits. I'd rate this a 4+ for "DVD extras". And, of course, the movie is Legend. You'll have to rate that part of the content according to your own taste. :-)
Rating: Summary: Turn the volume off, just watch the imagery. Review: When I originally saw this film back in the 80's I remember thinking - What a shame such fantastic imagery has been ruined by bad story and poor dialogue. (Slow mo prancing Unicorns too cool). As a fan of director Ridley Scott, (best known for Blade runner and I applaud him for taking a chance on a experimental fantasy film. I just wish they'd made a better more cohesive experimental film. The music by Tangerine Dream is very much of it's time, but subtle enough to not distract from the film. However whenever there is talking, or lyrics, as in the title song or basically anything pertaining to the plot, there's a breakdown in to trite fantasy-land silliness, through which some of the most ardent fantasy fans have found trouble maintaining suspension of disbelief. Best suggestion, If you appreciate great imagery, really like fantasy films, and have a bad habit of watching them with your brain turned on - watch Legend, just turn down the TV volume. You'll be fine... until near the end, when you see Tim Curry's enormous prosthetics flopping as he runs.
Rating: Summary: Directors Cut or U.S. Release....? How To Decide...? Review: I saw Legend when I was 14 years old, and to say it stuck in my mind would be an understatement. Over the years I heard stories about the different cuts of the film, the different scores, etc., and now we finally have a chance to compare the different versions. The film tells the tale of Darkness' plot to kill the last two Unicorns and plunge the world into an eternal night. The discs come packaged in a clear case, with a very attractive 2-layer cover featuring Darkness on the inside, Jack and Lilly on the outside; The 2 images fit together to make one picture. Very cool looking! Disc one has the Director's Cut, with commentary by Ridley Scott. This cut is longer than the U.S. release, and features an orchestral score by Jerry Goldsmith. (I'm a HUGE Goldsmith fan, but I found the score to be overwrought, and it didn't seem to even fit the film, let alone enhance the viewing experience. I bought the CD, so I will be giving Jerry another chance to impress me. It just didn't seem to work for the film.) I found the Director's Cut to be overlong, and there were times when I really had to fight to stay awake. (I lost that fight a few times....it was really boring.) Most noteable among the differences in the two versions is the fact that Darkness isn't shown for almost an hour-and-a-half. we see his hands, and shadowy glimpses here and there, but that's it. Scott's commentary is very insightful, and provides a lot of answers to questions that have been nagging at my mind, like why does Blix look like Keith Richards? Disc two has the U.S. release (No commentary!), with the Tangerine Dream synth score, which I like much better. This version of the film moves quicker, and seems to have more of a sense of urgency about it. (The score is PHENOMENAL, and really adds a sense of menace to the film.)It's still a deeply flawed film, but this is the better version, in my opinion. This disc also has 3 storyboard sequences, the isolated Tangerine Dream score, an hour-long making-of feature, cast bios, the video of Bryan Ferry's "Is Your Love Strong Enough" (I always loved that song, and it was really cool to see who was playing the guitar solo! I won't give it away...), a couple of deleted scenes ( The overlong 4 Goblins opening, and the lost Fairy Dance sequence), and tons of other stuff. Legend: The Ultimate Edition is a great value, and provides a rare view into just how different a few cuts can make a movie.
Rating: Summary: LEGEND- a legend in it's own right Review: I have always been a fan of this film since I first saw it, and I still am today. I read most of these reviews up here and I have to say, the director's cut is good, but has a more hokey feel than the original release. The ending of it, however, is much better than the original. Scores, as we find, can make all the difference. Jerry Goldsmith's score is quite overbearing and unemotional compared to the original's Tangerine Dream score; who was not just some "80's rock group no one knows," but were one of the perveyors of the space rock/ambient movement of music. That was one of Ridley Scott's bravest moves ever. The DVD contains some cool little extras, including the video of ex-Roxy Music frontman Bryan Ferry's "Is Your Love Strong Enough?". Ok, it's 80's, it's cheesy, but who's that on the guitar solo? I won't spoil it for you, but if you don't recognize the face or the sound, just know he's an earthbound misfit who just wishes you were here. A great movie that shows you may just want to keep your eyes open to those films that didn't make the dough, but definitely make a place in our imagination.
Rating: Summary: The Ultimate Edition Review: I have loved Legend ever since I saw it when I was about 7 years old. I love it even more now that I own this DVD release. The director's cut looks and sounds amazing. I'll admit that I do prefer the Tangerine Dream score in some parts, but as a whole I enjoy the director's cut much better. The editing is much better, and Jerry Goldsmith's score gives the movie a much more epic feel. The extras were great. The making of featurette was very informative and enjoyable. I also thought it was really cool that they showed the original opening, and a reproduction of the fairy dance scene. Audio Commentary, trailers, tv spots, and a music video add to this amazing DVD. This is definetly the Ultimate Edition of Legend.
Rating: Summary: Excellent Film and DVD Review: Wow! I just watched the director's cut version of Legend after years of loving the US version, and I must say it's like two different movies. It's not just that they edited the movie differently, but the script was actually slightly changed. In the Euro version Lilly was clearly a "princess" and she was just a lady in the US version. I also thought Lilly seemed a little more bratty in the Euro version. When Jack actually pleads with her not to touch the unicorns, she gives him a wicked little smile does it anyway. And as others have noted the pace is much slower in the Euro version. I see here that many people didn't like the Tangerine Dream score, but it really made the movie. It created a postmodernist sortof fairytale by mixing the classic plot and themes with the modern score. Jerry Goldsmith's score was not nearly as emotional. The DVD is great though. You can watch the version you want and see how they created that beautiful set.
Rating: Summary: One of my favorite movies Review: This is one of my favorite movies. It's fantastic. I'm glad this DVD set contains both the American version as well as the Director's Cut. When I watched the Director's Cut, I sorely missed the haunting Tangerine Dream score. Also missing is the resurrection of the unicorn. But there are some things in the Director's cut that makes up for this. One is Lilli's beautiful song as she lures the unicorn. Also, the fact that Darkness doesn't make his formidable presence until well into the movie, which, in my opinion, makes his entrance all the more dramatic. The American version starts with Darkness, which spoils the "surprise". If you buy this movie, and have never scene it, watch the Director's cut first. Bottom line is, this is a fantastic movie. Not perfect, but a it is still a joy.
Rating: Summary: The DVD "Legend" Fans Have Been Waiting For Review: At last, a version of "Legend" that makes sense! The director's cut of Ridley Scott's fairy tale adventure was long overdue for release. Once fans see it, they'll never go back to the original U.S. theatrical release; I certainly won't. Originally released in 1986, "Legend" was a box office bomb that definitely had the potential of being a success. It has an excellent storyline and icorporates the classic good vs. evil genre that fairy tales are known for. But the film suffered from really bad editing. Nearly thirty minutes of "Legend" was deleted for the U.S. version, leaving many scenes that would normally make sense seem chaotic, stupid, and unnecessary. Plus, Ridley Scott made the very unwise decision of replacing Jerry Goldsmith's original score with that of the pop group Tangerine Dream. When you compare an Academy Award winning film composer to an eighties rock group that no one remembers, I think it's obvious why it was an unwise decision. The director's cut changes all that. Along with Jerry Goldsmith's original soundtrack being restored, many scenes cut from the U.S. version are restored as well, giving a once chaotic and lacking film clarity and wholeness. The crisp picture quality and sound lets us see and hear Ridley Scott's original vision of a world lived in long ago where light and dark co-exist, and the threat of never seeing another dawn looms dangerously over everything. For those of you who remain devoted to the U.S. edit of "Legend" with the Tangrine Dream score, you'll be happy to hear that that version is also included in this package (but as I said before, once you see the director's cut, you'll never go back). On top of that, it includes a lot of extra things that will have fans cheering, such as the film's alternate opening, a reconstruction of a scene whose original print was lost, a "making of" documentary, and trailers (very good trailers, I might add), among other things. Thanks to the technology of DVDs, people can finally see "Legend" as it was meant to be seen. I highly recomend it, especially to those who love fairy tales.
Rating: Summary: Truly an Ultimate Edition Review: Upon first inspection it's obvious a lot of work went into this release. I've been watching this film on syndication or cable since I was a child but watching the extended cut made me feel like I was watching a whole new film. The video quality is astounding, allowing the customes and lush backdrops to be seen in all their glory. The DTS soundtrack brings it alive and there are times where you feel like you've been pulled into Ridley Scott's fairy tale. If it seems like I'm gushing, well I am. The ultimate edition brings an already very good film on par with LOTR as far as pleasing your eyes and ears and without the luxury of motion capture and computer graphics.
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