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Summary: Ages Like Fine Elderberry Wine
Review: This film is without doubt a shimmering jewel, a glistening bag of symbols. One would HOPE that Ridley Scott never intended the thing to have any coherent plot or character development to begin with. One would hope that he simply deigned to unleash upon the world a shockingly sensual vision into the realm of magical dreams. If so, he succeeded. The film ages well, precisely because it is so one-dimensionally breathtaking. This is a film meant to be watched perhaps four times in the span of a year---once with every passing of season. It is a sumptuous visual feast, a treat for the eye that slowly permeates the consciousness with every viewing. Utterly spectacular on that count. Were we to judge it according to typical movie standards it would not qualify. Completely apart...an entity unto itself. It would not surprise me if, in three hundred years, this obscure film is somehow lifted up as a defining masterpiece of its time. The film is that unusual and beguiling. That quirky. It must be translated to DVD...and swiftly!
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Summary: I love this movie!
Review: This movie is the classic battle between good and evil. Tim Curry, whose voice, appearence and attitude exude villian in every role he plays, here Underworld. His makeup artist should have won awards, because the work is brillant, from the horns, to the grotesque face and body, right down to the goat hooves. The music is the perfect complement to the action, beautiful and haunting. And in the end, good triumphs over evil, and the lovers are reunited. But the ending is saved from complete perfection and sappiness light without darkness, how can you have one without the other?
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Summary: Legend - a fairytale master piece
Review: The review by Amazon states that this film is "flawed", but I fail to see in what way. I've owned a copy of the videotape since it was first released and I think it's wonderfully directed and masterfully executed. The story line is unique - a real departure from the standard fairytale genre, and the message it sends is worth listening to. If there is any flaw in its production, that might only be that certain scenes "below ground" in the "devil's lair" are a bit dark and harder to see. However, the special effects are excellent for their time (we're talking 1986 here, folks), the music is good and the story contains sufficient surprize twists to keep an adult viewer (to say nothing of children) interested. It's not a fairytale for small children however. The theme and plot line are too sophisticated for kids under age 10, in my opinion. Buy it! You'll like it!
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Summary: Almost A Dream Come True
Review: ...but we're still waiting for the rest of it! Nonetheless, this Americanized version is so strikingly well lit and photographed and so hauntingly scored that it is well worth the purchase.You'll long for the uncut, letter-boxed version on DVD! Sets, costumes, makeup -- the entire fantastic ambience of the various scenes -- make Legend unique. This was almost the worthy follow-up to Scott's incredible Blade Runner. I found the scenes between Darkness and Lilly - brief as they are - worth watching again and again: that roaring laugh close-up when she tells him she wants to kill the unicorn -perfection!Yes the characters are cut-outs; yes the story has been compromised; yes the ending's song is cloying. But there is so much magnificently beautiful stuff to see and hear in this movie, it outweighs all those deficits.If you have the right frame of mind for a fully realized fairy tale, this is the best there is. But I warn you: you'll want to see the original version too!
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Summary: Great fantasy film from childhood
Review: I am not a huge Tom Cruise fan; I'll admit that right off. However, this is one of the few films that I have seen him in where I really like the character he portrays. The story is not original: the damsel in distress, the hero defeats evil and saves the day thanks in part to supernatural forces, etc. Still, though, this is an example of the kind of film that does not get made anymore. A film that tells a story, a film that captures the imagination. So many films nowadays have lost that fantastical touch. I still thoroughly enjoy this movie. I especially love Tim Curry as Darkness. He is made up so well, I couldn't even tell that it was him! All in all, a very good film from my childhood, one that I still enjoy today.
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Summary: A haunting and beautiful (though at times awkward) dream
Review: This movie seems to be purely eccentric. It is composed lushly, with intense pulpy visuals, and fairy-tale dialogue and plot. The characters are strangely surreal throughout, alternating between seeming wholly believable, and being so awkward as to be ridiculous or comic-bookish. Tom Cruise's character Jack, and Mia Sara's Lilly are relatively flat archetypes, but many of the sub-characters have a surprizing richness. The real gem is Darkness, played by Tim Curry (Clue, Rocky Horror). The costuming and editting adds amazing effectiveness to an already powerful performance. Curry's Darkness is without a doubt the most textured and dramatic aspect of the movie, and the movie seems to center around him (intentionally or not). Legend's plot moves strangely in places, regularly employing pulpy dream-like scenes to convey highly stylized emotional and aesthetic moods. The movie is composed generally as if a dream, but not exclusively. Several scenes excluded in the US release highlight the deep strangeness of the movie, such as a campfire song sung by the elfish Gump to Jack which seems drug-induced. The music amplifies these qualities and is of high quality. The song played during the credits (Is Your Love Strong Enough?) is wonderfully brooding, though the rock chorus is a bit dated. The sets are incredibly diverse throughout, including at one point a giant chess-board (so large that it is difficult to see that this is in fact what it is). The story itself celebrates a classic dualism portrayed with a unique stylishness and symbolism. Curry's Darkness is basically a Satan figure, though he is inspired much more by Dante's Inferno than is traditional. He also literally represents his namesake, and his power manifests in the world as a frozen sleep. The conflict of the movie is literally one of light and day. The question posed during the climax is sublime: what is light without dark? The story more generally celebrates the fall from innocence, but also of the need for balance and maturity. Overall, a stirringly artistic and powerful presentation.
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Summary: For the older movie watchers, it has more appeal.
Review: I saw this movie a long time ago when I was a child and I frankly detested it, mostly because Tim Curry's Satan was so terrifyingly grotesque. A year ago, I rewatched the movie out of boredom and it took my breath away. I can appreciate movies better now that I'm older and I saw things in this movie that I didn't see as a child. It amazed me at how beautiful everything was. The characters are more there to portray the theme than to be entirely realistic I find, especially Lily. Lily (played by Mia Sara) is not your likable, average heroine, but that's the point of it all. (She's fallen from grace and goes back again.) Every creature in this movie symbolizes some essential quality of fairy tales and fantasy (good, evil, love, pureness, etc). The music is very haunting and I don't know what people are complaining about when they say it ruins the movie. I personally liked it better than the other music. It fits the movie better. What really hooked me to this movie though was the scene were Jack (Tom Cruise) meets with the unicorns in the snow. One unicorn lies dead while the mare is mourning the loss of its mate. That is one of the saddest and most poignant scenes I have ever had the privilege to watch. Rent this movie now! It's so beautiful and its themes are absolutely timeless. I find as you get older, you appreciate these simple stories even more than as a child.
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Summary: Legend begs for artistic recognition
Review: All right, so we have to accept that sometimes, no matter how much time and money is spent on gorgeous special effects, a plot will often lack structure or even decent character development. However structurally flawed Legend might be, one must at least appreciate the visual atmosphere. So Tom Cruise is flaky, and does not wear pants. So Mia Sara was given a gullible and weak character. So the film was hacked and re-scored to a fatally unrecognizable state for the slow-witted American public. It was still visually stunning. If you have something against glitter or faeries or anything remotely adolescent girlish, then just pass by this movie. If you have a forgiving eye that likes a real artistic effort, then give Legend a chance.
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Summary: This video is great, one of the best in mythology!
Review: This story of love and the consequences of a proof of love give this movie a sence of adventure, the night in shinning armor has gone to save his dancel in distress. I wish there where of these kinds of movies, for everyone.
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Summary: I am Gump of the Forest. Uh huh.
Review: Tom Cruise. Running through an inexplicably glitter strewn forest. Wearing shorts. Made of leaves. I am a tremendous fan of the sci fi/fantasy genre and I think Tom Cruise is a really good actor but this is one film I CAN'T get into. The plot basically revolves around a diablos-esque villain plotting to block out the sun by killing unicorns. (There are a few basic plot holes here. I mean don't we need the sun to uh kinda... live? Even evil horned red-skinned devil children need their vitamen D!) The hairbrush-challenged Jack and his innocent (read: stupid)girlfriend, Lily, live in a forest world populated by (apparently) one peasant and about six forest children. When our pointlessly evil villain steals the last unicorn and kidnaps Lily, it's up to Jack, Gump, Screwball, Oona... Brown Bottom... Ok ok, so maybe forest children would have names that silly but what I can't explain is why they are running through a snow (and the obligatory glitter) filled forest dressed like they're heading for the beach. The forest children decide Jack is their champion. To aid him in the fight against evil, they give Jack a sword and armor (but no pants!) A not so epic quest begins. If you are looking for a sweet, wonderful, beautiful fantasy, this is not it! The actors really wasted their time on this messy Tolkein wannabe PS, when Jack is looking for Lily in the woods during the blizzard, check out his cape. To the left of his lantern you can see a HUGE safety pin!
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