Rating: 
Summary: Ultimate just for the music
Review: Buy this cuz you can get the directors cut with just a score for the music, none of that nasal noise from the one I grew up with. Wierd story, big sets. A bit too dark.
Rating: 
Summary: LEGENDary Bonuses
Review: The extras presented on this 2 disc DVD set are very interesting and worthy of your time. Director Ridley Scott provides a feature length commentary for the extended version of the film. In it, he reveals many interesting facts about the film and the cast, as well as revealing many special effects secrets that may surprise many people in their simplicity! The commentary moves along without any pauses and manages to keep your interest throughout. The soundtrack by the group Tangerine Dream, created for the American release of the film, is presented here in all of its glory on an isolated track. Though being a fan of the Jerry Goldsmith score myself, I am glad that Tangerine Dream was showcased on this set for the sake of their many fans. After all, the only soundtrack currently available these days is the original score by Jerry, so spotlighting Tangerine Dream on the DVD makes good sense! The documentary "Creating A Myth: The Making Of LEGEND" is very informative and details everything from the creation of the massive forest set to the big fire that completely destroyed the infamous 007 soundstage on which it was built. Ridley Scott, Mia Sara, and many others are available for an interesting hours worth of memories about the film. The inspiration for the film is discussed, as well as the critical reaction and subsequent changes that were ultimately made. Find out why the director made all of the last minute alterations to the film before releasing it in America right here in this documentary! Writer William Hjortsberg vividly recounts his early meetings with Ridley and details some of the hilariously absurd "brainstorm" ideas that he would occasionally throw into the mix. Altogether, very entertaining! Included with these nifty bonuses are some very neat storyboards of sequences that did not ever make it before the camera, including one that features the heroes encountering a giant in his home. The long lost fairy dance extended sequence is also recreated here using the music composed by Jerry Goldsmith, as well as the surviving audio track of the filmed sequence, and completed visually with rare photos and artwork from the storyboards. Also included is an alternate opening for the film featuring a fourth goblin that was thought to be lost for many years! It is very interesting to see what may have been as opposed to seeing what actually came to be! Rounding out the bonus features are the more typical offerings common on many DVDs, from the Brian Ferry music video to the theatrical trailers and Cast Bios. All in all, this DVD offers interesting bonuses that are both intriguing and insightful. Coupled together with the awesome presentation of both versions of the film, I don't think that you will be disappointed!
Rating: 
Summary: ONE Of The BEST ULTIMATE EDITIONS Of ANY MOVIE OUT THERE!
Review: Ridley Scott's veritable MASTERPIECE with a young, DENTALLY-CHALLENGED Tom Cruise,a young and beautiful Mia Sara (Ferris Bueller's Day Off), and the BEST of THE BADDEST character actors TIM CURRY, as the devil himself. Tim Curry's performance is worth the cost of the DVD alone. THE best and SCARIEST portrayal of the devil in the film industry, in my humble opinion. With this ultimate edition you get the directors cut of how the movie was released in Europe (and should have been in the US). Awesome sets, costumes, soundtracks, special effects and make up truly make this a great viewing experience...
Rating:
Summary: "Woo Her...Make Her One of Us..."
Review: Deep down I know that "Legend" is a bizzare film and that it was never a critical success, that its characters are one-dimensional and its story line is feather-light to say the least. And yet, there is something intoxicating about its simplicity, its atmosphere and its deeper fairytale origins that make "Legend" fascinating for me personally. As I mentioned, the story is painfully simple, so simple as to be found ludicrous by some viewers: Princess Lili and Jack-of-the-Green enjoy an idyllic fairytale lifestyle in the forest, until one day when Jack shows Lili the magnificent unicorns that make up one side of an eternal balance of Good and Evil. Lili can't resist: she approaches the unicorns, and by doing so creates the perfect trap for goblins to steal the stallion's horn. Winter suddenly grips the land as the balance is disrupted. Lili and the remaining unicorn are captured and taken to Darkness's lair, where the Lord of Darkness becomes fascinated by Lili's purity and takes it upon himself to corrupt her before destroying the last unicorn. Meanwhile, Jack teams up with a group of faeries in order to prevent these two events from occuring. A not-quite-famous-yet Tom Cruise plays Jack, in a role that is painfully underdeveloped. Running around with a loincloth and a sword as the archetypal hero-warrior is something he would probably like to forget. The character has no depth, no background and no interest. However, no one can dispute that Cruise became famous for a reason, and in his hands the dialouge is not as bad as it would sound coming out of a lesser man. It's a bad role, but he carries it as best he can. The real stars of the show are Tim Curry as the Lord of Darkness (basically the devil), and Mia Sara as Lili. Only Curry's voice is recognisable under tons of prosthetics, and he plays his role with both malevolence and a touch of sympathy. He comes across as evil incarnate, but as an evil that is ultimately lonely, and who believes that his role as darkness is necessary for the existence of goodness and light. It is this view he tries to justify to his chosen bride Lili, as gradually she falls under his dominion. Mia Sara goes through a radical change with Lili, from the light-hearted Princess, to the desparate runaway to the black-clad bride; a change that is fascinating to behold. Whether you love this movie or not, I guarantee that you will not soon forget Lili's experience with the faceless black dress that lures her into dancing. She handles both incarnations of her character amazingly well, understanding that in being pure and innocent (ie, being a child) means a degree of selfishness and disregard for the rules must also exist, and as she falls from grace into temptation and evil, she keeps a touch of her humanity that allows her to uphold her end of the philosophical debate she shares with Darkness (I only wish there was more of it!). She's stunning, and like the Childlike Empress in "The Neverending Story", you can't take your eyes off her. The visual beauty of this film is perhaps its strongest point. Dispite the wobbly horns of the unicorns, the forest is everyone's dream-forest, awash with colours, petals, flowers, moss, water and trees. Likewise, the Darkness's domain is stunning in its scale and opulence, and its ability to be both beautiful and completely sinister. As your typical mainstream movie it fails, as only a small percentage will enjoy its oddness, but succeeds as a dark fairytale that is potent with themes of trial, temptation, sacrifice, lust and good and evil. As an English scholar at university with a special interest in folklore and mythology it seems only natural that this movie would appeal to me, and to anyone else who has an interest in such things. When I was a child I remember watching this movie (so yes, nostalgia does mean my five-star rating is rather biased), but when the Lord of Darkness appeared through the mirror I was thoroughly freaked out (proof that this movie *isn't* a kid-friendly fantasy), turned off the television and regretted it ever since. For years I wondered how Jack, Lili and the faeries managed in their battle against Darkness, until one day whilst browsing Amazon.com I found myself reading a review that described a very familiar storyline. One phonecall to the video-store later, I was settling down to finally finish the story. I recommend this movie, but not for those of a cynical or critical mind. You probably already know whether you'll love or hate this movie, and now you've been warned of its pitfalls - so take a risk, especially now with the more complete special edition that gives it a new soundtrack and a less-frantic pace. I adore it.
Rating: 
Summary: Bad....
Review: I'm a fantasy addict. I heard about this movie and thought, "Oh! It sounds great!" Then I watched it. And thanked whatever powers that be that I had rented it, not bought it. Poorly done in just about ever aspect--you can see the fake horns bouncing on the "unicorns'" foreheads--it dragged on forever. I finished it with the thought that surely--SURELY--it would get better. It didn't. It gets one star for Tim Curry, who is memorable if nothing else, but otherwise it was a waste of time.
Rating:
Summary: LOTR people, you've got a point, but hear me out please?
Review: I think my affection for this film exists in part because it is one of the few movies my father and I agreed upon instinctively, so different were our viewing "tastes" when he was still alive. He was raised on Tolkien and Anderson, and passed that love unto me. I was privileged to watch this film in the Spring of 1986 at the Oriental theatre in Bensonhurst. It's a "big screen" movie, though I love it as much on a tv set for the stunning visuals and demonic look of Tim Curry. All those years ago, I didn't know it was him until I watched the credits roll! I am proud that this was rereleased, but you have to take it in its context: yes, special effects were not up to 2004 standards, but does this lessen the impact? Absolutely not. Tangerine Dream's musical influences were all over the place, and sadly, they don't quite "fit" the scenes as well as they should. The goblins, unicorns, and dreamy atmosphere creates a world unto itself. Good and evil are a classic battle, and this is one little gem of a film (though it was thought of as a clunker at the time) restored lovingly and with the right edits and soundtrack thanks to the technology of DVD. I remember whooping with joy when I found Jerry Goldsmith's soundtrack (by many considered the "real" soundtrack") in a record store about 8 years ago. This is the music that's supposed to accompany this story, but was cut by studio tinkering. (It is also interesting to note that one of the producers who fiddled with Legend later green-lighted that horrible stinker "Howard the Duck"! Does this guy still have a job in Hollywood? I shudder to think.) Tom Cruise--though not my favorite actor--is quite loveable and woodsy as Jack. Mia Sara has perhaps the most perfect look for Lili, a princess, and the cast of extras makes this seem like a book sprung to life onscreen. Quotable quotes from Darkness himself such as "The dreams of youth are the regrets of maturity" provide some real substance into the psyche of possibly the purest vision of what Satan/Evil might look like. If you like fantasy, please don't get stuck in the Lord of the Rings blind worship. Yes, Peter Jackson crafted 3 marvels of storytelling, but it was movies such as "Legend" (which did NOT come from a published novel) that paved the way for the fantasy genre to truly shine. This film is but one piece in a big puzzle for those of us who wish to see faeries when we stroll into the woods and thank Father Frost when it snows.
Rating:
Summary: Not a bad movie
Review: Even with a semi-disappointing performance by Tom Cruise, it wasn't a bad movie. Tim Curry gives a strong performance as the Satan-esque character. Now the thing that really bugs me: everyone comparing every single fantasy film to Peter Jackson's Lord of the Rings Trilogy. Don't get me wrong, I love those movies and the books for that matter, but you can't compare everything to those movies. For one thing, this movie came out in the mid 80's, and as we all know special effects weren't nearly as developed then as they are now. Not only that, but fantasy was a new type of movie back then, Legend being one of the first fantasy movies that wasn't animated, such as the Lord of the Rings which came out in the 70's. All I'm saying is evaluate each movie as something independant from a different movie, most notably Lord of the Rings. Again, Lord of the Rings is one of my favorite movies, but give it a rest.
Rating:
Summary: JUNK!!
Review: Since first seeing the Lord of the Rings movies of Peter Jackson fame i became interested in myths and fantasy and related films. But I have been sadly dispointed. You see, few other directers of fantasy/mythology flicks have the grand vision and talent of Peter jackson who is a *true* genius :) Case in pont: this piece of junk from the dark ages aka the 80s [how did people stand these bad movies or did they just not know better??] More camp cute stuff that does not take fantasy/mythology *seriously* and does NOT aspire to be a truly great film. The story is stupid, the characters shalow, the music is bad and the acting is supposed to be funny but ISNT. Funny how it took one man [PJ :)] to make a fantasy/myth worth watching. And dont say it wuz all cuz Tolkin cuz i tried to read that book and it stinks (see my review for FOtR). i mean maybe back in the 50s when it was writen noone cared about plot or character but Pete obviously saw the *potential* of the material and he DID something with it unlike the people who made THIS piece of junk. Just cuz its fantasy dont mean its gotta be for kids!!
Rating:
Summary: Strange feelings
Review: Ok I love this movie and I guess I look at in in 3 ways
1. story
2. scenery
3. Music Ive only known the Tangerine Dream soundtrack version and while I love the additional footage I find the new soundtrack to feel out of place and poorly mixed ( bad scene cuts and over bearing in spots ) dont get me wrong it does sound good but strange to someone as familar with the film as I am. The story is good fantasy on both versions as is the scenery, On the scene where Lily first makes an entrance the flowers in the meadow totally stand out, absolutly gorgeous and The evil tree rocks!
My only real problem is that we get stuck with the less than ultimate sound treatment on the Tangerine dream soundtrack I mean come on this was made to be 5.1! Good work on the marketers as you know they will re-release the theater version in the future with the upgrade so you can buy it again. the hard part about reveiwing nowadays is the fact that this is only 15 bucks which I would have paid for just the widescreen version of the normal release even with the dolby stereo :)
Rating:
Summary: Top 10 reasons some may like this more than LOTR.
Review: 1)If you're an 80s fan, you'll like this.
2)If Aragorn's hidiousness bothered you in LOTR, at least Tom Cruise looks great with short hair & has a hawt voice to boot.Not to mention he was like 20 when he was in it. & no beard!
3)LOTR has a funny gay elf & funny gay hobbits, Legend has a funny elf with a voice that will stick in your head for years to come, a fairy with a tude, & a bunch of dimwit drunk dwarves.
4)Lilly isn't annoying like Arwin.
5)If you liked David Bowie's Labrynth, you gotta see this.
6)It's got great music.
7)It has Orc-like demons who are far more ammusing.
8)The dance sceen in Hades was too cool!
9)Has some pretty amasing special effects & costumes for the 80s & spiffy unicorns. The demon king is nifty looking.
10)It doesn't go on-&-on-&-on like LOTR.
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