Legend (directors cut) 8/10
I hadn't actually watched this film in over ten years. I'd always been a huge fan of the score, and visual style of the movie. It's no secret Legend was a much-derided film (though the criticisms aimed at this picture almost invariably conflate its three different versions), and I admit that over time I started to wonder if the warm regard I held for it was due more to nostalgia.
Revisiting Legend the other night, I was once again exceedingly impressed. I know the movie has its critics, some of whom have pilloried it as "laughably bad". But I look at Legend and ask -- in complete sincerity -- what is so
wrong with this movie?
Yes, it has a few faults -- some of the goblins' dialog makes me wince a bit, especially the attempts at humor ("I get the point, Lord", "Adios, amigos!"). Some of the editing is a little clunky -- as in the early scenes of Jack and Lily and the subsequent unicorn sequence (though this is adroitly smoothed-over by Jerry Goldsmith's score -- more on him later).
I can't deny I wish that there was a little more character development, but I also can't find anything really "wrong" with the characters themselves, who are traditional folkloric personages. There is Jack (Tom Cruise), whose character arc, transforming from wild forest hermit to brave hero, is compelling and rings true. Some have mocked Cruise's casting (and performance), but in fact he he fits the role like a glove -- I think a lot of people simply can't handle the sight of the cool guy from Top Gun playing a "pansy".
Princess Lily (Mia Sara) is lovely and feisty, and proves a strong female character -- not "strong" like today's more androgynous female leads, but strong in her use of feminine wiles to seduce and manipulate, first with Jack, and finally to outsmart the Lord of Darkness himself. Cruise and Sara's scenes together have been mocked as "sicky sweet" -- but have you ever seen a young couple in love? That's
precisely how they behave.
The supporting cast is also wonderful, from the diminutive Gump (in an amazing performance by David Bennent), to the alluring fairy Oona (Annabelle Lanyon), hopelessly in love with Jack but unable to comprehend the workings of the human heart. Tim Curry's Lord of Darkness is certainly the most arresting-looking movie villain ever, a towering presence of black-hearted megalomania and sensuality.
And there is no question that Legend is one of the most-impressive and beautiful-looking movies ever made. This is how fairy tales are
supposed to look, from the massive trees and pastoral splendor of the forest, to the colossal subterranean caverns of the Lord of Darkness' stronghold. Scott garnishes these beautiful sets with all manner of imaginative embellishments -- mist and cottonwood spores, sporadic raindrops, fog and (sorry MJ!) magic bubbles that evoke a fairy otherworld.
Jerry Goldsmith's score exhibits the composer at the apex of his inspiration. His music for Legend may not be as "ground breaking" as that of Planet of the Apes or Alien, and (in style) it does recall previous scores (The Secret of NIMH, Twilight Zone: The Movie, Supergirl). But this is a score that must evoke tradition (not the unknown), and never was Goldsmith more inspired, nor given the space to be so unabashedly lyrical and magically epic. Legend is his finest effort, by a considerable margin (which made its removal from the US cut all the more devastating).
It's a shame that Ridley Scott lost confidence in the film, owing to a bad test screening. I'm not convinced Legend would have been a box office juggernaut even if the directors cut had been released to theaters, but it trying to contort an old school fairy tale into something for the John Hughes audience certainly didn't work (and besides, the audience for teen dramas was ebbing by 1986, as their core audience was pushing 20). I also prefer the more bittersweet ending of the director's cut to that of the theatrical versions.
Legend is not a "cinema classic" on the level of Seven Samurai, Lawrence of Arabia or Amadeus. And in the broader context of fantasy genre, it probably does not occupy the top shelf -- it is not as great as The Wizard of Oz, Excalibur or the better Harry Potter movies. But I contend it is not terribly far-behind. It is certainly a better film than The NeverEnding Story, Ladyhawk or Eregon (and is infinitely superior to the recent Star Wars movies, or comic book adaptations from the past ten years).
In some ways, Legend occupies the same category as The Dark Crystal -- a film which likewise wants of deeper characterization and narrative complexity -- but makes-up for them by immersing the viewer in a totally convincing world, a pretty compelling story, and some of the most mind-blowingly imaginative visuals ever (and of course a phenomenal score). Legend's visual style has also been hugely influential, and informed the look of many subsequent efforts -- Jim Henson's The StoryTeller, Edward Scissorhands, Sleepy Hollow, Harry Potter, Lord of the Rings (and a slew of music videos and commercials).
It has long-appeared to me that much of Legend's criticism comes from guys (particularly nerdy guys) who crave action and effects. Legend is admittedly short on those, but long on romance and (hinted) eroticism. Tellingly, a great deal (perhaps even most) of Legend's fans are women (it was the favorite film of a gal I was involved with a few years ago -- believe me, you don't what a kick it is to give your sweetheart the soundtrack from her favorite movie, for which you've written the liner notes, but I digress!). In many ways, Legend is actually a chick flick, and its allure thus lost on a lot of men.
The Fox International Blu-ray contains an excellent transfer (you were right Andy!). The print is grainy in places but honestly looks as good as the European release cut in most scenes. My only criticism is the sound mix is a bit shrill (was this mastered at a low bit rate?).
), the Queen soundtrack is obtrusive, and while Kamen's score is fine and the location footage is often very pretty, how could a movie set in Scotland feature Sean Connery, and cast him as a SPANIARD?! 
