Legend (1985)
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Legend Movie Review
Legend is a 1985 fantasy film directed by Ridley Scott and starring Tom Cruise and Tim Curry. It’s an unfortunately mediocre product that had no good story to speak of.
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“The dreams of youth are the regrets of maturity“
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A young man must stop the Lord of Darkness from destroying daylight and marrying the woman he loves. First off, I have to say that I really liked the beginning of this movie. It was pleasantly Disneyesque in its charming tone, gorgeous scenery and a high count of songs. The songs aren’t memorable, but are definitely pleasing. The world building channeled Narnia for sure.
However, everything that came afterward was a major disappointment. The biggest problem that plagued this movie is its lack of a strong story. In fact, the movie is so light on dialogue and poor in characterization that the plot felt as an afterthought, the biggest issue being the failure from the writers to actually properly explain this world and the creatures’ dynamics.
They just threw everything here in hope that it would stick, but it never did. None of the creatures were remotely memorable or well developed with the only exception being the demon-like villain played so delightfully by Tim Curry. This baddie looked terrific due to great Oscar-nominated make-up and he was a lot of fun, though over-the-top as is the whole flick.
But the main characters were so mediocre. Tom Cruise was memorable in one of his earliest roles, but the character is badly written and very boring. The same goes for the princess, and their romance is also underwritten and dull.
I found the third act of Legend clearly steering toward kiddy territory, which obviously does not suit Ridley Scott and his sensibilities, resulting in this somewhat dark and boring, but lacking in sophistication tale that is neither for adults nor for children. The lack of humor was also problematic. Clearly Scott is a phenomenal versatile director, but fantasy was never his forte.
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The only thing where Legend truly excels at is the visuals. The effects and production design are gorgeous while the cinematography is dazzling. Just looking at the forest in the first act and all its lushness was stunning, but then the movie became darker in color and setting, thus even diminishing that strength.
