Reaction & Review | Legend

 

Welcome, one and all, to an all new Reaction & Review. Tonight, ladies and gentlemen, I'm gonna be covering a fantasy film from 1985. That movie is "Legend".

Now, I know very few things about this movie. I know that the movie was directed by Ridley Scott, who also made the "Aliens" movies and "Blade Runner". I haven't seen "Blade Runner", and I don't really care to see any of the "Aliens" movies. So this will be my first experience with Ridley Scott's work. I also know the film stars a young Tom Cruise as the main character, and the villain is played by Tim Curry. So, chances are, if this movie ends up being terrible, at least Tim Curry will make it worth watching. I'm not really a huge Tom Cruise fan, but I'm still gonna give him a chance here, especially considering that this was one of his earlier roles.

The only other thing that I know about this movie is based off of speculation more than anything else. But from what I heard, this movie inspired legendary video game designer Shigeru Miyamoto of Nintendo to create The Legend of Zelda series. Again, that's just from what I've heard, and I have no idea how accurate that rumor is. But it is something that I have heard, and I felt like mentioning it here. So, you just have to take it for what it's worth.

I honestly have no idea what to expect from this movie. I'm hoping that it's gonna be good, but I'm not totally sure if it will be. The only way I'm gonna find out for myself, is if I shut up, and I push play, and I'm gonna do that right now. So, without further ado, it's time to kick back, relax, and check out "Legend".

18 minutes later

I am willing to say this much, guys. So far, the score in this movie has been really good. The story here hasn't really picked up yet, but I will say, again, that the score has been really helping enhancing this movie's atmosphere. It really is that good.

19 minutes later

You know, guys, a thought just occurred to me. So earlier, when the world started to turn into winter, we saw that couple in the house that Princess Lily was interacting with get frozen in time. Yet, everybody else, including these elves and dwarves, are not frozen. So why exactly are they still moving around? Moreover, why is the princess not affected by being frozen in time either? I'm really curious about this, and I have a feeling that it's gonna continue to bug me throughout this entire movie.

20 minutes later

You know, guys, this movie has been surprisingly dull for, almost, the entire hour since it's started. I'm genuinely hoping that it's gonna get better as the movie continues, and I'm certainly hoping that it does get more interesting. But, as of right now, this movie hasn't really given me a whole lot to work with. And being that we're almost an hour into this thing, that's not a good sign.

19 minutes later

Guys, I'd really like to explain what's going on in this scene. But even I have no idea what the fuck is going on here. The best way I can summarize it is that Princess Lily is dancing with this...thing. But I really don't know why this is happening. Oh...now she's become that thing. All right, well...that was certainly strange. And, so far, it's the only interesting thing that has happened in this movie.

4 minutes later

Well, guys, this probably shouldn't come as a surprise, but Tim Curry as Darkness is fucking great. Even though he's only been in the movie now for about a few minutes, he's already the best character in this entire movie. And considering that it IS Tim Curry playing this character, it makes his performance all the more creepy and intimidating at the same time. And I'm loving it.

The Review

Well, guys, that was "Legend". Let me shut the movie off...OK. Wow, um...where the hell do I even start? You know, I am a little bit disappointed. I really thought this movie was going to be a lot better than I had hoped, but...ugh, let's just talk about the film itself, and I'll try to explain further.

Looking back on the year that this movie came out, I have noticed that fantasy films were a HUGE hit back in the 80's. Because there was just a lot of well known fantasy films that came out during that decade. Let's see...I can think of things such as Jim Henson's outings with "Labyrinth" and "The Dark Crystal". I can also remember things such as "The NeverEnding Story", "Krull", the Conan movies, "Red Sonya", and I would even include "The Secret of NIMH", because that definitely would fit in as a fantasy movie. Thinking about it now, my favorite fantasy film of all time is "The Last Unicorn", which also came out in the 80's. Now, while I haven't seen all the movies that I listed on here, I know that a lot of them are, as I stated, very well known. Fantasy films were definitely a huge market from that time period. And the genre wouldn't really be popular again, right up until about the Peter Jackson "Lord of the Rings" movies came out a couple of decades later. Now the reason why I bring up this tidbit of information is that I feel that this movie might've gotten lost in the shuffle somewhere during all those releases in the 80's. Allow to me explain. I have a theory about something. And, mind you, this is all just a theory, so you have to take it for what it's worth. So, as I just stated, I feel like this movie really got lost somewhere during the time that fantasy films became a huge market. And I think I know why it got lost into obscurity. Because this movie, unfortunately, falls into a trap that I feared it was going to go. Now again, I haven't seen most of the movies that I listed in regards to the fantasy genre, but if they're not doing anything new or different, then they pretty much fall into the category of being generic. Basically, they would just be a safe, standard, been there done that, fantasy film. And that's what this trap that this movie falls into. Now, in case anyone might ask this, the two fantasy films that I have seen that were listed that came out in the 80's were "The Last Unicorn" and "The Secret of NIMH". And the difference between those movies and this one is that both "The Last Unicorn" and "The Secret of NIMH" were not following the same, standard bullshit of save the world from some dark overlord before he/she conquers it entirely. They were doing completely different stories. Granted, those movies were based off adaptations from their books, but still, they were doing something different within the fantasy genre. "Legend", on the other hand, is taking the most basic route of just being a standard, by the numbers fantasy film where it's not doing anything new or different in regards to it's story. Now for most people that are into fantasy films, they're not gonna mind that. Because I know a lot of people really like this basic storyline of saving the world before it falls into permanent darkness.

However...that being said, even with this basic storyline, what brings it down the most are the characters. And I can FINALLY talk about the writing for this movie. Straight up, the writing is incredibly weak. And as I just stated, it has to do with our characters. Specifically, it has to do with our main character Jack. Jack has no personality or depth to him whatsoever. And that's kind of a shame, really, because we are forced to follow him and his party of elves, dwarves, and his fairy companion, as they try to rescue the lone unicorn that's been captured, along with the princess. And that would be all fine and dandy, except you want to have a reason to care about these characters. And unfortunately, all of them, and I'm talking about the elves, dwarves, and fairy, are one dimensional in character depth. They're really just there for the sake of being there. There is another issue involving these characters that I do have a problem with, but I'll get into that later. I want to stick with Jack for a moment. Earlier, I mentioned that rumor that this thing inspired Shigeru Miyamoto to create The Legend of Zelda series. And I've even some people compare this movie with Zelda in some fashion. Well, I'm gonna make my own comparison. You see, the difference between Jack and Link is that, depending on the writing in those games, Link actually has some kind of backstory that you can care about. And while the character himself might not be able to talk, what helps his character immensely is the supporting cast he interacts with, along with whatever story that's taking place in said certain game. Jack, on the other hand, has none of that. The only thing we know about Jack is that he lives in a forest. Funny, it kinda reminds me of Ocarina of Time. In fact, this movie, I believe, is what helped Ocarina of Time to exist. Because the story is kinda similar to Ocarina of Time, with the only difference being that there is no time travel in this movie. Jack has a fairy companion, much like Link and Navi. We have a princess, much like Princess Zelda. And we even have a villain, much like with Ganondorf. So yeah, I can totally see the similarities with this movie compared to Ocarina of Time. The only difference is, again, the characters. Most of the ones, such as the main cast involving Link, Zelda, and Ganondorf, towers above our lead cast of characters for this movie. The only exception to this is Navi, because our fairy companion in this movie, Oona, is not an annoying fuck-wit, unlike Navi. But setting aside the Zelda comparisons, because I've done plenty of that already, our characters in this movie are just bland and generic. The only exception to this is our villain, but I'm gonna save that for when I talk about acting.

Speaking of this movie being generic, as it hasn't been made known already, we have our standard cast of fantasy creatures. I'm talking about creatures such as elves, dwarves, unicorns, goblins, and our one lone fairy for this movie. And I want to touch upon an issue that sorta bothered me, and I brought this up as I was watching the movie. So, early on, when this never ending winter started to rise, we could see Jack, as he was trying to find Princess Lily in this dark winter. He stumbles inside a house that Princess Lily had visited earlier that featured a man and woman living together. And when he sees the man and woman, they are both frozen in time. So when Jack later ends up waking up near a campfire, he is greeted by an elf. And we come to find that there are more allies with him, such as the the dwarves and fairy. I want to touch upon this, because this sorta bothered me a bit. So, because the princess was supposedly responsible for causing all this to happen, the unicorn's magic was able to cause the never ending winter to break out, thus stopping time. So my question is that why were those two people I mentioned a moment ago ended up getting frozen in time, but not anyone else? Why exactly are the elves, dwarves, and fairy still moving around in this winter? Is it because that they are mythical creatures, and that they are immune to being frozen in time? If that is the case, then that's just the basic equivalent to fuck you, that's why. Setting aside them, why exactly is Princess Lily immune to being frozen time, but not the two people that she met earlier? I mean, she's just a human much like those people, so what is her excuse? Is it because that she's a princess and that because she's royalty, she can get a free pass of not being frozen? Well again, the basic answer to that would be fuck you, that's why. Now, I can give Jack a pass on this, because he was busy swimming underwater trying to retrieve Princess Lily's ring that she threw into the river. But again, I'm really curious why Princess Lily is immune to being frozen in time? And I probably won't get a straight answer, so I'm probably gonna have to stick with my own tried and true answer of fuck you, that's why.

So yeah, the writing in this movie is incredibly weak. And even with this movie's basic fantasy storyline, it drops the ball with it's characters, and it drops it hard. But what about the acting? Well, the acting from, almost, the entire cast does a really solid job here...minus the film's main star Tom Cruise. Now, I've stated earlier that I wasn't a huge fan of Tom Cruise, as an actor, but I was still hoping that he would turn in some kind of a showing that would be worth caring for. Well, that's certainly not the case, because he was a HORRIBLE choice to play as our main character. He really sounds wooden most of the time, thus is the reason why he phones in a showing such as this. Now, that, in part, has to do with the script he was given, because he really didn't have much to work with, considering that his character was just bland as all hell. But I can kinda see why he was cast as the star for this movie. Because he definitely looks the part of a young fantasy hero. At least, to me, he does. So I can kinda see it from a casting perspective. But here's the thing: Looking the part and acting the part are two VERY different things. And unfortunately for Cruise here, the latter is where he drops the ball on. As for the rest of the cast, they were actually able to turn in really good showings, especially for the parts that they were given. Special mention has to go to Tim Curry as our main villain Darkness. He really was the best part in this entire movie, at least for me. Now while I don't think it's one of Curry's stronger roles, he was still able to turn in a really good showing. Mostly because, he had more to work with. Especially when you consider that he wasn't in the movie as much as Tom Cruise was. And that's rather sad when you consider that the villain was able to turn in a better showing than Cruise did as the film's main hero. That's just classy in of itself, guys.

Moving along to special effects. I'm mostly going to be talking about the makeup effects and costuming. Makeup effects look great. And I'm talking about everyone that was either an elf, dwarf, the fairy, goblin, and Darkness. Speaking of which, I need to talk about the villain for a moment. Now again, makeup effects on Tim Curry's character look fucking awesome, and the costuming on him looks mostly great...but I need to talk about his horns. First of all, I should mention that the horns on him are made of fiber glass. So I can imagine that this must've been a pain in the ass for Tim Curry to work with. And while he mostly does a really good job with those horns being on him, it's when during the final climax that I start to notice the horns again. And the reason why I noticed them during that moment is when Tim Curry first starts to run towards Jack. And the horns themselves during that bit looked INCREDIBLY wobbly. And it doesn't really stop there, either. During the final fight between him and Jack, his horns continued to move around a bit, which kinda makes the intimidating factor of his horns look rather silly and fake. Now again, I can't really blame Curry or the people in charge of the costuming, because I'm sure there was some issues trying to get those things to stay on his head during those sequences, but it is still very noticeable. And you're probably bound to notice the horns looking wobbly as well, if you ever get around to watching this thing. But setting aside the questionable horns, the costuming looks great. Just about everybody here looks like they came out of a fantasy setting. Our sets here are pretty good, too. So, most of the special effects and costuming look great, save for maybe the horns on Tim Curry's head.

Camerawork here is really good. I will also say that the cinematography, in certain shots, looks amazing. Mostly towards the end of the film, but it still looks really good. Lighting here is lit very well. Our sound-mix is competent. The music here, in terms of the score, is great. One thing I should mention is that the version of the movie I watched on DVD is the Director's Cut, which includes music from the late Jerry Goldsmith. And it fits the tone and atmosphere of the movie very well. I really liked what was here for the score. But then again, Goldsmith always knew how to make good music for whatever movie he had a part in. Whether it's something like a Western in "Rio Lobo" or using really good licensed music for "Looney Tunes: Back In Action", Goldsmith knew what he was doing, in terms of music. So yeah, the score here is great. I will also make mention that on a few occasions, the actress playing Princess Lily was also able to sing in this movie. And she does a pretty good job with her singing voice, so I can add that as a another positive to both music and acting.

So, with all that being said, can I recommend "Legend"? Um...man, uh...I'm gonna be honest, guys, this is probably one of the hardest recommendations I ever had to make for a movie. Because there is so much here that looks and sounds great, but the quality of the writing itself is so fucking basic, it almost hurts. Um.........OK. If you are a fan of fantasy movies, and you don't care how standard, or generic, it really is, then you're probably gonna end up loving this. Because again, I know a lot of people who are into fantasy movies, and they really enjoy this basic storyline, even if it's something that has been done time and again. However...if you are looking for something that is new, unique, or different for fantasy movies, then you're probably not gonna want to watch this. This movie offers nothing new or different for it's genre, and it just ends up being a standard, by the numbers, fantasy movie. Again, those people that are into that basic stuff are gonna love it. For others that want something different in their fantasy films, this movie is an automatic skip. As for myself, I really don't know if I would even want to watch this thing a second time. As I stated at the start of this review, I really wanted to like this movie. I really thought it was going to be something unique and awesome. Unfortunately, I think I may have set my expectations a little high on this one. And I guess that's what I get for doing something like that. Now...I'm gonna go watch a better fantasy movie. And I just mentioned it earlier, but I'm gonna watch my copy of "The Last Unicorn". That, to me, is still the best fantasy movie I have ever seen. So I'm gonna go do that, after I'm done putting this review together.

Anyway, guys, with that, we come to the close of another Reaction & Review. Until next time, ladies and gentlemen, take care, and I will see you all later. Peace.