Legend Review

MPAA Rating: PG
Released: 1985

Legend is a lesser-known fantasy that starred a young Tom Cruise as a forest elf that must undertake a perilous quest to save a kidnapped princess as well as the last of the magical unicorns from the clutches of the Lord of Darkness. Within the inexperienced elf's hands lie not only the fate of his beloved princess, but also that of the entire world…

The Lord of Darkness (Tim Curry) seeks enshroud the world in shadows and reign supreme, but the existence of majestic unicorns, creatures of absolute purity, forever ensures that the dark lord's grasp cannot exceed beyond the gates of hell and harm those of a pure heart. But should these elusive creatures be killed or stripped of their horn, the gates of hell would open and allow the Lord of Darkness to remove all sunlight from the world.

One of the dark lord's prized henchmen, a vile goblin, is charged with the task of seeking the unicorns out and either capturing or destroying them. It's nearly impossible for the elusive unicorns to be captured, for only a person of absolute purity may summon them near. But as we shall soon see, that very opportunity presents itself.

Jack (Tom Cruise), a young forest elf, shows the beautiful Princess Lily (Mia Sara) the last two unicorns, but Lily is so captivated by their majesty that she makes the unthinkable error of summoning one near and touching it. This presents the goblin and his gang, who have been tracking the princess hoping for such an occurrence, the opportunity to ambush the unicorns and capture the princess. Their plot successfully executed, the world becomes bathed in snow and shadow.

Now Jack must travel to the Lord of Darkness' realm to rescue his beloved princess and release the unicorns back into the world so that sunlight and life may bloom once more. Along the way Jack will meet a wide assortment of curious individuals ranging from dwarves to nymphs.

When you first start playing this film chances are high you'll be awestruck by this film's absolutely gorgeous cinematography. Legend is stunningly beautiful, and although it was created in the 80's I dare say it remains to this day the most gorgeous fantasy film ever created.

Alas, the strongest element of Legend is also in a way its greatest weakness. Director Ridley Scott was clearly passionate about creating a breathtaking world, but it seemed to me the focus of the movie was more on the world than it was the actual story. At times the storyline barely plods along, and once I got over the novelty of the majestic world I became bored with the sluggish pace. (As a side note, I reviewed the longer Director's Cut of the film, so the normal cinema release won't be quite as slow as the version I observed.)

The acting was acceptable for this type of film, though it really wasn't anything to write home about. Tom Cruise is an extremely talented actor, but his performance in Legend failed to capture my attention. Whether this is due to the film's script and pace, or the actor's inexperience at the time (this was one of his earlier roles), I do not know, though I suspect it is the former rather than the latter.

Ultimately I found Legend to be a gorgeous fantasy film that is suitable for all ages, but while I'm glad to have watched it I doubt I'll have the urge to do so again; at least not in its entirety. Some fantasy fans vehemently disagree with my assessment of the movie's sluggish pace, so you'll want to view the movie for yourself to see if you agree or disagree. Legend is grand enough that every fantasy film buff will want to see it at least once, but it's also a film that will capture the hearts and repeated attention of a select audience.

Movie rating: 5 stars

If you enjoyed Legend you may also find the following films to be of interest:

• Willow
• Krull
• Ladyhawke

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DVD

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