Legend (1985)
2.5/4
A lot of 80's fantasy movies focus on hero's trying to save the world, the universe, their love, their home, and so much more. 'Legend' follows that formula, with the hero (Tom Cruise) saving the world AND his love. It kind of works, to a limited degree. But it's not very good, and mostly doesn't work this time. The movie's fatal flaw is no compelling story. But what does work are the visuals. Beautiful, complex, and strangely fascinating, its own style kept me engaged. The story is lackluster; but the visuals are some of the best I've ever seen for a fantasy film. But unfortunately, the story gets in the way of a positive review, which is why I'm giving it a mixed negative review.
The movie follows a young man named Jack (Tom Cruise), who sets out to stop the evil Lord of Darkness (Tim Curry) from completely obliterating daylight and from marrying the woman he truly loves (Mia Sera).
As with a lot of director Ridley Scott's work, the style eventually overrules the substance. In 'Legend' there's little to no substance, but excellent doses in style. For years, this film tried to be made, but Scott couldn't get the proper conditions. He's finally working off an original screenplay from William Hjortsberg, who doesn't provide good groundwork for the picture. It's kind of a mash of 80's fantasy scenes, and all stringed together by a relatively basic plot. The film is also famous for having its sets burned completely to the ground during filming, and Tom Cruise's father dying during the production of the film. It's no wonder this movie is such a mess.
The visual style is exhilarating; beautifully thought and wonderfully calculated. The sets are just as fantastically produced. But the story, at its best, represents other fantasy movie plots; and at its worst, represents a lousy movie. It's a very complicated picture; but it all comes down to a very basic solution: there's more style over substance, something Scott is sometimes known for.
2 ½ STARS (OUT OF 4)
