I'm not sure that you can rate this film in the traditional sense. It's not a good movie, let's get that out of the way. The theatrical cut borders on downright bad, even.
The plot -a dark lord seeking to kill the unicorns in order to bring never ending darkness on the world- is about what you'd expect. I mean, it's more or less standard fantasy fare, intentionally utilizing archetypes and fantastical settings rather than realistic, well-rounded characters or a believable world. And this is one of the strengths of the film. It's attempting to be a prototypical legend and appeal to that part of us that created these kind of stories so long ago. It's not supposed to be realistic and I'm not even sure you're supposed to be able to relate with the characters, just identify them.
The acting is excellent in some places (Tim Curry pwns j00) and lacking in others (Tom Cruise and Mia Sara). But really, the weaknesses in their acting are highlighted by the brilliance of Curry, some cheesy lines they can't deliver convincingly, and poor pacing. The plot is what it is, but because it is, it has to be executed near perfectly in order to maintain interest. Unfortunately, in this film wasn't. The first part of the movie drags and drags and to make it worse, it's focused on Cruise and Sara who just aren't up to the task of carrying such weight. A couple of scenes and dialogue were just a little over the top in terms of establishing the purity or revolting natures of characters, or just too silly considering the greater context of the film (blocking arrows with a frying pan?), and these didn't really add anything to movie. The latter half or so was better, but the climax wasn't quite as... climactic as I might have hoped. And none of the flaws were lucky enough to be covered up by a moving score, which listening to now, reeks of 80s synthesized pop.
So this is a pretty mediocre film with some strengths and a lot of weaknesses. But it's still one of my favorites. Why? Because Ridley Scott is the director, and no one creates cinematic art the way he does.
There are a couple of shots in the film that are just visual poetry, literally breathtaking. Lily's run through the columns, the dance with the black dress, numerous forest and winter scenes, and pretty much anything with the Lord of Darkness in it are beautiful and unforgettable. The physical presence of Curry in the make-up combined with his unholy acting talent! would redeem "Street Fighter", much less a Ridley Scott film. "Legend" is flawed in so many ways that I doubt it could be made into an actually "good" cut, but that almost makes it better. To echo some other reviewers, this is the flawed masterpiece, something approaching greatness and filled with promise that it just can't reach. In its own way, this movie is itself legendary.
For all of this -nevermind the forty-thousand different cuts that have come out of the years- rating "Legend" from one to ten just doesn't work. It deserves a three in some places and in others it's a ten. It's a wonderful film that isn't much good. But whatever it is, it's definitely worth seeing.
The plot -a dark lord seeking to kill the unicorns in order to bring never ending darkness on the world- is about what you'd expect. I mean, it's more or less standard fantasy fare, intentionally utilizing archetypes and fantastical settings rather than realistic, well-rounded characters or a believable world. And this is one of the strengths of the film. It's attempting to be a prototypical legend and appeal to that part of us that created these kind of stories so long ago. It's not supposed to be realistic and I'm not even sure you're supposed to be able to relate with the characters, just identify them.
The acting is excellent in some places (Tim Curry pwns j00) and lacking in others (Tom Cruise and Mia Sara). But really, the weaknesses in their acting are highlighted by the brilliance of Curry, some cheesy lines they can't deliver convincingly, and poor pacing. The plot is what it is, but because it is, it has to be executed near perfectly in order to maintain interest. Unfortunately, in this film wasn't. The first part of the movie drags and drags and to make it worse, it's focused on Cruise and Sara who just aren't up to the task of carrying such weight. A couple of scenes and dialogue were just a little over the top in terms of establishing the purity or revolting natures of characters, or just too silly considering the greater context of the film (blocking arrows with a frying pan?), and these didn't really add anything to movie. The latter half or so was better, but the climax wasn't quite as... climactic as I might have hoped. And none of the flaws were lucky enough to be covered up by a moving score, which listening to now, reeks of 80s synthesized pop.
So this is a pretty mediocre film with some strengths and a lot of weaknesses. But it's still one of my favorites. Why? Because Ridley Scott is the director, and no one creates cinematic art the way he does.
There are a couple of shots in the film that are just visual poetry, literally breathtaking. Lily's run through the columns, the dance with the black dress, numerous forest and winter scenes, and pretty much anything with the Lord of Darkness in it are beautiful and unforgettable. The physical presence of Curry in the make-up combined with his unholy acting talent! would redeem "Street Fighter", much less a Ridley Scott film. "Legend" is flawed in so many ways that I doubt it could be made into an actually "good" cut, but that almost makes it better. To echo some other reviewers, this is the flawed masterpiece, something approaching greatness and filled with promise that it just can't reach. In its own way, this movie is itself legendary.
For all of this -nevermind the forty-thousand different cuts that have come out of the years- rating "Legend" from one to ten just doesn't work. It deserves a three in some places and in others it's a ten. It's a wonderful film that isn't much good. But whatever it is, it's definitely worth seeing.
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