Ridley Scott directs Tom Cruise, Mia Sara and Tim Curry in this fantasy romance where Darkness wants the last unicorn dead and the innocent princess who can attract it for his evil bride.

Ridley the visualist matches his work on Alien and Blade Runner here. The production design by Assheton Gorton is a wonder to behold; a cornucopia of scale, dry ice and… yep… glitter. Sadly Ridley the storyteller is at his most indulgent. How can an 85 minute movie seem so long and so lifeless? I’ve tried to get into Legend a fair few times. Assuming at some point the tumblers will click into place and it will open itself up to me. But it is a shallow experience, too dark for children and too whimsical for adults. Tim Curry’s magnificent Darkness is the best thing here but his maliciously beautiful turn is surrounded by hollowness. He and Rob Bottin should take a bow for the deliciously monstrous creation they conjured, who is sadly left waiting in the wings while teens mope and elves frolic for two thirds of the dawdle time. How can you squander such an iconic villain? There is also a sumptuous fantasy dance number near the end but it is swiftly scraped from the memory by some wimpy late in the day adventure that follows it. Legend will always be more infamous for its various cuts (you are never quite sure what length or score or variation on Darkness you are going to get until you turn the telly on) and for its waste of a young Tom Cruise… merely one volleyball game away from mega stardom.

5

Check out my wife Natalie’s Point Horror blog https://cornsyrup.co.uk

We also do a podcast together called The Worst Movies We Own. It is available on Spotify or here https://letterboxd.com/bobbycarroll/list/the-worst-movies-we-own-podcast-ranking-and/