Legend (Directorâs Cut)
The Fantasy Film Genre remains a tough nut to crack even to this day with the advent of CGI being used to create realistic computer graphics out of things that never were and will never be, even as it finally enabled The Lord Of The Rings to be fully realized on film. Other recent films in the genre have precariously hovered in the shadow of LOTR in terms of both their story structure and plots, but that was really the way it always was even before Peter Jackson got cracking on the entire thing. But the real bastard was in making such a film of this kind work even before the era of CGI itself, when prosthetic makeup were in many ways the best methods that one could hope for in terms of special effects. Even worse was any attempt at a story that was made in a so called âfairy taleâ style, with almost sadly the best loved film of that kind being one that had to use huge doses of irony in order to make it work at all (Princess Bride), but leave it to a visionary like Ridley Scott to actually come up with something in that vein back in 1985 that actually managed to work without the aid of CGI, and yet still seemed to have it all: A major mega movie star (Tom Cruise), incredibly lush and beautiful cinematography and set design, amazingly truthful sincerity and genuine sweetness in its story and themes, and an awesomely scary villain that would make even LOTRâs Sauron run for the hills screaming in fear (probably because it featured a top name actor giving a real onscreen PERFORMANCE and wasnât just a computer generated effect that mostly all the other characters just merely spoke about constantly). Even more amazing is the fact that while this would easily appear to be almost a kids themed movie (and the PG rating does indicate nothing too objectionable at hand), Scott somehow also draws adult viewers to the table not just with the beauty of the whole production (where all the forest exteriors were actually shot on an indoor soundstage, thus giving Scottâs imaginary world a more controlled yet claustrophobic environment), but also with the more underlying sense of dread prevalent from scene one, utilizing the themes that all that is pure and innocent in this realm will soon come under constant siege from what is no less than total, absolute, frightening Evil. And it is amidst all this fairy tale atmosphere Cruise is dropped into as Jack, described as being a âchild of the forestâ who seems to have his own innocent qualities about him even as he can communicate with animals but he also seems to have almost a partially feral quality about him even if all his meanings and intentions are undoubtedly good, but the real pleasure is in the vibe that is given off that Cruise is not necessarily the central character here but rather just another part of the overall mĂ©lange of unusual beings on hand (albeit an extremely important one to the story). The real star in many ways is Mia Sara (only 16 at the time) as Princess Lily, and with Sara only just a couple of years away from her famous turn as Ferris Buellerâs ravishingly beautiful high school girlfriend, one can see why Scott cast her here as being a truly pure young princess with a heart of gold, prone to happily wandering the countryside (without even any kind of an escort) to pay visits to mere peasant families whom she feels an almost familial attachment to, prettily singing songs that can soothe anyoneâs soul at just the sound of them being heard, and engaging in a nearly childlike romance with Cruiseâs long haired wild thing of the forest who seems to readily acknowledge her as being the only one who can ever actually tame him. One day, Cruise takes her to see the most magical, mystical thing in this world: Two full grown unicorns happily frolicking and playing and, as we are told, the only things that keep this alternate realm on a calm, peaceful, and even keel. Unfortunately, the animals have also been tracked down by a plethora of evil goblins intent on capturing and / or killing them for their master so that the world is plunged into darkness, succeeding in taking one down and then capturing the other one (along with the Princess) so that their Dark Lord can keep himself occupied with carrying out his master plan. Cruise is quickly surrounded by a bunch of powerful elves, fairies, and midgets (called âbrowniesâ), who recruit him as their âchampionâ and then accompanied by two of the brownies (Billy Barty and Cork Hubbert), a Tinker Bell like fairy who appears in human form only to Cruise when they are alone (Annabelle Lanyon) and a bizarre Elf creature who seems to be all knowing but really just appears to be a 12 year old boy in how he looks (David Bennent), they all set out on their own little fellowship for the lair of The Lord Of Darkness himself. It is here that Scottâs own abilities as a director go amazingly off the charts, as while nothing onscreen could really be deemed offensive, it is in the literal INTENSITY of the filmâs atmosphere in and of itself that some might say could be quite scary to little children, despite the innocent and sincere qualities that the story still retains without any of the little winks and corny chuckles that move this one far away from Princess Bride territory and into the category of sweet yet still mature, serious entertainment (even Cruise admirably plays it straight all the way through) and it is only then at over the halfway mark of the film that we finally get to see Darkness himself, easily one of the greatest full body makeup jobs in cinema history and played by the legendary Tim Curry. Indeed, in full form, Darkness can be charitably described as the stuff of imaginative nightmares, but even better than that is the fact that Curry is actually given the opportunity to really ACT from underneath all of that makeup, bringing the same sinister, seductive charm that permeated his role in Rocky Horror but only this time from under a much more horrifying visage. As he prepares to sacrifice the second unicorn to bring about his reign, Darkness also looks to solidify his power by seeking to marry the Princess, as he finds himself being drawn almost uncontrollably to her by virtue of the polar opposite that she represents to him with her beauty, purity, and innocence. As he attempts to woo her and thus present himself to her just as tenderly as a creature such as him can possibly do, Curry even manages to work in just a little bit of a hint of sensitivity as part of the role, making her an offer to sit upon his throne even as he grasps for something that even his own vast, dark power cannot bring him prior to his big showdown with Cruise. Originally released in a severely truncated version with an alternate musical score, the film as realized in full is incredibly rich and vibrant in bringing all of this to life, but yet remains deceptively simple in both its storytelling and character development, unlike Lord Of The Rings which at times could get completely bogged down with way too many characters and a bit too much exposition, but by keeping the cast here smaller and the overall themes simpler, Scott succeeds in getting a lot more mileage out of a story that might appear to be naĂŻve in some aspects, but yet never loses either its heart nor its emotion in the process. Even though some bits (like the two little guys and their bumbling, pseudo cowardly antics) wear a bit thin over the course of the running time, what we have here in the end is a film of simple yet extraordinary beauty which showcases a classic case of good overcoming truly depraved evil, perfectly acceptable for kids to watch but yet never boring for adults either, and a legendary director using his deft touch to bring it all together magnificently, truly creating a cinematic fairy tale for the ages that still holds up incredibly well even today when compared against more modern films which all happen to carry a distinct technological advantageâŠ
9/10