Day 040 || Legend

Legend, 1985

Dir. Ridley Scott

"The dreams of youth are the regrets of maturity."

Legend is one of those oft-regarded classic fantasy films from the 1980's, but happens to be one I have managed to miss for some reason or another. It's a fantasy epic that belongs right beside Labyrinth, The Neverending Story, and Dark Crystal, and if you're into any of those, I imagine you'll really dig on Legend.

Legend is the dark story of Princess Lili and Jack, who inadvertently give the opportunity to the Lord of Darkness to strike out against a mythical pair of unicorns who hold the power of daylight in their horns, so that the sun will never rise again and darkness can be eternal. Yeah...that long-winded summary isn't exaggerated, nor is it simplifying the story. It's a really bizarre concept, and one that's altogether base and over-the-top. But in fairness, most all fantasy movies are, so I can't really fault Legend for that.

What I will fault Legend for, is a drab and boring script and uninteresting characters that do not do justice to the beautifully crafted world surrounding them. The exception being the Lord of Darkness himself, whose motivations may be simple and uninspired, but Tim Curry's acting along with some really great character design pushes his character forward as one of the most interesting and engaging parts of the film. Sadly he's placed far too late in the film and we don't get to spend too much time with him before the film ultimately comes to it's end.

As I mentioned before the cinematography is gorgeous and often times stunning and breath-taking. Scott uses beautiful and dazzling color palettes to create such an incredibly rich and varied world, not only with the environments but with characters designs as well. The scene where Princess Lili is seduced into the darkness is as beautifully realized as it is strange and enigmatic, which is a compliment in every sense of the term.

But all of this design was wasted on such a hollow and uninvolving love story, one that fails to hold any emotional depth or complexity. Again, some people may eat this type of film up, but there's nothing substantial here outside of the sheer aesthetics of the film. The acting is competent, with the exception of Curry (who is exceptional), but the story is so mundane that it becomes numbing. Legend left me wishing Ridley Scott would revisit it now, seeing that he is capable of making both a gorgeous film, and now imbues them with rich and deep characters and lasting stories. As it stands Legend is a wholly competent film, and often times reaching moments of brilliance, but it's largely hollow and won't resonate with time. It's not a film I'd revisit, but one that, for the most part, I enjoyed watching, and would recommend sheerly for the visual concepts at play.

At least it was better than Labyrinth. Sorry David Bowie.

3 out of 5