Tom Cruise in a dark fantasy movie? That’s unlikely to happen today, but the actor was more willing to embrace the genre earlier in his career. In 1985, Cruise starred in Legend, which became one of his few flops. Directed by Ridley Scott (whose presence was likely a major incentive for Cruise), the movie only made $23.5 million against a $25 million budget. Critical responses ranged from praise to outright disgust. Despite that, it was nominated for multiple awards, including an Oscar for Best Makeup & Hairstyling.
Understandably, Tom Cruise and Ridley Scott were displeased with the outcome. The former refused to talk about the film for many years, while the latter constantly complained about studio interference. Thankfully, time has been kind to the film. Since the 2002 release of the unrated Director’s Cut (which added about 20 minutes of footage), Legend has evolved into a cult classic. The newer version is more coherent and satisfying. It also improves several scenes, including the ending, making it more appealing to fantasy fans. However, its tone and themes will likely resonate most with fans of The Lord of the Rings.
An Innocent Mistake Almost Ruins the World in ‘Legend’
Legend introduces us to Princess Lili (Mia Sara), a fun-loving noblewoman who unwisely enjoys breaking free from her mundane court life and venturing into the nearby mythical forest. There, she often links up with her lover, Jack (Tom Cruise), and repeats the words “I love you so much!” Meanwhile, the Lord of Darkness (Tim Curry) dreams of plunging the world into eternal night. To achieve that, he must destroy the two unicorns that guard the Light. He thus dispatches his goblin minions, led by Blix (Alice Playten) and Pox (Peter O’Farrell), to hunt down the pure creatures. Those introductory scenes can hardly be faulted. Scott couldn’t have done any better.
Aiming to impress Lili, Jack informs her about the forest’s most precious secret: the location of the unicorns. Excited, Lili touches the stallion — a move that goes against taboos. This innocent move grants Blix a window to shoot the unicorn using a poisoned dart. The goblins then cut the dying stallion’s horn, instantly casting Earth into an apocalyptic winter. Terrified, Lili runs away, while Jack, who had jumped into a pond to retrieve Lili’s ring, becomes trapped in the now frozen water.
Ridley Scott conceived the idea for the film while shooting The Duellists in France. He felt the itch to make a fantasy film after another planned project, Tristan and Isolde, got canceled. Believing it would be an art film with little interest from the masses, he chose to make Alien first, then did pre-production work on Dune, which David Lynch completed.
After considerable delays, Scott eventually committed to the project. To prepare, he read numerous classic fairy tales. Convinced it would be easier to create an original screenplay than adapt an existing story, he approached novelist William Hjortsberg for script duties. Luckily, the author had already written several scripts for unmade lower-budgeted films. Hjortsberg thus agreed to rework some of that material into Legend.
‘Legend’ Feels Like a Tolkien Story
The director’s cut of Legend is one of the closest things to J.R.R. Tolkien’s works and Peter Jackson’s The Lord of the Rings trilogy. Its blend of high-fantasy worldbuilding, joyous mythic storytelling, numerous color-splashed scenes, archetypal genre characters, and nature-bending villains makes it feel like a part of Middle-earth.
Nature is sacred in both productions, and the mythical forest setting in Scott’s picture mirrors Tolkien’s Age of the Trees and the ancient jungles where Tom Bombadil lives. Similarly, the unicorns function much like the Great Eagles and the Ents in Tolkien’s world. The plot about the distortion of Light also feels close to standard LOTR plots that lament the brittleness of purity and explain how the tiniest deviation from morality allows dark forces to roam and destabilize the tranquil balance of the universe (e.g., Gollum, Saruman, and the One Ring’s hold on Middle-earth).
Beyond that, Jack’s quest to restore balance in the world comes off as a slightly overdone blend of narrative beats reminiscent of both Frodo’s and Aragorn’s arcs. And there’s no doubt that anyone who loves Peter Jackson’s band of villains and scary creatures will find the Lord of Darkness and his goblin minions alluring.
It would be unfair not to talk about Legend’s strongest suits: the practical effects, make-up, and cinematography (an area Scott tends to be particularly good at). The characters and the environment look stunning. Just as Jackson brought Tolkien’s world to the big screen, Scott built something that was so far removed from the real world, yet still felt grounded enough to exist just beyond the familiar world. The film’s atmospheric photography and dreamlike texture also owes much of its atmosphere to acclaimed cinematographer Alex Thomson, who contributed a similar aura of fiendish menace to Demolition Man.
What about “jewelry?” Like in The Lord of the Rings, a ring is also a major part of the plot in Legend. A decent portion of the running time is dedicated to Jack’s attempt to find Lili’s ring, as she had claimed that only the person who retrieves it will be able to marry her. This is slightly similar to the Peter Jackson movies, where Sauron tries to retrieve the One Ring.
‘Legend’ Is Far From Tom Cruise’s Best Performance, But Tim Curry’s Brilliance Compensates
Surprisingly, Tom Cruise delivers arguably the film’s weakest performance. Normally a pointed and assured presence onscreen, he is strangely vague in this instance — a pity, because his character plays a central role in the story. Perhaps he lost definition when denied the chance to run at 20mph.
This average Cruise turn must have angered critics, making them blind to all the movie’s great moments. Critics seemed to expect the charismatic energy he displayed in Risky Business and Taps, but he delivers a more subdued presence here. The actor must have been angry about the film and himself, but little did he know that he was just a year from one of his biggest blockbusters (Top Gun), which would make him one of Hollywood’s most sought-after talents.
Cruise’s poor showing is no fault of his. Away from the few action sequences, the script demands very little of Jack. The role mainly requires him to express affection for Lili and worry about the fate of the world.
Thankfully, Tim Curry exists. The actor plays the animalistic, eight-foot-tall villain with the utmost dedication. Encased in a full-body prosthetic, he gives you a reason to fear Darkness and pray for his downfall. With his hooves, talons, and resonant baritone, he sure looks like the devil himself. He is the most memorable character, which is impressive considering that he only appears in the latter part of the movie.
In the end, it’s Curry’s performance and the haunting poetry, not the tropes and little horror connotations, which have the deepest impact on the audience. His Darkness is a clear relative of his Hexxus from FernGully: The Last Rainforest; in both cases, the Englishman makes his character’s perspective instantly compelling, and he never scruples while unrolling much tasty phrasing from his demonic vocal cords. Additional credit is due to Mia Sara, who invests her character with precisely the right sprinkle of awe and wit.
Despite his failure to leave an impression, Cruise actually did plenty of work on set, including his usual jaw-dropping stunts. The Director’s Cut DVD commentary reveals that he did all his own diving and swimming in waters that had real alligators just 25 feet from where filming was taking place. Now that’s the Tom Cruise we always love. He’s a legend, isn’t he?
- Release Date
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August 28, 1985
- Runtime
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94 minutes
- Writers
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William Hjortsberg
- Producers
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Arnon Milchan