HAMSTER RATING:
STARRING: Tom Cruise (Jack), Mia Sara (Princess Lily), Tim Curry (Lord of
Darkness)
DIRECTOR: Ridley Scott ("Matchstick Men," "Black Hawk Down," Hannibal," Gladiator,"
"Alien," etc.)
SYNOPSIS: Nature boy Jack must rescue his Princess Lily from the Lord of
Darkness, who wishes to marry her and rid the world of all light.
REVIEW: "Legend," or as I like to call it, "Tom Cruise's Missing Movie," is a classic
fantasy with fairies, unicorns, dwarves, goblins and tons of glitter. Tim Curry steals
the show as the Lord of Darkness, but Cruise is a capable wide-eyed young hero and the story
is fascinating and full of strange encounters and surprisingly philosophical depths. The
supporting cast is equally engaging, especially the little fairy Ona, who has a big secret.
"Legend" scores biggest with the sets and makeup, which are probably the richest and most
fantastic of any fantasy movie I've ever seen.
CRITICISMS: Mia Sara's "stoner" Lily both amused and irritated me. I get that she's
supposed to be an "innocent," but her greatest joys in life seem to be making out with Jack
and being fascinated by shiny things, and when in the evil clutches of the Lord of Darkness,
all she does is whimper and cower and get a goth makeover, leaving beloved boyfriend to do
all the hard work of getting her out and saving the world. I wonder if any of the Lord of
Darkness stuff happened at all, or was just one of Lily's really bad acid trips! Watch the
movie; you'll see what I mean.
FAVORITE SCENE: When the Lord of Darkness' goblin henchmen are playing with the unicorn
horn. Pure comic relief!
RATING: 3/5 pellets
