Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #1321 in DVD
• Released on: 2002-03-04
• Rating: Parental Guidance
• Aspect ratio: 1.77:1
• Number of discs: 1
• Formats: PAL, Widescreen
• Original language: English, Italian
• Number of discs: 1
• Running time: 90 minutes

Amazon.co.uk Review
This strange, 1985 experiment by Ridley Scott (Blade Runner) starred the up-and-coming Tom Cruise in a fairy-tale world of dwarfs and unicorns and demons. After the horn of a unicorn is broken, darkness and winter descend upon the world. Cruise's character, helped along by a magic sprite played by David Bennent (The Tin Drum), descends into hell to save paradise. This movie is almost a classic case of art direction gone amok. The somewhat amorphous Cruise doesn't lend much dramatic focus or artistic definition, but the drama between Tim Curry's satanic majesty and Mia Sara's character, who becomes a sort of princess of the netherworld, is pretty captivating. A mixed experience all around that makes one wish it had been more successful. --Tom Keogh

Special Features
English
Region 2

Synopsis
Director Ridley Scott's lush fantasy film stars the young Tom Cruise as Jack, a peasant who lives in an enchanted forest with his beloved Lili (Mia Sara). One day, while quietly gamboling in a glade, the pair is distracted by the appearance of trolls, minions of the evil Lord of Darkness (Tim Curry). The cloven-footed, cavern-dwelling monster, long banished to the earth's nether regions, has sent the creatures on a mission to seize the horn of a unicorn, thereby plunging the planet into a frigid darkness over which he alone will reign. Things go from bad to worse as Lili succumbs to the forces of darkness, and Jack must assemble a motley band of elves to free her from bondage and return sunlight to the earth's surface. Sumptous art direction and overwhelming special effects are once again a testament to Scott's powers of visual invention.

Customer Reviews

Buy the Ultimate Edition Region 1 version instead...
For me, the Tangerine Dream track captivates every frame of this film making it a true fantasy classic.

Comparing the two soundtracks side by side - the original Jerry Goldsmith score feels so uninspired to the point of making the entire film boring. It's also a 'quiet' soundtrack and is nowhere as involved or as complex as the TD score is - it kind of just sits there in the background like if you're sat in a deserted bar talking a beautiful woman - the music just kind of pales into insignificance.

TD made some truly unique and amazing film scores in the 1980's - this is one of them - from the opening credits which says 'music by Tangerine Dream' you just know it's going to be special.

Visually this is a masterpiece - forget all the CGI nonsense that is so prevalent in this day and age - this is from a time when films were made by real artisans who cared and took production to another level.

The Legend is lost
My family (when kids were young) have been watching Legend since the 80's and thank goodness we videoed it once when it was aired on tv as having since purchased the dvd we now realise that here in the UK we get the slower moving version of the film distributed for the european market. A BIG mistake in my view, and judging by some of the other reviews I am not alone. The Tangerine Dream/Brian Ferry soundtrack "makes" this film a truly magical experience from beginning to end and it seems criminal that we are unable to purchase copies here that are compatible to our dvd players - I thought this was supposed to be the 21st century? The "classical" soundtrack is far too dominant and ruins most of the film but especially the initial unicorn segment. And Lily certainly doesn't sing naffly in the "proper" version either, that's just unnecessary. Come on distributors get the US version out to the wider world we're in withdrawal here!!!!!!!

This IS the best version!
Just to clarify - there are 2 versions of this film: The american version with the Tangerine Dream soundtrack, and the european version with the Jerry Goldsmith soundtrack, which was the soundtrack originally intended for the film. This is the european version and is, in my opinion, the best of the two. Alot of reviewers on here seem to prefer the tangerine dream soundtrack, but the Goldsmith version is far superior and has aged alot better than the very eighties sounding synth music of TD. Goldsmith's music is has a timeless, magical quality and complements the film much better, the TD soundtrack makes the film seem very much stuck in the eighties and the inclusion of a couple of cheesy pop songs from Bryan Ferry and Jon Anderson do it no favours whatsoever. Aside from the difference in soundtracks, the European version is slightly longer than the American, containing extra and longer scenes which make for a more satisfying film. Music aside, Legend is a truly gorgeous-looking film, probably the most beautiful looking fantasy film ever made, every frame is so packed with detail that it really is a feast for the eyes. The special effects and, especially, the make-up are outstanding, particularly on Tim Curry's Darkness who still looks amazingly realistic today, and the other assorted goblins look incredibly detailed and believable too. The film's weakness is probably in it's plot, which is very simplistic and the conclusion feels rather disappointing. However, , like his earlier Blade Runner, director Ridley Scott is more concerned with creating a beliveable fantasy world on film and in this he has succeeded totally, despite the fact that it's nearly 25 years old, Legend looks like it could have been made yesterday. One of the most underrated films of all time, Legend is a truly magical and enchanting film, and this is the best version of it.