Legend (1986) [Blu-ray]

Legend has been remastered and is finally coming to Blu-Ray. What you're essentially getting is everything that was on the Ultimate Edition DVD released years back plus a new English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1, BDLive, My Scenes and Pocket BLU. That means you will get two versions of the movie: the original theatrical release with the original score by Tangerine Dream and the Director's Cut with and additional 20 minutes of footage and film score by Jerry Goldsmith. Unfortunately it will not have the "International Version" that people overseas have been able to get on DVD, nor is the original 150 minute work print.Legend is one of the few fairy tale movies not geared toward children. It is also one of the most visually striking, comparable in my opinion only to Del Toro's masterpiece Pan's Labyrinth. Like most fairy tales the story itself is rather simple. Darkness wants to overcome light. The hero wants to save the day and rescue his maiden. There are little subplots like a bit of a love triangle and Darkness trying to seduce the hero's maiden. It's not deep storytelling, but it sets the stage for all the good stuff.And what's so good about it? Well what is Ridley Scott good at (especially in his early career)? A setting that is so immersive and rich in detail that you can get lost in just experiencing this world he created. The forests are magical and have the look and feel of something old and enchanted. The swamps are eerie and desolate and paint the perfect picture of what evil places should look like. The dungeons are foreboding and full of an atmosphere that personifies what Hell could be like. This movie sells the fact it's a fantasy film in spades with just the sets alone.If Legend stopped at sets it would still be a great movie, but Scott didn't stop there. The mystical creatures are just as impressive. Sure the unicorns are just horses with a horn pasted on them. Sure the pixie/elf/gnome like characters look good, but aren't all that incredible. But when you feast your eyes on the gallery of the dark creatures you start seeing some awesome creations. The troll in the swamp is a wickedly done up hag. The goblin Blix is just as creepy looking. Darkness is the absolute best looking devil character you will ever see; hands down. You will not recognize Tim Curry as this seminal character. Then again you won't recognize any of these actors in makeup. Top it all off with an eye for the type of cinematography that maximizes that dream-fantasy feel and you get some amazing results.The acting is also impressive for a fairy tale film. Tom Cruise may look at bit wooden as the hero Jack, but I think it belies the innocence and naive nature of his character. Mia Sara nailed her performance as the very human and naively flawed Lili. Tim Curry absolutely steals the show as Darkness in spite of being hidden behind some impressive and massive prosthetics and makeup. The score for the theatrical release was by Tangerine Dream, which definitely dates that version of the film to the 80's with it's new age feeling synth tracks. Doesn't really fit the medieval setting too much, but it's not totally distracting either. Goldsmith's score on the Director's cut fits much better with the era, but musically is so very bland. As far as soundtracks are concerned it's a toss up, but I have to give a little nudge to Tangerine Dream in spite of it being synthy.This is a single disk release, but it is a BD-50 disk, which should have plenty of room for both movies and all the extras without any compression issues. Visually the movie never looked better. Now the Blu-Ray mentions that the Director's Cut was from an inferior print and won't look as good as the theatrical cut, which had the advantage of a number of good source prints to choose from. If you ask me I don't really see a difference. Both movies stand out in color and details. It's not a night and day difference from the DVD, however it is enough of a stand up difference in clarity to do the double dip. I believe it's just the Director's Cut that is remastered on DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 while the theatrical edit is Dolby Digital 5.1 respectively. As stated before this Blu-Ray release will have all of the original featurettes from the previous DVD release. Here is a breakdown:Commentary by Director Ridley Scott - This is one of his better commentaries and is full of interesting production tidbits. The commentary is on the Director's Cut.Creating a Myth: The Making of Legend - This is an extensive documentary with interviews from major cast and crew members (with the notable exception of Tom Cruise). You hear about the massive sets created, then destroyed by a tragic fire as well as other tidbits on how the movie was made.Lost Scenes - Two scenes are in here. One is an alternate opening scene and the rest are more stills and art composites putting together scenes that I think were never filmed.Isolated music score by Tangerine Dream - Self explanatory. This is on the theatrical release.Trailers, TV Spots and Photo Gallery - All of the promotional materials for the film.In addition to the original features (likely still being presented in standard definition) there are some Blu-Ray exclusives as well. Not in the way of new commentaries or documentaries, but more or less the application type features. Here is the breakdown of those:BDLive - There is potential that alternate or scenes previously deleted may show up in the future via BDLive. Same goes for additional interviews and features. In my experience, however, is that this feature is sorely underutilized.My Scenes - This lets you bookmark scenes that you can share with other registered users with Universal Studios.Pocket Blu - I think this is another feature used in some Blu-Rays from Universal. You can use your iPad or iPhone as a remote as well as other neat features like bonus contend, soundtrack lists and posting options.All in all if you are a fan of fantasy films this should be on the top of your list. It is a little known classic of that genre. If you have the original DVD release it is still recommended to snatch this up as the remastering really does update the visuals in a big way, plus uncompressed HD audio is also welcome. If you never got this movie now is the time to do it. The likelihood of another edition coming out similar to Ridley Scott's Blade Runner that includes the work print and new features is unlikely as this film never really garnered nearly as much attention. In other words this is likely the best we will get.

Legend is an absolutely stunning fantasy film that deserves more recognition! From the breathtaking visuals to the hauntingly beautiful score by Tangerine Dream, everything about this movie feels like stepping into a dream—or a nightmare. Tim Curry’s portrayal of Darkness is pure perfection—his presence is both terrifying and mesmerizing, with incredible makeup that still holds up today. Tom Cruise and Mia Sara bring a classic fairy-tale feel to the story, and Ridley Scott’s direction makes every scene visually enchanting. If you love dark fantasy, practical effects, and a touch of the surreal, this is a must-watch!

Great movie, great image quality and great extras. I really enjoyed this film and the commentary, directors edition and interviews were all fun.

Absolutely a Classic Great Movie.

Great movie!

In the eternal struggle between good and evil, legends will be born.This movie has so much that it makes it a gem of a movie. The costumes are stunning and the set is amazing. Just knowing that it was all handcrafted makes it that much more impressive. Tim Curry does not disappoint, he steals the movie with his spectacular acting. The guttural laugh he makes truly gives you the feeling that he is Darkness. Tom Cruise does a fantastic job as Jack, I do only wish that his character had just a few more scenes of development. MEG MUCKLEBONES! What a GREAT addition to the movie! It was almost like a sub-boss in a video game, perfect for the hero to test himself. I do wish that Meg had slightly more of an interaction with Jack. I know that parts were cut but the costume was so stunning that it deserved more screen time.I have watched it so many times I swear I know the dialogue by heart. There are a few things I would have changed, some inconsistencies here and there but over-all I think this movie was amazing.The Legend of Zelda and this have so much in common it's quite interesting that they came out around the same time.So many questions left unanswered. What happened to Blix and Pox? Why did the fairies know Blunder? What happened to Blunder? What is the wider universe like? Did Darkness ever return? They need to do this movie justice and give the fans more.

I have loved this movie since I was a child, yes it isn't up to most people's idea of a great movie but I liked it for being different and weird.