Legend (1985)

A young man must stop the Lord of Darkness from both destroying daylight and marrying the woman he loves
Cast and Information
Directed By: Ridley Scott
Written By: William Hjortsberg
Starring: Tim Curry, Billy Barty, Tom Cruise, Robert Picardo, Mia Sara, Alice Playten, Cork Hubbert, Peter O'Farrell, David Bennent, Tina Martin, Annabelle Lanyon, Kiran Shah
Genres: Romance, Fantasy, Adventure
Where to Stream
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Legend belongs to 17 collections
1. Psychotronic Film and Video Guides (collaborative: moderated by Gregzilla - 40 stars)
2. Sword and Sorcery (collaborative: moderated by jeff_h - 13 stars)
3. #1 at the US Box Office (collaborative: moderated by BeeDub - 10 stars)
4. Alternate versions / cuts (collaborative: moderated by PeaceAnarchy - 9 stars)
5. Synth soundtrack or score (collaborative: moderated by Ag0stoMesmer - 8 stars)
6. Anamorphic Cinematography (collaborative: moderated by Bojangles - 7 stars)
7. Top 3000 movies with the most votes on IMDb (public: fanfic - 5 stars)
8. edkrak films to see (public: edkrak - 4 stars)
9. Sci-Fi/Fantasy/Horror Practical Effects (collaborative: moderated by indifferenti - 1 star)
10. British director (collaborative: moderated by iconogassed - 1 star)
11. Jerry Goldsmith (composer) (collaborative: moderated by djross)
12. Tangerine Dream (composer) (collaborative: moderated by Ag0stoMesmer)
13. DtC Doubling the Canon 2021 Nominees (collaborative: moderated by lineuphere)
14. The DVD collection of sjostrand (public: sjostrand)
15. Available to watch (public: Paxton)
16. Family DVD Collection (public: SageSledge)
17. Unofficially Beating The World Record For Most Films Watched in a Year (public: EsperHart)
Browse the full list of collections
Stars | User | Rating | |
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doctor7 | 64 44th |
It's an OK film but the fantasy elements are poorly introduced as rules are thrown in and established at random. I did appreciate the visuals in a few places but the film used close-ups far too much for my liking. I wanted to see the luscious sets and wonderful costumes but instead the cameras felt locked on only faces, except for a few instances. This also hurts the sense of flow during the action scenes, making them feel mis-mashed together. Not Scott's best but a better than average movie.
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terrymac | 66 49th |
Flawed but entertaining fantasy effort. Tim Curry, and his make up, together with the production design are the high points of this. I can't really pick between the theatrical and director's cuts, but for some reason I have a soft spot for the Tangerine Dream soundtrack. It would be interesting to see what the result would have been if the studio and director were pulling in the same direction from day one, and took less notice of the test audiences.
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TheDenizen | 80 84th |
It's the most enjoyable movie Tom Cruise has ever been in, and Tim Curry is the best Satan in the history of film. No debate.
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2 | Alquimista | 100 95th |
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A masterpiece of movie Fantasy. One of the first fantasy movies that took the genre seriously and wasn't just another cute movie for kids or worst...for all the family. Probably the best fantasy movie until LOTR arrived. A classic.
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2 | cestmoi | 75 48th |
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Who didn't love this movie in the 80s? Snaggley-toothed Tom Cruise and everybody's dream girl Mia Sara -- add unicorns and Tim Curry and you have the makings of a pleasant afternoon.
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DavidBlast | 70 65th |
Unicorns and white things floating everywhere - there's nothing quite like adventure tales from the 80s. The story is generic, but less so than, say, Avatar, and visually it's Ridley Scott operating at close to his Blade Runner peak. Also it's time to ask yourself if you can ever really truly hate a film starring Tim Curry as a demon? I didn't think so.
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lex | 80 53rd |
[Dir. Cut] Other than visually, Legend is unfortunately not to Fantasy films what Blade Runner was to sci-fi. But oh man does Ridley really bring these fantastic settings to life! I understand why this movie gets so much hate with the thick '80s cheese factor, but what tone do you honestly expect from a fairytale? For a fairytale this is a thematically strong narrative on light/darkness and Tim Curry delivers an awesome performance. Wish I could've seen this as a kid.
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Groovy_Souls | 50 29th |
I can't be too harsh on this film, because of it's unfortunate time period, but Legend has a lot of good and a lot of bad. A horrible Tom Cruise, and an uneven plot definitely hinder some wonderful visuals, a great score, and Tim Curry, but not enough to make it horrible. It's just not as interesting as it should be whenever Tim Curry isn't on screen.
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fuxoft | 65 43rd |
Even when Ridley Scott fucks up, it's still interesting...
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Kojiless | 92 95th |
Tom Cruise's "performance" is butt-crunchingly terrible, but the sets are beautiful, the music mystical, and Tim Curry is freaking awesome.
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Ytadel | 6 70th |
I would have to say that the main thing this movie has going for it is Tim Curry's performance. I mean, it's just delightful. Wonderful. I can't express how entertaining it is. The cinematography and creature design is also strong. But on the overall plot and charm and pure entertainment level, this definitely falls behind other mid-to-late 80s fantasies such as Willow and The Princess Bride.
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teknicolor | 62 51st |
A wonderfully epic fantasy movie.
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Stain | 0 8th |
ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ
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martryn | 63 34th |
Back when we didn't have a lot of choice as far as fantasy films go, this was once one of my favorite films. With the recent surge of amazing fantasy flicks over the last decade, this retains some nostalgia, but is sorely lacking in other areas.
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syvyys | 60 11th |
a terrible sight for a sober man.
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1 | Circe823 | 85 61st |
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As long as I can keep pretending this isn't Tom Cruise, I'll keep on loving it.
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KasperL | 30 10th |
Not even hamfuls of curry can save this otherwise wholly disgusting dish.
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1 | quinlan_vos | 51 13th |
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Ridley Scott's legend is visually rich, but narratively it's a mess.
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BillyShears | 60 34th |
When the movie isn't doing closeups of Tom Cruise's WEIRD TEETH it's pretty interesting to look at. Tim Curry is great
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Timon88 | 14 4th |
What is the intended audience for this flick? Children it would seem, but it's a bit complicated (not to mention morally pretentious) to hold the attention of most kids. But surely no thinking adult could take this drivel seriously... If it hadn't been for Tim Curry, my rating would have been a lot lower. In general, fairly nauseating.
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Garlonuss | 90 91st |
A very artistic movie that may be a bit too dark for the very young. I strongly recommend the director's cut of the film.
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janus | 40 10th |
Yet another '80s effects-driven family-friendly fantasy adventure of a type with Neverending Story, Jim Henson, Time Bandits, Krull, Willow, etc. It's more serious, more boring, and less weird and creative than any of those, it's too long, and in the end merely a testament to its own glittery opulence. While Tim Curry may be at his Curriest, young David Bennent's expressive, mature performance is the true highlight.
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1 | ScragglyDave | 2 1st |
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Oh God I always think it should be good and then I turn it on and it's the worst thing ever. Tom Cruise should not be in a short gold tunic.
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Melvin Smif | 50 54th |
This is how fantasy was done in the 80's, overall not too bad though. Thank you Peter Jackson and Guillermo Del Toro for changing things.
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Seryxa | 25 43rd |
Elegant fairy tale for the few grown-ups who have use for such a thing. More to look at than to listen to.
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Anselmi86 | 48 22nd |
Oh Ridley, what the hell is this?
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overrated | 32 23rd |
Save yourself 70 mins and find some clips of Tim Curry fucking up his spinal column.
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1 | ArkadyFalls | 30 6th |
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Worth watching just for Tom Cruise's teeth.
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hellboy76 | 61 28th |
A shame really, the film has some really wonderful strengths like Curry and the score but the story just felt uneven and a little blah.
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glumpy_99 | 64 24th |
DC version: If this cluttered, confusing fantasy is a failure, at least it’s a noble and interesting one that is beautifully mounted and attractively cast. Curry’s deliciously nasty and evil presence is the highlight and the one element that feels fully certain and realised; Cruise and Sara are perhaps deliberately colourless, but it means the film has a hollow centre. Almost visually overwhelming, with the ornate set design and make-up at least making it fascinating to watch.
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afx237vi | 50 36th |
Goblins, elves, unicorns, magic forests, lords of darkness, fairy princesses... it doesn't get much more old-school fantasy than this. Yeah the plot is formulaic, and most of the dialogue is really cheesy, but it has a fun charm and the make-up and the prosthetics make it look awesome (for the bad guys in particular). I guess the biggest problem is that it gets stuck somewhere between being a film for kids and a more grown-up version of a fairy tale. Doesn't entirely work at times.
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MontyCircus | 20 11th |
The worst fantasy film of all-time.
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1 | damil | 35 9th |
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I really didn't care for this movie. I expected it to be cheesy, and it was, but I didn't know it was going to be as bad and boring as it was. The plot is very thin, just using a bunch of fantasy cliches. On top of that, the pacing is painfully slow. I also got a misogynistic vibe from the film, which I found more than a little troubling. The make-up and prosthetics were great, though. Tim Curry was sort of good. Tom Cruise was bad. The film is further proof that Ridley Scott is very hit & miss.
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CMonster | 68 44th |
Tim Curry is simply amazing, I just wish he would have been able consumate his marriage before Tom Cruise ruined everything.
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KramYessev | 42 21st |
A prime example of the villain making the entire movie. Tim Curry is incredible every time he's on screen and is right at the top for greatest movie costumes/makeup. Haven't seen the director's cut, probably won't.
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sheepslasher | 4 80th |
young-me would have loved this, regular-present-me also loved this.
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sopachuco13 | 70 35th |
I have watched this movie probably 4 times and the plot is always hard to follow. I think that the story isn't bad, but the way that it's glued together isn't well done. The story is just an Adam and Eve story done in a fantasy setting.
The sets and costumes are really well done. I liked the look of the forest before winter takes over, and the dress that Mia Sara wears after the Lord of Darkness tries to marry her is gorgeous.
Tim Curry is amazing as always. Cruise actually acts well too
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pyrosexual | 70 29th |
Way too much Tom Cruise taint in this...
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backwardsuit | 77 72nd |
Corny and daft but creative and pleasant. If you have even a passing weakness for cheesy fairy tale movies this should be pretty hard to resist. Engaging as an innocent and dreamlike experience with some fantastic visuals. Tim Curry as His Satanic Majesty is also pure gold.
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1 | mwestcott | 62 28th |
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Legend is a mysterious film. Not in story but in tone. The dark fantasy tale runs with minimal cast and maximum visual. As could be expected from Ridley Scott. However the quiet film is somewhat of a write off if not for Tim Curry's amazing work in the final scenes.
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Average Percentile 41.99% from 1854 Ratings | ![]() |