If you look back at the early phases of some acting legends, you often find obscure gems. This one is definitely one of them, with its wonderful fantasy and great cult factor.
What do you think of when you hear the name Tom Cruise? The stunts of the century, for which he broke his ankle and plunged insurance companies into crisis? Espionage, fighter pilots or epic science fiction? That’s all very nice. But not what we’re looking for here.
Things you don’t usually associate with Cruise: unicorns, demons and magic. Even with the monumental director Ridley Scott, this association does not come up directly. And yet these two legends created the aptly named fantasy flick Legend, which can be streamed on Disney+. A flop at the time, now a cult classic and undoubtedly worth a look for all fans of fantasy.
In Legend, an innocent ranger must save the last unicorns from the forces of darkness
Jack (Cruise) is at home in the magical forest and is a friend to all mystical creatures that live there. The only thing more important to him is the curious Princess Lily (Mia Sara), who is particularly fascinated by the most beautiful of all magical creatures: the unicorns. They give the land strength and keep the darkness at bay.
That is precisely why the Lord of Darkness (Tim Curry) plans to eliminate the unicorns. He sends his darkest creatures to destroy the animals. Of all people, Lily makes a big mistake and drives herself and the last living unicorn into the clutches of evil.
Her disappearance plunges the land into eternal darkness and cold, and the forest begins to die. But Jack will not be stopped by the hopelessness around him: he sets out, accompanied by fairies and elves, to save his great love and his homeland. But to do that, he must venture into the very depths of darkness himself: hell.
Legend on Disney+ is a wild ride that no fantasy fan should miss.
JLegend is certainly one of the more outlandish entries in the long list of high-fantasy works from the 80s. The mixture of fairy-dusted fever dream and dark hell trip almost single-handedly brought down the entire genre in its day. Fortunately, today the work enjoys a well-deserved cult film status.
And for good reason. Scott’s direction makes Legend feel like falling headfirst into a book of fairy tales. The 80s-typical work with make-up and practical effects gives all evil a delightfully grotesque and repulsive touch – and all good a bath in magical light and tons of body glitter. Legend becomes an experience that feels bizarre in the best way.
Add to that a dramatic duo that could hardly be more contrasting. Tom Cruise takes the typical path of the strong hero and yet seems so innocent, wide-eyed and naively charming as he never was again. In the other corner lurks Tim Curry, embodying entertainment become devil. Big, loud, profoundly evil and as iconic as only Curry can be.
So if you don’t know him yet and are a fan of high fantasy, you should definitely give Legend on Disney+ a try.
