What do you think of when you hear the name Tom Cruise? Of the stunts of the century for which he broke his ankles and plunged insurance companies into crisis? To Espionage, fighter pilots or epic science fiction? That’s all very nice. But not what we’re looking for here.
Things you rarely associate with Cruise: Unicorns, demons and magic. Even with monumental director Ridley Scott, this association doesn’t come up directly. And yet these two legends created the aptly named fantasy film Legend, which is currently streaming on Disney+. A flop at the time, now cult 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 the mystical creatures that roam here. The only thing that is 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 strength to the land and keep the darkness at bay.
That’s exactly why he plans Lord of darkness (Tim Curry) to get the unicorns out of the way. He sends his darkest creatures to destroy the animals. Lily, of all people, makes a big mistake and drives herself and the last living unicorn into the clutches of evil.
Their disappearance plunges the country into eternal darkness and cold, and the forest begins to die. But Jack doesn’t let the hopelessness around him stop him: he sets out, accompanied by fairies and elves, to save his great love and his homeland. But to do this he must venture into the abyss of darkness itself: hell.
Legend on Disney+ is a wild trip that no fantasy fan should miss
Legend is certainly one of the weirder entries in the long list of high fantasy works of the 80s. The mix of fairy-dusted fever dream and dark trip to hell almost single-handedly brought down the entire genre. But today, fortunately, the work enjoys a well-deserved status as a cult film.
For good reason. Thanks to Scott’s directing, legend feels, as if you had fallen headfirst into a storybook. The work with masks and practical effects typical of the 80s gives everything bad a wonderfully grotesque and repulsive look – and everything good a bath in magical light and tons of body glitter. Legend becomes an experience that feels bizarre in the best way.
There is also an acting duo that could hardly be more opposite. Tom Cruise takes the path of the strong hero that is typical for him and yet appears more innocent, wide-eyed and naively charming than he ever was again. Tim Curry is lurking in the other corner entertainment made devil embodied. Big, loud, deeply 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 Legende a chance on Disney+.
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