Directed by Ridley Scott
Written by William Hjorsberg
Starring Tom Cruise, Mia Sara, Tim Curry
Running time 1 hour and 34 minutes
MPAA Rating PG

by Jaime Davis, Miguel Marquez, Rosalie Kicks and Ryan Silberstein

The Tommy C. Appreciation Club, or TCAC, solemnly swears to watch and appreciate all theatrical performances by Tom Cruise then recap them, round-table style. In this edition, the Moviejawn crew digs into Tommy fantasy turn in Ridley Scott’s Legend.

Jaime Davis: Hi! I’m a bit speechless after watching Legend for the first time. It’s so pretty to look at! And Tim Curry in 6 hours of demon makeup! Mia Sara’s first role! A glitter budget in the six figures! Not to mention that Tommy C. smile and that Tommy C. hair. I feel like I’ve never seen Cruise in such a purely innocent role? But despite that I believed him as the gentle Jack. I read that Jim Carrey, Johnny Depp, and Robert Downey, Jr. were also considered for the role of Jack. And by “read,” I mean my wife told me that. Do we think those actors could have done any better?

Miguel Marquez: I think Robert Downey Jr. would have been an interesting choice for the lead, but I couldn’t see anybody else but Cruise in the role. Young Cruise has a certain look to him. Maybe it’s the fact that he looks a lot like the average film protagonists that were around that era, but Cruise definitely fills the role of a kid thrown out of the frying pan and into the fire. I do wish we learned more about him and grew with him as he became a hero. It was somewhat disappointing to see him go from a kid in rags, to a knight in armor, to be a kid in rags again. Did Legend really tell all that compelling of a story? What did our characters really learn?

Rosalie Kicks: I totes agree with the casting of Tommy in this role and don’t believe there is even a base for an argument that he was miscast. He has quite an angelic appearance with his flowing locks. Which I must add, he refused to cut for this role. Fortunately, his mane works quite well for this forestry nymph type character he is playing. The hair also helped to distract me from looking at the teeth. I don’t know what was going on there - I believe he had fangs? More importantly, I would like to discuss why everyone in this damn thing is without pants. My theory is that they spent too much on the glitter and forgot to budget for trousers?

Something important to note fellow MJers (and TCAC members), is that unlike Jaime I did not experience a glamorous cinematic viewing of Legend, as I watched this film on VHS. I will argue this is the way it was intended to be seen as it is a film from 1985. However, by utilizing this format I was left with drab and muted colors. This especially rang true after the unicorn’s horn was sliced off. This moment caused not just the story’s world to turn to shit but the entire color palette of the landscape as well. But let’s get back to my main issue at hand: the slack situation. I want answers.

Ryan Silberstein: If I’ve learned anything from the last year, it’s that pants are overrated. I’ve spent probably nearly 300 of the last 365 days wearing shorts, and I’ve got no complaints. As for this film, VHS almost seems like the proper format, except that I am absolutely gaga over the production design. They don’t build sets like these anymore, preferring either on location or with heavy use of digital enhancement. Here, they built an entire artificial forest inside. That’s cool.

And that’s also why Cruise is perfectly cast. He’s practically an artificial human, and he makes sense to exist in this kind of world, maybe even more than our own. He’s bedroom wall ready here, prefiguring Orlando Bloom’s dominance of Spencer’s Gifts poster section almost 20 years later. This movie feels like a dream (then a nightmare) and he’s the dreamboat at its center.

Jaime Davis: I agree with Ryan - he’s a slacks-less dreamboat (if you don’t stare at the teeth too long). I loved when he changed into the fabulous 60’s-inspired glittery coin minidress; it’s a very mod, very Twiggy moment that I thoroughly enjoyed. And the sets! Omg, those sets. They absolutely don’t make ‘em like they used to, and Legend is a perfect example of that.

I read (read: my wife did) that Cruise did some of his own stunts as well–specifically the diving and underwater scenes. Which has me thinking about Miguel’s disappointment in the lack of character arc for Jack - what if there was a remake to Legend? With Jack, played by an older Cruise, helping save that world from Darkness yet again? With all that Cruise is capable of today stunt-wise, what kinds of death-defying things would we want him to take on this time around?

Miguel Marquez: I would really like Cruise to return to some of his old roles. I think a sequel to Color of Money would be perfect. Cruise has had one of the most interesting film careers I’ve ever seen, and retreading some of his iconic roles wouldn’t be that bad. I could be wrong, Top Gun: Maverick could be terrible. To go back to the film and what I see as a major problem, is the pacing and the story structure. To ask a question to you all, did any of you think that the introduction of both Gump, Oona, and the rest of the group was rushed and not explained well? I didn’t truly understand what their relationships were to Jack and why they existed within the story. I’ve read the wikipedia page, and it still doesn’t make sense. This isn’t to say that my experience with the film was entirely bad, I enjoyed a lot of what the film had to offer. One of my favorite sequences in the film is the underwater scene. I absolutely loved how Jack breaks through the ice and Ridley Scott captures it in slow-mo.

Rosalie Kicks: The story definitely has some holes. Apparently, Tommy C. was not too pleased with the American cut of this film and has always told fans to seek out the director’s cut. Maybe the two hour and thirty minute version would provide the back story you’re looking for Miguel? I don’t think I will ever find out.

Learning about the set design definitely has made me appreciate this movie more. I feel nowadays backdrops and production design often rely heavily on CGI. There is also a lack of concern of what is shown in the frame. In the case of Legend there is so much to astounding things to look at that it can often be an overload for the eyes. I love learning about Tommy’s Twiggy esque glittery ensemble–it pleases me to know that someone flattened bottle caps to achieve this look for us to enjoy. Do I love this movie? Nah. However, I do feel it is something for all to behold and made me realize that we need more pantless Tommy in our cinematic lives.

Ryan Silberstein: I hadn’t really thought about Tommy’s pantsless legacy, but this is just two years after his most famous bare leg moment in Risky Business. So maybe there is something to that.

One last note of appreciation for Legend, a film more interesting than good. Lord of the Rings ushered in epic fantasy, so we got a ton of movies in this vein, like Snow White and the Huntsman and about a dozen King Arthurs and Robin Hoods. But this movie not only embraces the tone and reality of a fairy tale, but it is an original story. That sense of magic and wonder is present in every frame, and that’s something I deeply appreciate about this misfire.