Legend

Legend is not without whimsical touches, but it surely could have used more humor and invention.

You are caught up in a morality play... the deepest significance of which the makers of this PG movie are apparently betting the adolescents of America will instinctively comprehend.

I don't want to remember any more about Legend than to make sure I include it in my ''worst films of 1986'' list and never rent it when it comes out as a video cassette.

Legend may turn out to be legendary, but not in the way the filmmakers intended.

Legend is a fairytale produced on a grand scale... At the same time, the basic premise is alarmingly thin, a compendium of any number of ancient fairytales.

Beautifully shot and designed, but in a cloyingly self-conscious manner, the film lacks narrative drive.

Majestic stuff

Don't let the rotten rating fool you, Legend is a cult classic with more than enough to entertain above and beyond Tim Curry's extreme makeover. This is an arthouse indulgence from Ridley Scott that may feature Tom Cruise, but still manages to impress.

Though Legend may never achieve full-on classic motion picture status, the more fleshed-out director's cut proves that Ridley Scott's lovingly-crafted fairytale always deserved better than it got from both film critics and paying audiences alike.

Legend remains a stunning faerie floss fantasy. Ninety-five minutes of lovingly crafted, 'super real' escapism.