Re-visiting movies can sometimes be a great experience or one that you wish you kept as an nostalgic memory. I've always had a warm spot for LEGEND. First being a Ridley Scott film, second having Rob Bottin doing the make-up which to this day is still phenomenal and thirdly is the closest to a live action 40's Disney animated film come to life.
The only version I had ever watched was the 90 min theatrical with the Tangerine Dream score that was fine but never really fit exactly. So dusting off my disc, I popped in the almost 2 hr director's cut with the original Goldsmith score. What an awesome surprise! It takes a little to get used too, especially if you've seen the theatrical a few times. But quickly this version takes a much darker tone and there is less Tom Cruise from what I remember being before that actually makes his performance better and more of an ensemble which is what it was meant to be.Shot in 1982 it took three years for this puppy to finally be released after being re-cut multiple times to the score being changed because they were gearing it to a younger crowd. I feel this is the version to see. There is more of every cool thing that you wanted from the original viewing. Between the Sea Hag's exchange with Jack to Darkness to Lilly and Jack's relationship to the black dress dancing along side the demon baby. The print is incredible as you can finally see the depths of the craftsmanship that went into the sets. My only beef still to this day and I wish Scott had taken it out was several modern lines of dialogue from the Goblins that takes you out of the film.
This may not be his biggest critical achievement such as THE DUELLISTS, ALIEN or BLADE RUNNER. But it's still an achievement none the less and being only his fourth film at the time gives Scott another genre he pioneered that people would imitate for years to come.
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