Legend of Darkness

If you enjoy faraway places and magical creatures, with unlikely heroes and singing princesses that stubbornly do the opposite of suggested and possible explanation why we went into an Ice Age in the first place Legend is your movie. Riddely Scott hit gold with the classic Good versus Evil with a twist. Everyone and thing has a dark side, another side that makes them whole. Light and Dark, Love and Hate; you get the drift.  The Balance of all Things and the consistent struggle of keeping it even.

The main antagonist Darkness is well thought through and played by Tim Curry in his earlier acting career most likely a high Devil that wants Eternal Darkness and cold his servants are a band of three goblins (originaly four, he got em picked off early) headed by ‘the most black hearted’ goblin named Blix which is infact played by the female actor Alice Payton but voiced over by David Bennet. This should come as no surprise speaking goblins always had dark and milevent ties.  Darkness has a very dominating presence and it’s not because he’s a good seven to eight feet not including the hoof and horns, he spreads out like shadow. His air could smother an elephant which is why he scared the living hell out of me oh wait, still does.  In the United States version Darkness is shown in a weakened but still frightening form as he speaks to his trusted Blix. In the United Kingdom Version all you see is a black hand. Personally the hand is enough to make my mind do all these crazy assumptions as to what the devious goblin is speaking to. In Directors cut (which is super lean in my opinion I very nearly was in tears as I was giving the damn thing back to Wall Mart for my Five bucks) It’s just the hand in the opening sequence and at the end the part where the horns fixed back on the unicorn is non existent we just see the two as every thing’s now reset. Also the faerie Dance is cut out for time. So is The other alternate sequence with all four goblins explaining where the fourth, Tic went off to. Blunders sequence of when he gets the chicken’s claw for his right hand is also taken out.

Until the very last possible sequence featuring him, Blix always has an offhand rym rather he’s making merry or praising Big D as they call him. Tic is the most armored for sure but Blix carries more effects including a long curving sword he uses to hack off the unicorns horn, a dagger for multiple purposes and a blow dart with a small holder for the poison he uses for his fine darts. Blix and Pox seem to disappear during the final fight between Jack and Darkness but Goblins are known to slip through the cracks if they want to be scarce.

Jack and Princess Lily are the main protagonists focused on and seem to me a little more along the lines of Adam and Eve. Jack (Cruise) is pure of heart and spirit and it’s his love for Lily that gets him into trouble but eventually pulls them back out of it. He’s a reluctant, wild but likeable character that’s not glory seeking even when he dons armor and sword he hardly feels courageous as most of us would but sticks it out anyway because no one likes having his love interest taken and tempted let alone screwing with how we like things. Princess Lily (Sara) is in turn as innocent and pure hearted as Jack to a degree however there is a little more selfishness and defiance about her. This is possibly due to her being a princess and getting most anything she wanted and partly of her just being a mid-evil teenager that eventually dupes even the Dark Lord his self when he thinks she’s sided with him. It is undeniably half her fault the first unicorn is lured into the deadly trap Blix and Co were trying to lie themselves because she wanted to touch one. We are hard wired to do exactly the opposite of what we’re told half the time. She’s good enough to try putting things right which put herself in danger. There is a moment of oh crap she’s under Big Ds sway we’re screwed! I’d be lying if I said he didn’t speak to the Yang side that lies in us all making it stir and lift its head. Darkness undeniably reached for Lily’s darker side and whispered things to it but she couldn’t be swayed to total evil. 

The fairies are a well-played charming band and unsurprisingly my favorites are Brown Tom (Hubbert) and Oona (Lanyon). Brown Tom reminds me of a buck toothed Leprechaun that knows how to use a frying pan and Oona’s the beautiful pixie anyone would want on their side. To be in love with them would be a touchy matter seeing how she acts with Jack. she may act sweet and soft as a rose but she still has thorns as Pixies are also the jealous sort and will strive to keep their love interest all to themselves putting a new meaning to the term “If I can’t have you, no one can!” I can’t help but to wonder if actually killing Lily had crossed the pixies mind as this would take down the ‘distraction’ of what he’s supposed to do. Blunder in fact turns out to be a kind of gnome of sorts that wanted to go out adventuring and wound up in Blixs band of cohorts.

Unsurprisingly Brown Tom, Oona and Blunder are my favorite characters. Blunder has fun playing both sides which makes me wonder if any of the other Goblins and Darkness really looked closely under all his armor. He’s as silly and clumsy as his ‘brother’ but isn’t truly evil. Blix himself is in his own category He’s somewhat of a favorite more in the Love Hate Crush category because of personality and design (he intentionally was to resemble Keith Richards as a Goblin and Alice Paytons pretty cool)

The sound tracks to this are beautiful in my opinion and Tangerine Dream has been added to my list of 80’s interest music. I’m touchy on my movie score but both have their good points. Jerry Goldsmiths score is for the more contemporaries. The score by Tangerine Dream and Brandon K Verett  has more of an 80s feel.

Favorite Quotes:

“Fire, Fire Burning higher, higher making music like a Chior!”

“Human Realm turned to Ice, here is Goblin Paradise!”

“Black as Midnight . .  . Black as Pitch  . . . Blacker than the foulest Witch”

“What is a Bell that cannot ring, but the melody makes the angels sing”

“What Do I care for Mortals hearts! A fairies heart beats fierce and free A Mortals heart’s as weak as porridge!”

“The Princess was so sweet; I could eat her brains like jelly!”

“It was beauty that tamed the Beast!”