Throwback Thursday: Legend (dvd)

When it comes to Old School Fantasy Movies, two films from my childhood stand out as no-fail go-to's. The first is The Princess Bride (I mean, obviously). The second is Legend. And while the former is awesome for more reasons than I can explain (or sum up), the later has its own unique charms. It is also quite a but darker. Darker, even, than The Machine and Pit of Despair combined.

Legend begins with a budding romance between a Princess Lily and Jack, a forest boy. In their naivety, they cause a gaggle of goblins to capture a unicorn, which, in turn, unleashes an eternal winter upon the world. Now Jack must team up with a rag-tag band of faeries and pixies to defeat the Lord of Darkness, free the unicorn, and rescue Princess Lily...who, in typical fairytale fashion, got herself kidnapped in the process. Naturally, our hero saves the day, wins the heart of the damsel, and vanquishes the bad guy (or does he?).

This movie is the perfect blend of fantasy with just a touch of creepiness. The costumes are gorgeous and the special effects are pretty fab for a time long before the introduction of CGI. Definitely worth watching! And you're in luck, because OPL just happens to own a copy of Legend!

Trivia: Did you know the director hated the theatrical version of the movie so much he eventually recut it for the DVD release...along with a whole new soundtrack? (BIG mistake here! The original was, and IS, infinitely better!). My advice: Track down the original cut.

Trivia 2: Did you know that this movie is rumored to have inspired the plot of The Legend of Zelda videogame?