---
title: "Legend: the reviews"
canonical: "https://film.one/film/legend/reviews"
title_page: "https://film.one/film/legend"
critics_score: 49
critics_reviews: 8
licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL."
---

# Legend (1985): what the critics said

Critics' score 49 from 8 reviews: 2 positive, 1 mixed, 5 negative.

Most critics find Legend more persuasive as a visual fantasy than as a story, with praise clustering around its imagery, design and costumes. Even the less favourable reviews acknowledge the appeal of its fairy-tale setting, while Tim Curry’s Lord of Darkness receives particular praise for bringing some life to the proceedings. Tangerine Dream’s score also earns approval, though these strengths seldom outweigh complaints about thin characters and a lack of emotional involvement.

The disagreement centres on how much those visual pleasures can compensate for the storytelling. Slant Magazine offers the clearest defence, celebrating the film’s transportive style while acknowledging that character development suffers. The less enthusiastic reviews find the imagery insufficient, with reservations ranging from blunt symbolism and kitsch to a shortage of wit and invention. Across the relevant reviews, admiration for the craft is considerably more widespread than enthusiasm for the film.

## Slant Magazine — Rocco T. Thompson

Rating 4/5. 13 October 2021. 

Thompson praises the Arrow Video edition as a stellar release that gives fans little reason to want more. He highlights the film’s transportive visual style and Tangerine Dream score, while noting the trade-off of style over character development.

[Read the review](https://www.slantmagazine.com/dvd/legend-blu-ray-review-ridley-scott-tom-cruise-arrow/)

## The Guardian — Mark Kermode

Fi1m's normalised score 70/100 (inferred from the text). 13 September 2015. 

Kermode finds the film cartoonish but undeniably entertaining, with its attitude to the Krays’ glamour left deliberately ambiguous. He praises Tom Hardy’s committed, mesmerising dual performance as the twins.

[Read the review](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2015/sep/13/legend-review-tom-hardy-conquers-the-krays-kermode)

## Time Out — TCh

Fi1m's normalised score 64/100 (inferred from the text). 

The available metadata does not reveal the critic’s verdict. Its description singles out the Teutonic-myth framing and the Lord of Darkness’s unicorn-killing.

[Read the review](https://www.timeout.com/movies/legend)

## Radio Times — Joanna Berry

Rating 2/5. 

Berry finds the film a daft fairy tale that director Ridley Scott might prefer to forget. She singles out Tim Curry’s performance as the Lord of Darkness as the film’s best feature.

[Read the review](https://www.radiotimes.com/movie-guide/b-hhdup1/legend/)

## Los Angeles Times — Kevin Thomas

Fi1m's normalised score 35/100 (inferred from the text). 18 April 1986. 

Thomas finds the film visually sumptuous but thin in substance and unlikely to hold most adults’ interest. He praises Tim Curry’s lively performance and Tangerine Dream’s score, while wishing the film had more wit and invention.

[Read the review](https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1986-04-18-ca-648-story.html)

## The AV Club — Keith Phipps

Fi1m's normalised score 30/100 (inferred from the text). 11 June 2002. 

Phipps finds the film a visually appealing but intriguing failure, undone by its excess and lack of human depth. He singles out the striking imagery as a strength, while criticizing the story’s blunt symbolism and kitsch.

[Read the review](https://www.avclub.com/legend-ultimate-edition-dvd-1798197622)

## Eye for Film — Jennie Kermode

Fi1m's normalised score 30/100 (inferred from the text). 21 August 2011. 

The review finds the film visually admirable but an unsatisfying viewing experience. It praises the design and costumes, while criticizing dull characters and an emotionally empty story.

[Read the review](https://www.eyeforfilm.co.uk/review/legend-film-review-by-jennie-kermode)

## The Wrap

Fi1m's normalised score 30/100 (inferred from the text). 19 November 2015. 

The review finds the film a thin gangster saga, largely rescued by Tom Hardy’s performance. It praises Hardy’s strikingly distinct portrayals of the twins, while faulting the film’s schematic characterization and polished style.

[Read the review](https://www.thewrap.com/legend-review-tom-hardy-emily-browning-christopher-eccleston-krays/)

---
© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Our review: https://film.one/film/legend.md