5. Legend
Legend is the only movie on this list I couldn't actively recall. So, I had to pull out a free copy of The Director's Cut I got awhile back. In a word: ouch. Film directing, even on big-budget movies, requires making hundreds of decisions a day under pressure. Legend isn't a complete disaster, but it's obvious that Ridley Scott dedicated precious little time on set to focus on the story. It's even more emotionally cold than Blade Runner, though intended to be quite the opposite. Scott's always been accused of style over substance, but the dark worlds of Alien and Blade Runner truly are worlds... which you don't get without strong storytelling. He seems at home in the darker corners of sci-fi, but fantasy - especially a classic fairy tale - is a bit beyond his reach. The story never gains any traction. Tom Cruise's Jack prances around in a chain-mail miniskirt and comes off as the village idiot, who looks confused and gullible enough to... well, buy into Scientology. And the dialog randomly shifts from high fantasy grandstanding to cheap jokes aimed to please the kiddies. But it's not all bad. Legend is a visual feast. It was shot on some of the best film sets ever constructed. With almost all of the effects done practically, the film has aged (and will continue to age) better than most sci-fi/fantasy spectacles. Rob Bottin's make-up designs in particular hold up better than any CGI monster. In the age of twenty-minute action scenes, it's refreshing that Jack largely gets by on his wits, in true fairy-tale fashion. And then, of course, there's Tim Curry's Darkness, one of the all-time great movie monsters. With that in mind, I can see why Legend has the fanbase it does, even if I can't get behind it.