Reviews: Legendary (2013) Movie Review
Genres: Thriller, Sci-Fi, Action, Adventure
Subgenres:
Legendary (2013) shocked audiences with its ending. Our spoiler-free review explains the scares, themes, and what makes this film unforgettable.
I am not sure if I should blame director Eric Styles (Tempo, Miss Conception, Relative Values) or writer Andy Briggs (Rise of the Gargoyles, The Philadelphia Experiment, Dark Relic) for this movie being a tragic disaster. Eric directed 6 previous movies and Andy wrote 6 previous screenplays not related to what Andy had previously directed. Eric and Andy do not have much experience in the filming industry and should lay low for a while. First of all, why give a movie title like “Legendary: Tomb of the Dragon” when there are no dragons or tombs - title is so misleading. I love movies with dragons and was looking forward to this - I was greatly disappointed.
Travis Preston (Scott Adkins - The Legend of Hercules, Wolf War, The Expendables 2) is a cryptozoologist that tracks down animals that are believed to not exist, mythical or extremely rare. Travis likes to capture these animals and study them, he does not kill them. He retired from his job after a lawsuit was filed against him. Travis accepts being hired by Doug McConnell (James Lance - The Devil Went Down to Islington, Hinterland, Northern Soul) who is a lawyer to find a Cryptid in China. A Cryptid is a large creature that seems to be a crocodile, then a turtle without it shell and then a lizard that is larger than a car.
This movie was made sloppy and ingeniously. Reason - Travis has been tracking the Cryptid throughout the entire movie and when discussing the killing plan with his partners, he defends the creature in saying that he does not know why they should kill it. Hello - the animal has been killing and eating innocent people for how long now. The creature even attacked Travis and his friends throughout the movie. Movie does contain a lot of loose ends.
The only thing I like about this movie is the setting in China and scenery. The actors tried, but the storyline was not there. Scott is a phenomenal actor, but he is not doing a good job lately at choosing the right movie for him. Congo (1995) storyline and acting are better than this movie. I can relate to the characters in Congo. The CGI is better in Legendary: Tomb of the Dragon and the only reason it is is because Congo was made in 1995.
Sources Used to Shape This Review
Insights in this review are drawn from director interviews, fan commentary, production notes, and long-form breakdowns across genre-specific platforms. Content is written uniquely and reviewed for accuracy.
- Legendary Rating Scores
- Our Score: 4/10
- Overall Score: 3.87/10
- IMDB: 3.8/10
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