Tom Cruise made this lavishly produced epic for British director Ridley Scott just before he became a star the following year with Top Gun, directed by Ridley’s brother, Tony Scott.
Grade: C (*1/2* out of *****)
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Theatrical release poster by Jhn Alvin
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This lavishly staged and costumed fantasy concerns a peasant named Jack (Cruise) and his lover Princess Lili (Mia Sara) fighting Darkness (Tim Curry) in order to save both the Princess and the world.
When Jack takes Princess Lili to see the unicorns, the strongest animals around, he does not know that Darkness, defined by cloven hooves, yellow eyes, and red skin plans on using Lili as bait to weaken the unicorns, thus plunging the world into the ice age.
After that disaster, Darkness captures Lili, forcing Jack to rally his elves to rescue her and subdue Darkness.
One of the biggest flops if the 1980s, despite opulent production design by Assheton Gorton.
Oscar Nominations:
Makeup: Rob Bottin and Peter Robb-King
Oscar Awards: None
Oscar Context:
The winners of the Makeup Oscar were Chris Walas and Stephan Dupuis for Cronenberg’s The Fly.
Cast
Tom Cruise as Jack O’ the Green, green man of the forest
Mia Sara as Princess Lili
Tim Curry as the Lord of Darkness
David Bennent as Honeythorn Gump, elf and guardian of forest
Alice Playten as Blix, the leader of Darkness’s goblin minions.
Billy Barty as Screwball
Cork Hubbert as Brown Tom
Peter O’Farrell as Pox
Annabelle Lanyon as Oona
Kiran Shah as Blunder
Robert Picardo as Meg Mucklebones
Credits:
Directed by Ridley Scott
Written by William Hjortsberg
Produced by Arnon Milchan
Cinematography Alex Thomson
Edited by Terry Rawlings
Music by Jerry Goldsmith (European version and director’s cut)
Tangerine Dream (US version)
Production company: Embassy International Pictures N.V.
Distributed by Universal Pictures (US); 20th Century Fox (International)
Release dates” August 28, 1985 (France); April 18, 1986 (US)
Running time: 114 minutes (director’s cut); 93 minutes (international cut); 89 minutes (US)
Budget $24.5 million
Box office $23.5 million
