Available 01/21/2025 from Well Go USA
An archeologist and his team go looking for a legend.
Weaving two stories together, one in the past and one in the present, A Legend is written and directed by Stanley Tong and the two stories are definitely not of equal quality. The writing on the story in the past feels more fluid and more natural while the current time feels a bit forced and as if it is included simply to connect with modern audiences and to justify the presence of a de-aged Jackie Chan in the past story. The story in the past is that of the Han versus the Hun, at war for land and power with women stuck in the middle trying they best to not only survive but also make a difference. The one in the present time is that of an archeologist and his team/student as they discover artifacts of the previous group. The characters in the past as connected to those in present and the same cast plays characters in both eras. The writing, as mentioned above is uneven while the direction feels like it is by the same person while missing something.
The cast here feels like it was gathered around Jackie Chan who is technically the lead but not the most interesting performer or even character(s). Here, this feels like a quick part to make a paycheck without much passion into it. The supporting cast is much more interesting, especially Aarif Lee, Yixing Yang, and Gülnezer Bextiyar, with the first and third giving more interesting performances in their past era and the second doing quite well in both eras the film takes place in. There is an imbalance in the performances much like with the writing where the work in the old timey era is much more interesting than those in the current times, adding to the feeling that the current time segments feel out of place and like they were a last-minute addition.
The cinematography for this film is one of the elements that better connects it as whole. The work by Chi-Wah Lee (and team) looks really good here with solid lighting and good framing, stable shots even in fight sequences, and a few flourishes to elevate the whole thing. The editing works with these images well and gives the action sequences and the dance ones rhythm and dynamics that work great here. Another strong point of this film is the costume design which is stunning in the past sequences and mundanely regular in the current day sequences.
A Legend feels like 2 films brought together for odd reasons, or a secondary story was forced into the first to be able to justify de-aging the lead by CGI (which looks both good and silly at the same time, a frustration every time his de-aged self shows up). The film is entertaining and fun but not particularly memorable as a whole. A few scenes do stand out, mainly scenes without the top-billed actor, especially in the old war times, when the cast gets to let loose and have fun while doing action scenes and wearing stunning costumes.