Legendary (2013) User Reviews

Watchable, if you have to

[voyou-703-655350 · 3/10 · 5 December 2013]

I think the main problem of this movie's story is that it tries a serious/scientific approach, but without the science. First we wonder why the Chinese authorities would use Americans to track a strange animal in China; two teams btw, one of them freely running around with big guns. Then the scientists use about as much science and equipment as Indiana Jones (the famous archaeologist who kept destroying ancient sites to grab one valued object,) but without the fun. They fearlessly keep camping on the beach near a man-eating amphibian creature, trespass on guarded industrial sites, crime scenes or autopsy labs, and in fact hunt the creature with the same methods as in any B monster flick.

Add the fact that the creature looks ridiculous, caves look more fake than in anything since the 1950s, and the budget didn't allow for a director of photography, it seems.

The good part is that the film is not boring, mostly thanks to a cast of competent actors and likable good guys (the bad guys being rather bland.) In the end, Legendary feels like the pilot of a cheap TV series. Re-watch Korea's "The Host", instead, or wait for its sequel.

It was good to see Scott & Dolph in a movie other than Martial Arts kick-ass action, but the movie was just TERRIBLE!!

[hajjid-417-825225 · 3/10 · 15 December 2013]

Basically, it is a B movie. This movie is just an empty shell. Very poor acting overall. Dolph Lundgren seemed the most natural. Scott Adkins didn't do bad now, but could have done much better. While it was nice to see Dolph and Scott in other genre, the B movie didn't do Scott any justice either. His character was very shallow. Also what I did not understand was: why did he have his office in London and yet didn't have English accent, but used American instead. If you are a fan of Scott or Dolph, then watch it; but don't expect anything at all. If you are a fan of neither, then this film is a complete waste of time, pretty much even if you are a fan — it's an utter rubbish.

P.S. This my 1st review. I'm sorry it had to be a negative one.

Not much more than a TV weekend waster.

[face-819-933726 · 4/10 · 30 November 2013]

This movie is a lot like those Librarian movies that were out around 2005-2009, except these guys are trying to be like the staff of Jurassic Park crossed with a bunch of Indiana Jones'. Dolph Lundgren is his usual self, playing the cigar smoking hunter who won't even consider letting the animals live to be studied. Though really what purpose a 30 foot lizard, or bear are to helping make this a better world is something that this movie never gets clear. The sudden ending with everything all wrapped up is just too perfect after all the messy crap that no one was doing right for most of the movie. These people are all just going to get themselves killed, and then there will just be a park full of giant weird animals eating each other in the sequel for sure. I didn't Enjoy this movie over all, the animals all look fake, and I never felt that anyone should be allowed to put themselves in that kind of danger for no real reason. You will most likely never see this movie, but if you do, I can tell you that you will come away unimpressed, and feeling like you should have just skipped it.

Legendary: Tomb of the Dragon

[phubbs · 2/10 · 8 January 2014]

I can't get my head around Scott Adkins, he's acted alongside some of the top action men of all time and in some big action flicks, but most of his work is straight to DVD, badly acted, throw away hokum. You only gotta look at his filmography, half of them you probably haven't heard of.

I give you exhibit A: this time Adkins hangs up his martial arts skills and tries his hand at the Indiana Jones angle as a cryptozoologist (mythic creatures instead of mythic places and objects). After the failure to capture...errr a very large bear, its off to China to hunt down...errrm a very big lizard...oh OK a dragon then. Its Adkins and his goodie goodie team of kind scientists vs Lundgren and his baddie team of hunters. Yep you've guessed it, Adkins and co wanna find and study, Lundgren and co wanna hunt and kill!

So a US accented Adkins leaps about in this really iffy low budget creature feature which doesn't really scare or thrill. Nothing much happens at all accept for the odd obligatory water sequence where faceless people get snatched by the monster. Its all very 'Lake Placid' like but with really bad attempted humour and some atrocious acting all round.

The dragon in question isn't really a dragon naturally (shame), they go down the more realistic approach and merely make it an overgrown gecko type lizard...salamanderzilla. So no fantasy element just a stupid looking big lizard that doesn't really look threatening. The finale sequence in the caves really shows the creature in a bad light, hokey ass CGI. The moment Adkins wrestles the beast is fantastically crappy looking, even Harryhausen's dated work looks better.

The only thing more hokey than the CGI lizard is the lurching Lundgren and of course this being a flick with the two action men they gotta fight. Amazingly though neither of them gets their shirts off, old fashioned fisticuffs for this one.

The entire film is basically trash accept for the finale which is slightly more exciting, as said the lizard looks awful but at least you get plenty of eating action. It feels like a homage to those old Doug McClure fantasy flicks more than anything, then you could easily forgive the schlock on screen, problem is it isn't. Why would the Chinese hire Americans to search their countryside for a man eating amphibian?

2.5/10

Lame from the legends..

[fmarkland32 · 2/10 · 30 August 2014]

Scott Adkins and Dolph Lundgren star as rival bad-ass hunters who look to go up against some type of kimono dragon. Legendary is the type of B. movie that boggles your mind. After enjoying Adkins work with Van Damme (and Lundgren, as I both enjoyed Expendables 2 and Universal Soldier: Day Of Reckoning)I admit being somewhat optimistic about seeing these two charismatic kung fu guys in a monster movie. The problem though is that Adkins and Lundgren are completely wasted in what feels like a busted made for TV pilot for a TV show that never should air. The problem is that Adkins and Lundgren are not cut out for Indiana Jones antics and as a monster movie the film is completely unexciting. Overall this movie will even bore the most ardent fans of the two stars. Therefore this misfire is best forgotten, so if you want to see the combined talents of the two stars used effectively, re-rent Universal Soldier:Day Of Reckoning, because this painfully boring dud will be remembered solely as a low point in the careers of both stars.

* out of 4-(Bad)

an obvious error in the movie

[william10-861-213574 · 4/10 · 3 December 2013]

just watched this movie and one thing i don't really understand.

How would any animal leave a piece of its tooth in its prey ??why would the director or any man with some common sense overlook this obvious error ?

I appreciate Chinese being spoken in the movie as it's my mother tone but that doesn't necessarily mean they would be THAT that interesting to all the other viewers, especially when the words are not that funny.

p.s. that "dragon" thing they call in the movie looked like a over- sized lizard to me.

good

Scott Adkins doing scientist-y stuff and making cheesy jokes.

[ivanaaaaaaaaa · 5/10 · 26 November 2019]

With its current rating of 3.7, I think it's pretty safe to say that anyone going into this movie willingly is either a Adkins or Lundgren fanboy/fangirl. And, with the listed adventure/sci-fi premise, we should know to set our expectations accordingly.

This is a cheesy B adventure with hints of comedy. There are no fights here (other than a handful of punches), there's no fancy CGI, what the characters do doesn't always make sense, and the cast is made up of mostly people we've never heard of. Still, I don't think it deserves a 3.7 and I definitely wouldn't say it's the worst movie I've seen this year. (Seriously, if you think the acting here is bad, you should watch Wild Horses. I've never seen anything like it - with the exception of Hartnett and Franco.)

The best thing about this movie was Scott Adkins. Although he was believable as a scientist, the best parts were when he cracked little cheesy jokes and laughed at them. It was adorable! He probably smiled and laughed in this one movie more than in all of his other movies put together. Obviously, I prefer him as an angry badass, but I accept that he also needs to do other types of characters to show his range.

And those who enjoy Lundgren, although he's not the main character here and we see less of him, they will probably like his typical bad guy persona with really nice hair.

Far from "Legendary"

[JonjaNet · 4/10 · 26 July 2021]

Not the worst of the genre, but Scott Adkins gleaming capped teeth and poor acting along with the obviously phonetically taught Chinese actors knocks it down a notch. Even Dolph Lungren chewing the scenery isn't enough to help.

This was originally in 3D and I can't even imagine how terrible the CGI beasties would have looked. (Actually I can imagine, and it ain't good)

As I said, not the worst in the "mysterious creature" genre. Think of it as a GOOD SYFY original.

Not sure what Scott Adkins was thinking

[gemandeye1 · 3/10 · 3 March 2017]

I have enjoyed most if not all of Scott Adkins movies thus far except for this one. Dolph Lundgren is always hit and miss with his movies, more misses IMO. However, Adkins has reinvigorated the "American" martial arts audience and does it with both extreme seriousness and a little added tongue in cheek (something he may have borrowed from his pal and often co-star Jan Claude Van Damme). But in Legendary he seems so out of place, Not to say an actor should be stereotyped but be careful on the roles he chooses. The script was awful. The supposed humor was not funny and felt forced. Even Adkins smiles appeared fake. Lundgren almost looked Oscar worthy next to him, and I nearly choke saying that. The special effects were terrible. Like a cross between a teenager trying out some CGI and a guy throwing on a costume he found in the attic and pieced together. You can skip this one unless you just want to say you watched every Adkins or Lundgren movie. No other reason I can see to sit through it.

This is going to be legen... Wait for it... Actually no, it was far from being legendary...

[paul_haakonsen · 3/10 · 23 December 2013]

"Legendary: Tomb of the Dragon" was actually anything but legendary. But I will say that the story did initially have potential, but it wasn't utilized in any way. Especially because there were so many flaws in the movie.

First of all, wouldn't someone notice that lizards bigger than cars were roaming the Chinese countryside? Especially because creatures of that size would have to eat a substantial amount of food in order to stay alive, especially when there is more than one of them around.

Secondly, why would the Chinese government bring in American researchers, soldiers and freelancers? It just doesn't add up. Especially when one of the groups were running around armed to the teeth.

Story-wise, then "Legendary: Tomb of the Dragon" was stale and predictable. It wasn't impressive in any way, and as such, it was a less than mediocre experience.

But of course, with a movie like this you pretty much know what you are going to get.

I will say the movie was nicely shot, and had some really beautiful scenery to work with. And the lizards themselves, well, they were actually rendered nicely enough.

As for the cast of the movie, well, I will just say that you know what you are getting with these people, and they deliver. Just about so, nothing more, nothing less.

This movie wasn't particularly memorable, and it didn't stand out in a genre of over-sized creatures. If you enjoy this particular genre of movies, there are far better choices available for your entertainment.

An Entertaining Adventure for Adkins and Non-Adkins Fans Alike

[DareDevilKid · 8/10 · 7 December 2013]

Reviewed by_ Dare Devil Kid (DDK)

Rating: 3.9/5 stars

Exciting, adrenaline-pumping action adventure flick that can be enjoyed by all age groups. The production values, CGI, and VFX are quite spectacular for a low-budget, independent, B-movie like this. It's also a detour of sorts from Scott and Dolph's regular, hardcore, combat styled action films, but boy, what a welcome surprise it is! Both the action stars bring their dynamic personalities to the fore even without their staple fight scenes and the rest of the cast is also pleasing to the eye.

Director Eric Styles does a great job in crafting a thoroughly engaging action adventure film that not only keeps you glued to your seat in excitement, but also has great repeat value for lazy afternoons or cozy evening dates.

Quite Unique For A Scott Adkins and Doulph Lundgren Team Up But I Liked It

[alucard_castlevania86 · 7/10 · 2 December 2013]

I have to admit this movie did came as a surprised to me. Every time when there's a movie that involves either Scott or Doulph (doesn't matter separately or together) straight away most if not all of us start thinking that this was going to be a straight up action fight kind of movie involving the these two since it felt like it was the only type of genre Scott and Doulph are always involved in. Boy did they prove me wrong in this movie

Although a B film, this movie is really great. I liked seeing actions actors get involved in something different for a change. It just shows how talented they can be. Scott Adkins really impressed me with his performance. I was really impressed to see him play a genius scientist role for a change compared to his usual tough brute strength character. Doulph Lundgren also played his normal usual style self which fitted really well for his hunting role in this film. The rest of cast did a good job and the plot was very simple and straight forward

The creature effects as usual were a bit of a let down but what did expect from a low budget film. My final thoughts. If you watch this with an open mind and cast away all the usual expectations, then this is a worth watching B film

Don't be fooled by the cast

[callanvass · 2/10 · 10 April 2014]

(Credit IMDb) Travis and his team travel to China in search of what isn't supposed to exist ... their mission to capture a Cryptid which is wreaking havoc in a remote village and they need to do this before it is killed by Harker, the legendary bounty hunter.

Dolph Lundgren is one of my favorite action stars from the 80's, and Scott Adkins has set the standard for burgeoning stars as far as action stars go. How could you possibly go wrong with those two? It turns out a lot. Those expecting a movie filled with action will be highly disappointed. In lieu of action, we get an excruciatingly boring adventure film that features very little to no excitement. It has some really lame CGI with animals and it doesn't take advantage of the martial art skills that both Lundgren and Adkins have. It's way too talky and sleep inducing to make much of an impact. The only good thing about this movie is the cinematography.

2/10

Cheesy, poorly acted schlock!

[deacon_blues-3 · 3/10 · 1 December 2014]

Really cheesy, bad CGI-supported, good guy/bad guy flick. Basically SyFy channel type schlock. Don't waste your time or electricity on this silly thing. The creature doesn't even eat meat, she' just defending her nest from evil capitalists who want to develop her habitat. What a wimpy excuse for a creature flick! The fast swipe creature scenes keep the actual appearance of the CGI monster from being completely laughable until late in the film, but it still looks like an over-grown gecko. Lundgren portrays the cut-out drunken egoist who just wants to shoot everything that moves for booze money.

BTW: The years have been none too kind to old Dolph Lundgren, who has become a scrawny shadow of his former self.

Combine this with his lack of acting ability and the amateur level of the rest of the cast, and you have one big no-fly zone!

Insulting the audience 101 ........

[merklekranz · 1/10 · 8 May 2017]

The primary purpose of any movie should be to entertain. The best way to accomplish that goal is to fulfill what is promised. "Legendary" fails on all counts to deliver a satisfactory viewing experience. The script is infantile, and borders on insulting. For example, instead of ducking into a cave crevice to avoid the rampaging "whatever it is?" the hero finds it necessary to exclaim "let's hide in here". The boating scenes are a complete joke as every time it is necessary to announce "it's at 400 yards, 300 yards, 200 yards, and closing fast". There is no suspense, no sensible science, and a creature that is about as scary as a basket of bunnies. In total, a complete disaster, that fails to deliver on it's promise. To be avoided. - MERK

horribly terrible awful stupid movie

[lovettstough · 1/10 · 3 December 2017]

I usually like SCIFI movies & I like Dolph Lundgren movies like this & to me even at the end of the movie Dolph Lundgren character Harker was the good guy. Travis kept saying Harker just wanted all the glory but this creature was killing humans & he was hired to kill it to stop it from killing humans. The creature was extremely destructive & was taking human lives so it is obviously life threatening. Travis the idiot who must think humans dying as a result from this creature is worth those human deaths & wants to capture it alive no matter how many people get hurt. To me it's obvious Travis wanted all the glory without a doubt. Travis was the glory hound in this movie & not Dolph Lundgren character.

Passable trash science-fiction with massive CGI process!!!

[elo-equipamentos · 4/10 · 14 September 2020]

Strangely in my teenager years those chintzy trash picture as Alligator, Piranha, Tentacoli and Kingdom of the Spiders and other countless lowest budge freak productions bewitched us gushingly and all them became in a cult afterwards, Legendary tries to explore this peculiar market niche featuring Dolph Lundgren as the merciless Hunter as a bait to hook us, an USA-China co-production is very flimsy shot on location on beautiful and peaceful landscape at China, a massive use of CGI process introduce to us a not listed of a new breed of reptilian, which has been viewed attacking the workers in a building of water collection at lake, the plot is preposterous and laughable, when they finally faces the reptile on a cave, is easy noticed a lousy sound stage, well after this point is unmanageable try to describe such foolishness, that it, if you want watch it, feel free and go ahead at your own risky!!

Resume:

First watch: 2020 / How many: 1 / Source: Blu-Ray / Rating: 4

Could have been so much better

[rdamian1963 · 3/10 · 25 June 2021]

What do you get when you mix low budget with a poor script and weak acting? Legendary.. it was nice to see the leads in something other than a martial arts/action flick. But this movie barely makes the B rating cut.

Missed opportunity

[Leofwine_draca · 3/10 · 20 April 2020]

Dolph Lundgren and Scott Adkins originally teamed up for the surprisingly excellent B-movie sequel UNIVERSAL SOLDIER: DAY OF RECKONING, so LEGENDARY marks a re-pairing of the two classic fight flick stars. Sadly, it's a hugely wasted opportunity for both actors, as neither of them get any proper fighting and the whole thing is a zero budget mess. It feels more like an indie than anything else, with a bunch of routine characters heading off to China in search of a legendary giant beastie and encountering it in the most mundane way imaginable.

As a massive fan of Lundgren and Adkins I was really eager to check this out, but I shouldn't have bothered. Lundgren has a small antagonist role while Adkins adopts an Indiana Jones-style persona. Both stars do their best and contribute some charisma, but the script is non-existent, the two giant CGI critters look poor, and the pacing is slow and stilted. A real missed opportunity, it pains me to say.

Disappointing experience

[korythacher · 4/10 · 8 October 2021]

Overall fine watch, but really fell apart everywhere. The total nonsense plot really detracted from the entire experience. It just kept getting a worse until the end.

It could have been good as it has a pretty good cast (DOLPH), decent characters, and solid production quality.

I expected a fun rivalry between manly-man hunter Dolph, and handsome-scientist Scott, but they didn't deliver. There was no fun rivalry at all: they turned Dolph into a cartoon villain by the end, Scott was annoying for most of it, and they made everyone's motivations and goals constantly shifting from scene to scene.

If you want a fun Dolph monster movie, try "Don't Kill It" instead.

Adkins vs Lundgren?

[HarrySmooth · 8/10 · 2 February 2021]

God I get SUCH a kick from all of you "Couch Critics"..... think your some kind of " Siskel and Ebert" can't ya just let go and ENJOY a Fun Flick? Was this A Class ? No.... but it was FUN and I love both Scott Adkins AND Dolph!!! I thoroughly enjoyed this movie... A lot of action and pretty good acting! So...... in real life, who do you think would Win the Fight? Dolph or Scott? My money goes on Dolph Lundgren! LOL

A GOOD FUN MONSTER MOVIE WITH A GREAT LEAD IN ADKINS

[lukem-52760 · 7/10 · 27 December 2020]

I totally enjoyed this fun throwback Monster Movie & it was nice to see the underrated Action Legend SCOTT ADKINS doing something different & here he played a different type of hero role & i loved it!!!!

ADKINS is good here doing something other than the usual kick-ass Martial arts stuff & he's very good which shows that the guy is genuinely a good talented movie star lead & not just a cheap low-budget Action hero which while nothing wrong with that as he's the underrated champ of the Action genre but it's nice to see him having fun in this nice guy, old fashioned Explorer type lead role as Dr. Travis Preston who is a Cryptozoologist & is goes to China to help investigate sightings of a huge lizard type creature that has Been attacking people, itself basic old school B-movie stuff but i love this stuff & got vibes of 90's Monster flicks like Lake Placid & Anaconda & even the newish Kong: Skull Island as this fits nicely into that Genre of Monster Movie's. We also have another Action great here with Dolphin Lundgren as a villain type an evil Hunter named Harker who has a history of beef with Travis & Dolph plays his role fine & is often funny but always sly & evil & it's right that whenever humans find a new species they always wanna hunt & kill it & it's wrong as creature's should be allowed to exist in their own territories & that's what ADKINS's Travis is trying to do is save this incredible creature & he has a nice little team that are all likeable too. A good little cast & well filmed with really good c.g.i for a lower budgeted movie like this, a real harmless old adventure type of flick with a sense of fun throughout. I like this type of movie & i think Scott Adkins is the most underrated Lead star or Action Hero working today!!!! A Gem of a movie. Here in England the dvd cover art is terrible as it shows the Creature to be a huge Dragon but it's not at all it's a big Lizard thing & is really well animated with c.g.i considering it's small budget. Fun flick

THE IMPOSSIBLE: THAT'S WHAT I DO BEST

[nogodnomasters · 4/10 · 15 May 2019]

Travis Preston (Scott Adkins) is a famous cyptozoologist. His nemesis is Harker (Dolph Lundgren) a trophy collector. When a "dragon" is filmed on a pipeline site inside of China, both men show up with their teams with opposite goals.

The special effects are CG and not great CG either. Our "dragon" looks like a giant gecko and I kept waiting for the insurance commercial. It is SyFy quality. Filmed in China, but really lacked the scenery I was hoping for. The acting was acceptable for a kids' film which appears to be the target audience. This could lead to a sequel or a series, but they would need better dialog and stars to be successful. Not as good as "The Lost World" with Claude Rains.

Greatest Film Ever Made

[brandonleeeberhart · 10/10 · 5 November 2016]

Dolph giveth and Dolph taketh and here Dolph giveth several beatings to several people and yet does not take anything from their bashed-in headed corpses.

Which I think says a lot about Darth Vader, Dolph Lundgren, and the Dolly Llama, as they are three people who know the meaning of the word "Carbon Dioxide" and you can take that to the bank...

The Blood Bank! Same place where the dudes in this probably go to get new blood after Dolph makes them leak all of theirs onto the ground- but he doesn't take it! He just leaves it there for them in a blue puddle.

In conclusion I think this film took place during Valentine's Day.

10Mhz/10 Mega Hearts

Well acted, directed, and shot

[journalistjoy-23305 · 9/10 · 15 January 2024]

I was looking forward to seeing Dolph Lundgren in something other than the Rocky movie... Pleasantly surprised at not only his acting, but also with the beautiful Yi Haung. She had some really sassy, and flirtatious moments with Scott that can't be missed. And the creature was well made and interesting. Not easy to do considering how many creature features are out there. The scenery is lush outside of the industrial scenes. I always wonder when another language is used how accurate the translation is. I've watched it with the captions on, so has not to miss a word ! I really like this movie and the whole family, including the kiddos will enjoy it as there is virtually no gore outside of one seeing at the morgue.