Metascore
45 out of 100

Mixed or average reviews - based on 23 Critics

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 7 out of 23
  2. Negative: 10 out of 23
  1. 88
    The latest offering from Edward Zwick, the director of "Glory," is the kind of movie that doesn't require much effort to surrender to and enjoy.
  2. 75
    What makes Legends such an entertaining male weepie is the star shine. Though the admirable Quinn has the toughest role, Pitt carries the picture.
  3. 75
    It's pretty good, in fact, with full-blooded performances and heartfelt melodrama.
  4. There's a lot of beauty and excitement in Legends of the Fall - not least from the actors. [13 Jan 1995]
  5. Director Zwick orchestrates everything with welcome gusto, and though the result is not as meaningful as it would have you believe, it is undeniably pleasant to have this kind of production to kick around. [23 Dec 1994]
  6. Reviewed by: Leonard Klady
    70
    While emotionally intense, it's neither hurried nor charged with false drama. It's also one of the most handsome of recent films, with sterling work by cameraman John Toll and production designer Lilly Kilvert.
  7. Reviewed by: Staff (Not Credited)
    63
    The golden shadows of the waning Old West are thrown across the big screen with full reverential treatment in this solid, unsurprising rendition of Jim Harrison's widely praised novella.
  8. Reviewed by: Ian Nathan
    60
    In all, Legends Of The Fall is a grand bore, more laughable than stirring. So big everything becomes blurry and distant, so beautiful it could be ad for male hair products.
  9. Legends of the Fall is so gorgeous that its failure to catch fire seems a piddling concern.
  10. The camerawork, which relies heavily on shots of picture-perfect vistas and not enough on human beings and their place in this world. When we do see the characters, we primarily see their beauty.
  11. 50
    The acting is the strongest thing about the film. Pitt nicely balances the dashing and wounded sides of Tristan's character. [13 Jan 1995]
  12. These are performances that lost too much in the editing room, smothered by music and overshadowed by a picture-postcard vision of the American West.
  13. This puffed-up Western set in Big Sky country becomes a small-screen horse opera.
  14. Legends of the Fall never makes you think too hard; its woes-of-a-proud-family formula takes a back seat to a self-conscious visual style that strains toward the level of myth.
  15. Reviewed by: Mike Clark
    38
    Long, lumbering, pretentious and for some a possible laff riot. [23 Dec 1994]
  16. While the production is attractive in a calendar-photo sort of way, there's not a speck of genuine feeling in its glossy images.
  17. Legends of the Fall is one of those movies that is so sloppy and so poorly written and so clumsily directed that every dramatic scene seems to either insult your intelligence or come off as being unintentionally hilarious. [13 Jan 1995]
  18. Reviewed by: Jay Carr
    25
    This one is hollow and caves in on itself, growing wearisome and posed, ending in a burst of salvational violence and a coda of sentimentality masquerading as transcendent toughness. [13 Jan 1995]
  19. The narrative line itself rambles increasingly down a path toward tawdry melodrama, defeating the impact of the handsome visuals and finely etched performances. [13 Jan 1995]
  20. Reviewed by: Richard Schickel
    20
    We're left with our stifled laughter and a very long movie.
  21. Reviewed by: Desson Howe
    10
    It doesn't take long to realize that Legends is an unintentional howler.
  22. 10
    Legends of the Fall is a magnificent bore: a western saga lolling in its own immensity - its big music, its big scenery and, yes, its big hair
  23. Reviewed by: Amy Gamerman
    0
    Nobody fares well in this movie about sibling rivalry, doomed love and fringed suede. [05 Jan 1995]
User Score

Generally favorable reviews- based on 21 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 7 out of 8
  2. Mixed: 0 out of 8
  3. Negative: 1 out of 8
  1. JayP
    10
    One of the best movies of all time!!!! must see the critics are idiots.
  2. Beautifully acted and amazing direction, but the movie just seemed a bit...average (albeit on the high end of average). The stars are numerous and at the top of their game and the story is riveting, but Legends of the Fall never establishes the most important part of a movie...a likable character. Where Legends of the Fall fails is the simple act that there is not a single character that the viewer can look at and share sympathy with as each of them are so self righteous or self loathing. Pitt is the only person (along with the minor role of Gordon Tootoosis) that any one can feel for, but even he makes situation so difficult that the viewer can't relate to him or anyone. Legends of the Fall is a good movie but with a likable character it could have been great. Full Review »
  3. This is a great, heart felt tale about a family overcoming obstacles, coming together and proving that family comes first. The actors give great performances and this is in my top 5 movies of all time. Full Review »