I have such fond memories of this movie that I was stunned I tell you, Stunned! to find out that it was a commercial failure and didn't even make back its money.

The year was 1985 and most of you probably weren't even alive. Fantasy and science fiction was all the rage in cinemas and somehow this one managed to pass us all by. I was one of the ones that actually saw it in theaters because it was rated PG (it easily could have been made into something more gruesome.)

The plot is like this: Darkness (Tim Curry) wishes to cast the world into eternal night. In order to do so he must capture the Unicorns, which are the protectors of light, and sever their horns. Once this is complete darkness (literally and figuratively) will be victorious forever. Evil prevails at first (as you would expect) and now Jack (played by a very young Tom Cruise) must enter the lair of "Darkness" and free the last remaining unicorn to avoid eternal night. Yeah, it sounds dumb but it is actually visually stunning and only a few of the characters are annoying.

Who would have thought that after directing Alien and Blade Runner that Ridley Scott would flop at the box office? The cinematography is beautiful, the non human characters have some of the most legend-ary costumes ever contrived at that point in time. Especially with Tim Curry as this Satan-type-thing called "Darkness"

I can't begin to understand how this movie managed to fail. You have one of the most cherished directors, a story in a genre that was exceptionally popular at the time, a fantastic musical score, a massive (for the time) budget, and one of the biggest movie stars of all time in the lead role.

The overall professional critic assessment of this film differs greatly from that of the general public. I mean a LOT. This movie has become a cult classic and it thoroughly deserves that ascription. I would be very interested to hear what those of you with a background in film studies have to say about why this managed to not succeed.