Ron Howard is not one of my favorite filmmakers. I often find his work to be bland and boring. However, I’ll always have a soft spot for 1988’s Willow. George Lucas executive produced and wrote the story (though not the screenplay) so the film has that Lucasfilm feel to it, which is probably where my affection comes from. Though it has a few minor flaws, Willow is breezy and entertaining ‘80s fantasy fun.
War is brewing in a magical realm ruled over by an evil sorceress queen. She is searching for a baby girl who is prophesized to destroy the queen and bring light back to the darkened land. The baby, in a sequence echoing the Moses story, is found by a family of Nelwyns (think Hobbits, in one of many nods to Tolkein). This leads to a quest to ensure the human baby’s survival and free a good sorceress from exile and enchantment. Along the way, we’ll meet up with brownies, fairies, trolls, soldiers, weird monstrous dogs, a really cool and unique dragon, and a roguish swordsman.
Willow has an excellent cast including Warwick Davis as the titular aspiring sorcerer, Val Kilmer as the brash Madmartigan, Joanne Whalley as the bewitching Sorsha, and Kevin Pollack as a mischievous brownie. Performances are all great, especially Davis’ turn as the warm and determined Willow. Kilmer chews the scenery but isn’t distracting and provides a nice broadly drawn counterpoint to Davis’ sincerity. The effects are well done, though maybe showing their age, slightly. Battle scenes, including the climactic sequence with a stop motion two-headed dragon, are clearly shot and thrilling. Production design is top notch, with sets, locations, and costumes providing depth and texture to this strange world.
I have two gripes with the movie. One, the love story between Madmartigan and Sorsha is awkward and undercooked. This is a direction and script problem, and not a result of Kilmer and Whalley’s character work. The second is the character of General Kael. Kael is all appearance and not much else. The character is completely underwritten and undeserving of his place within the mechanics of the story.
Though I have a few criticisms, Willow still mostly holds up. As far as epic fantasy films go, it’s one of the better ones. Propelled by a decent budget employed creatively, it’s a very likable flick. Lightly violent is parts, this edge makes it stand out from other all ages type adventure fare. Seemingly forgotten amongst Lucasfilm’s towering catalog, Willow is worth a watch.
Michael Cavender