Willow (1988)

It's complicated... I really like the directing, acting and writing but, there are issues with the way it's shot that I just can't deny. As much as I love the storytelling and the fantastic performance but, there are also certain scenes that didn't need to exist.

Fanciful, disturbing, and wildly original, it announces the arrival of a fresh, bold voice in American cinema.

The film makes a home in your brain and the only cure is to see it again.

The story, direction, characters, and writing/dialogue is akin to taking a tranquilizer shot to the neck, but everything else was so well done.

I am seeing a lot of negative reviews on this, claiming that it was "too violent to be a kids film." Take a moment to look at the release date, its 1988. The kids weren't coddled as much then, they weren't treated like adults...but it was understood that they were mentally capable of understanding things better, of dealing with more, of more maturity and were allowed more independence. Parents let their kids watch "Commando" and "Lethal Weapon" back then And it was understood that we kids could handle it just fine.Today, Willow would be rated "R" and certainly not made for children...that is if they made it the same way. So, take a breath, and realize 2 things before we start. 1) Times change and 2) kids are smarter than you give them credit for.Awe man, it came out when I was 8 and, well, it was THE MOVIE TO WATCH back then. All the kids on the block loved "Willow." I mean, we used to hum the theme song when we did the stupid crap that little boys do.Swing from a rope, hum the Willow theme. Battle each other with sticks, hum the Willow theme.It's sort of like "Lord of the Rings" only entertaining. It's sort of like "Star Wars" only in the Dark Ages. It is sort of like the ultimate childhood fantasy movie.And now that I am older, I still love it. It is still entertaining, but it's really the nostalgia that goes along with it.It's a film made of little boys...but one in the 80s that is still sort of dark and would NEVER get made of kids today. Probably because of that, when I watch it, I feel like I'm 8 again.Little kids love adventure movies and this is, well, this was the best adventure any of us had ever seen aside from Star Wars.

A prophecy foresees the downfall of evil sorceress Queen Bavmorda by a baby girl with a special birthmark. Bavmorda imprisons all pregnant women to check for the birthmark. A nursemaid secrets away the baby floating her down the river. Willow Ufgood (Warwick Davis) is a struggling Nelwyn farmer. His kids find the baby and decide to keep her despite his objection. Bavmorda sends her daughter Sorsha (Joanne Whalley) and General Kael to lead a search for the baby. Nelwyn sorcerer The High Aldwin decide to send Willow to find a Daikini willing to care for the baby. Willow finds Madmartigan (Val Kilmer) locked in a cage. Airk Thaughbaer leads what remains of his army to battle Bavmorda. With no other options, Willow releases Madmartigan and gives the baby to him. The tiny Brownies steal the baby and capture Willow. Fairy queen Cherlindrea explains that the baby is Elora Danan and she chooses him for a quest. Cherlindrea gives him a powerful wand and sends him to find sorcerer Fin Raziel with the help of Rool and Franjean.Lucas is pushing the envelop on what is possible in computer graphics. It is not quite there but it is interesting in the attempt. As for the story, it has all the elements of high adventure. Willow should complain a little less in the first act. He sounds too whiny in that first part especially during the escape in the cart. Val Kilmer is a good cad. The story needs a few more passes to make it flow better. The action could be better choreographed especially the hand-to-hand fighting. This could be a great fantasy adventure but the CGI is not completely ready and the story needs a little more work. Ron Howard needs to worry more about the story and less about the computer work.

Willow tells the tale of one Willow Ufgood, a middle-aged hobbit... I mean nelwyn, whose children find a young human... I mean daikini baby, who has drifted down the river. His... I mean her name is Moses... I mean Elora, and she is the child of a prophecy, destined to bring the downfall of evil sorceress queen named Voldemort... I mean Bavmorda.Sound familiar? Well, good because that's kind of the point. It's a classic fantasy story, heavily utilizing the hero's journey structure. But it's the execution here that counts, not the seeming clichédness of the basic story. And the execution is not bad at all. Most of the characters are likable, the story captivating and the world they build is more than interesting. Even if they give silly names to what are clearly common fantasy races.The two biggest problems are that some of the characters, like the minuscule brownies, are pretty annoying, needless comic relief more than anything, and that the special effects haven't aged all that well. They're impressive for their time, yes, but the movie focuses on them too much and in a very noticeable way. The story also contains a few hiccups, though nothing major.All in all Willow is just as important for the fantasy film genre as Legend from the same decade. It paved the road for future fantasy epics and is more than decent film in its own right. Definitely worth checking out for all the fans of the genre.

Willow is a classic, unforgettable, timeless fun fantasy-adventure. It is wonderful for the entire family but is particularly well-suited for kids to enjoy. Willow is a great all around movie experience. It is a fair tale that has strong elements of epic fantasy adventure including genuine drama, entertaining action, uplifting humor, and even some true romance with imaginative creatures, dark magic, an evil queen and one really cute baby. Willow is set to protect the special baby from capture with the help of many allies along the way including the great warrior Madmartigan, the evil queen's daughter Sorsha, and the very, very tiny brownie people, also with many great others along the journey. Willow is a courageous young sorcerer dwarf and Madmartigan is a fearless, and funny warrior man. Warwick Davis is great as Willow. Davis is easily one of the best little person actors I've ever seen. There are many of the good little person actors to be found in Willow. Val Kilmer does a fabulous job in bringing his character to life. Kilmer is a genius. Davis and Kilmer have very good chemistry with each another. I love those guys. Joanne Whalley plays the faithful and beautiful bowstress, Sorsha. Just like Madmartigan, I feel madly in love with Joanne Whalley. During her moving scenes, she is captivatingly gorgeous. Joanne is stunning! I was very young when I first saw Willow so I'll never forget how gazing upon beautiful Joanne made me feel. It had to be one of my very first most intense crushes. See, Val, you weren't the only one. Jean Marsh is specifically mesmerizing as the queen. The scene where Willow first encounters Madmartigan in his cage is a classically clever moment and a really powerful way that the two heroes would come together. There is a great wind of wild adventure on the horizon in their meeting. The story of Willow is made for the movies as are the characters of Willow forever memorable, and the fancy sets and scenery are too. There are many movies that Willow resembles but I cannot even begin to name them here. Labryinth, Robin Hood, Witches, The Princess Bride, Harry Potter and some Lord of the Rings. It's a lovely genre! George Lucas came up with a marvelous story and Ron Howard did a stellar and bright job directing this awesome movie. If you grew up around the time of Willow and haven't seen it or maybe not seen it for awhile, watch it and you're sure to enjoy it.