Willow Reviews

Brilliant

Fun! Interesting! Funny! Did I mention fun? Nothing came between Willow and the Lord Of The Rings in terms of GOOD fantasy movies. Willow is up to this day a very fun and interesting story, brilliantly told with lush landscapes, funny characters and a very interesting and unique storyline.

A must for any fan of fantasy!

Willow - childhood classic

I basically got this cos I adored it when I was little and wanted to refresh my memory. Consequently I'm kinda biased but I think kids will definitely like it, its a classic kid's fantasy tale- very imaginative and fast moving. Older peeps can watch and laugh at Val Kilmer being all rebel-without-a-cause anti-hero

[Highly rated reviewer]

This takes me back...

This takes me back to my childhood, a time of innocence and of wonder.

Maybe it's my fond memories of this film clouding my judgement but I still liked it as an adult!

I have to say looking at it from another point of view of someone that may not have seen it before I wouldn't recommend it.

The adults will be bored and so will the kids, this is due to today's fast action packed kids films, and unfortunately a love story in a magical world may not be enough to hold the attention of today's youth. (So sad)

But I'm still a big kid at heart!

Cassic Kids Film

If you have children or are a child at heart then this is the film for you.

My children adored it, i must admit i kinda liked it as well.

Good Fantasy Film to watch with children

This is a film I saw many years ago and when I saw it available to rent I thought it was time to revisit it.

This is a fantasy film, starring Warwick Davis [Harry Potter, Hitchikers Guide to the Galaxy], as Willow, one of the “little people”, who sets of with others on a quest to save the world from the evil ruler. He is joined by Val Kilmer [Top Gun, Batman Forever], as Madmardigan, an unlikely participant to aid Willow on his quest. Initially sounding like a Lord of the Rings type film, but there the similarity ends.

Whilst a good film at the time, compared against modern fantasy films this is showing it’s age. Where it really comes into it own is as a family film. Whilst there is some violence this is far less than most films and should be suitable for most children. It includes a few sword fights, but doesn’t include much in the way of detail. There is one impalement of an enemy, but no obvious blood makes it suitable for most children.

The story involves enough action to keep it interesting and has the odd bit of humour thrown in throughout the film. Whilst it may not be the first on the list of most adults, it is watchable so a good film to watch along with a child.

A Great Film

I saw this film just after it's first release, and had forgotten just how good it is.

If it is compared to similar modern films, then it falls short in the special effects line, but as a family film that shows just how love can overcome obstacles, it is a five-star winner!

[Highly rated reviewer]

Better in the mists of memory

Ah, 'Willow'. A movie that nestles snugly in distant memory. A movie I must have seen dozens of times as a child, and yet all I remembered was the scene where Madmartigan is in the cage goading Willow with cries of 'Peck! Peckpeckpeckpeckpeeeeeeeeeeeeck!!!' As I recalled, it was a good film. Unfortunately, this opinion was not borne out by a more recent viewing.

'Willow' tells the tale of a dwarf charged with the perilous task of taking a human baby from his village and handing her to the first human he sees in the outside world. As it turns out, the baby is the child prophesised to overthrow the queen of the realm and... well, it all gets a bit complex after that.

That complexity is part of the problem. The fantasy world is not terribly well put together. It is too complicated, there is no real mythology binding everything together, and elements seem somewhat random at times. This is several steps below tightly woven fantasies like 'Lord of the Rings' and 'The Princess Bride'.

In contrast, the characters are not complex at all, and I had difficulty drudging up empathy for anyone other than Madmartigan and Peck (sorry, Willow).

Despite these failings there are some genuinely funny moments, almost all of which involve the crazy little brownies. Shame they don't get more screen time.

As much as I wanted to like this film in adulthood, it simply doesn't live up to the childhood memory... perhaps the key was not remembering very much about it.

All that said, 'Willow' is enjoyable enough but not spectacular. There are worse movies you could show your kids. If they're lucky, they won't care about the less than sparkling bits (and will be able to avoid seeing it again in adulthood).

Don't confuse this with Legend

I rented this thinkning it was Ridley Scotts fairy tale fantasy.

This is Ron Howards collabaration with George Lucas to produce a rather self-indulgent fantasy movie where a dwarf named Willow has to return the messianical baby boy to his people in order he can defeat the evil queen. Val Kilmer plays a bragging swordsman (evidently based on Han Solo in Star Wars), and Joanne Whalley plays the eveil Queens martial daughter.

The kids will probably like this film, but I thought it was rather lacking in finesse, especially when the Rings triolgy has set a new standard for fantasy films.

George Lucas gets routinely slagged off...

...by people that love Star Wars (esp the original trilogy) and he gets routinely slagged off by people that hate Star Wars (or are indifferent to it). George is a genius. He has changed Cinema forever and he has launched a thousand careers but no-one is perfect. Ron Howard does an OK job but one wonders if this was just a vehicle for Georges mate, Warwick Davies that was in SW.EpVI (ROTJ) as Wicket the Ewok (as a Child) and was then in the mediocre expanded universe Ewok Kids TV Films 'Caravan of Courage' and 'Battle for Endor. The production values are better than these two as are most of the special effects. When you put Willow in context of visually stunning but poorly draughted and executed Fanatasy films such as 'Legend' and the dated 'Krull' it definatley holds up, even today. George is a genius, but I cant help thinking of 'Lord of the Rings' and the hobbits when seeing this again with my little girl. She loved it though. So give it a go (esp with your kids) but dont expect the originality of 'The Dark Crystal' or the brilliance 'The L.O.T.Rings' Trilogy.

Underrated masterpiece!

There are few films with the imagination, action, romance, suspense and 'otherworldliness' to be a true fantasy classic. Willow is one such film. Val Kilmer excels as the dashing, adventurous and rude (but still charming) hero, that has been Harrison Ford's trademark role in Lucas' other productions Star Wars and Indiana Jones. He has excellent support from Warwick Davis as the bumbling, Frodo-like sidekick, whose ineptitude is matched by strength of character. The story is simple enough but the interplay between the various characters (especially between Val Kilmer and his real life wife) keeps things interesting for the adults, while the swashbuckling action and superbly crafted additional characters such as the pixies are great fun for the kids. Altogether a superb fantasy film that shows that such a story does not have to be an 'epic' or based on a classic piece of literature to be superb entertainment.