Fantasy movies can be very entertaining when they are done well. When they aren't done well, the movies can end up being huge messes. Willow had a few issues, but it was a very entertaining movie overall.
Willow Ufgood, a Nelwyn farmer who hoped to become a sorcerer, ended up going on a dangerous adventure after his children found an infant. Along the way, he learned that the baby, Elora Danan, was destined to end the reign of the evil Queen Bavmorda. Naturally, the Queen wasn't happy about that and wanted to deal with Elora before she became a threat. Sorsha, Bavmorda's daughter, was searching for the baby on her mother's behalf. Willow was helped by Madmartigan, a swordsman, two Brownies, and Fin Razelle, a sorceress turned into an opossum by Bavmorda.
Willow was based on an original story by George Lucas. I recently read that Lucas had wanted to adapt The Hobbit. When he couldn't get the rights to the story, he wrote his own fantasy story. There were some elements in his story that were similar to things from The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings, most notably being that a main character was a short person who went on a dangerous quest. Those similarities kept the movie from being more original, but I still thought it was very entertaining and worth watching.
There were several magical elements throughout Willow. Before leaving on the quest with the baby, Willow was hoping to be chosen as an apprentice by the sorcerer in his village. He could do some simple magic tricks, like making a pig disappear, but he hadn't done much else at that point. At one point during his journey, he encountered a village of Brownies and was given a powerful wand with instructions to take it to Fin Razelle, a sorceress. She had been turned into an opossum and was unable to do any magic in that form. She instructed Willow during the journey with mixed results. I enjoyed the magical elements in the movie. There were also other things that are typical of a fantasy movie like monsters. Special effects were used for some of the scenes dealing with the magical things. They were well done for when the movie was made and have held up fairly well.
Even though the characters were fighting Queen Bavmorda and her army, the adventure in Willow was fun and entertaining. There was a decent amount of action throughout the movie provided by some fights and chases. Madmartigan was involved in most of the fighting. There was some violence in the action scenes, especially later in the movie. None of the violence was that graphic or extreme, but it was a bit too strong for children. Some of those things are a bit too violent for younger children even though the movie is fairly family friendly overall. Willow and Madmartigan encountered many obstacles during their journey that helped to keep things interesting. The plot moved along at a fairly fast pace, but I never felt like things were rushed. Madmartigan or the two Brownies who went along on the journey said and did many things that added some humor to the movie. I thought it was really funny when Madmartigan was dressed up as a woman.
When Madmartigan first saw Sorsha, it was clear that he was attracted to her even though she was evil at that point. As the movie progressed, they shared some other exchanges that hinted that there was something between them. The budding relationship between them really didn't add much to the movie, but I didn't think it detracted from the main plot either. I always thought it was sweet how Val Kilmer and Joanne Whalley fell in love while making the movie and later got married. Their interaction in the movie doesn't seem as sweet to me now since their marriage fell apart and they divorced. Willow was married, though his wife was barely in the movie. Even though she wasn't shown much, it was clear how the two felt about each other.
Willow was a young farmer who hoped to become a sorcerer. He didn't want to deal with the baby when his children first found her, but that soon changed. He quickly became protective of her and wanted to make sure she was safe. The part was written specifically for Warwick Davis to play. He has been in several movies, but usually hidden under a lot of makeup or an elaborate costume. For this movie, he was able to perform without all the makeup or costumes. I think he was wonderful in the part. There were many dwarves in the movie for the scenes set in the village where Willow lived. Elora Danan was the baby who was destined to defeat Bavmorda.
Madmartigan was not in a good place in his life when he and Willow first met. Much about him and his past remained a mystery. He was very good in battle, but he didn't seem to be loyal to anyone. He ended up working with Willow to protect the baby. I really liked Val Kilmer in the part. Rool and Franjean were the two brownies who tagged along for the adventure. They helped in their own way while also bickering over which one was in charge. Fin Razelle was a powerful sorceress that Bavmorda had turned into an opossum. Fin Razelle only in a human form for a short time.
Queen Bavmorda was the evil woman controlling the land. She had a powerful army she used to defeat anyone who opposed her. She had heard of the prophecy about a female baby being born who would be able to defeat her. Bavmorda was determined to find the baby and perform a ritual to protect herself. Bavmorda was a vicious woman who only cared about herself. Jean Marsh was really good in the part. Sorsha was Bavmorda's daughter. Sorsha was a fighter and it seemed her mother only cared about her as long as she was able to fight for her. There wasn't much of a relationship between the two, which was probably why Sorsha was tempted by Madmartigan. Joanne Whalley handled the part well.
Main Cast
Warwick Davis - Willow Patricia Hayes - Fin Razelle Val Kilmer - Madmartigan Jean Marsh - Queen Bavmorda Joanne Whalley - Sorsha
Ron Howard - Director
DVD Information
I recently picked up the DVD of Willow for under $10. The copy I got is the special edition that has the anamorphic widescreen version of the movie. There is a commentary of Warwick Davis that I haven't listened to yet. There were two featurettes, Morf to Morphing and Willow: Making of an Adventure that were very interesting. There was also a still gallery and the trailers for the movie.
Willow is a fun fantasy adventure movie that has held up well and is still very entertaining and enjoyable. Fans of the cast or of fantasy movies in general should give the movie a chance.
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