Willow (1988)

 Willow (1988)


Ron Howard’s Willow, a vision from Star Wars creator George Lucas, is a fantasy film that has lots of heart, a committed performance from Warwick Davis, and breakthrough special effects. That said the screenplay from Bob Dolman, which has its positive merits, is very simple in its storytelling method with predictable story elements from start to finish. At times, it seemed like the story is being outdone by the special effects. It does not matter because the film ended up being a cult classic with strong home video sales, and people spent years clamoring for a sequel. It looks like people got their wish with the upcoming Disney+ series thirty years after the original release. Personally, I love fantasy/sci-fi films, so I knew this type of movie would be up my alley. I had lots of fun getting to know these characters from the mind of George Lucas despite its simple story that may or may not have been influenced from Star Wars.

Lucas conceived the story idea in 1972 as a film about literal interpretation of little people going up against the system, a similar concept to Star Wars. He had to wait until the mid-1980’s for his vision to be made because he needed to wait for technology advancement. The film created and incorporated a huge breakthrough for CGI, something called digital morphing. This concept is huge for human-to-animal transitions (as happened in this particular movie) and was successfully incorporated in later films like Terminator 2. One cannot be blamed if they would say the movie had more style over substance. For a 1988 feature, the visual effects are outstanding.

Coming off a successful sci-fi film with a lot of heart in Cocoon, Ron Howard was looking to direct a fantasy film. Lucas, who directed Howard in American Graffiti, believed the pair had a symbiotic relationship, so they (along with Bob Dolman) spent months together working on the script. They had their work cut out for them because the fantasy genre was not a working genre for studios at the time considering the failures of features such as Legend. They were able to convince MGM, which had financial troubles at the time, to back their movie. While the film was by no means a box office bomb, it did not blow the roof off. Thankfully, international and home video sales gave the film the boost it needed. In the end, it became a cult classic that everyone loves today.

Our story begins with a baby girl being discovered in a river by the children of Willow Ufgood (Warwick Davis), a dwarf farmer and magician. When the village is attacked by these dog-like creatures, the wizard named High Aldwin (Billy Barty) gives Willow a task to leave town and return the baby to the humans. Little does he know that the evil Queen Baymorda (Jean Marsh) has given a decree for all human girls to be killed based on a prophecy that one baby girl is destined to bring Baymorda down…which happens to be this particular baby Elora. Along the way, Willow meets allies such as the swordsman Madmartigan (Val Kilmer), sorceress Fin Raziel (Patricia Hayes) and the two brownies, Franjean (Rick Overton) and Rool (Kevin Pollack). They need to keep the girl away from their pursuers: Baymorda’s daughter, Sorsha (Joanne Whalley) and the evil General Kael (Pat Roach). If they can, perhaps Elora’s destiny could be fulfilled.

I thought the performances were wonderful. Warwick Davis only receives third billing despite being the titular character, but he still gives a strong performance with lots of heart. He was originally approached by Lucas during Return of the Jedi but it was worth the five-year wait it seems. Val Kilmer is great as the shady, self-centered swordsman. The scene where Davis and Kilmer met for the first time when Kilmer’s character is locked in the cage is one of my favorite scenes. I find that when it comes to evil witches, actresses relish at the chance to show off their characters. Jean Marsh is no exception as her performance is deliciously juicy as she truly inhabits the role of Baymorda. I will say that when a lot of things happen throughout the film, the camera pans on the baby’s face as it displays different reactions. It was cute at first, but it slowly became annoying for me.

Overall, Willow may not be the best fantasy film out there. It took me some time to enjoy the story because the pacing is indeed slow. I may have liked Howard’s Cocoon or the similar Princess Bride better, but this remains an engaging adventure that blossoms with a lot of heart and soul. There are some Star Wars references (I think the brownie characters are reminiscent of C-3PO and R2-D2 as comedy relief). Still, a film that is worth watching especially for any fan of the genre. I am curious about the upcoming television series. The special effects are game-changing, and James Horner did craft a beautiful score for the movie.

My Grade: B

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