Willow (Special Edition)

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Customer Reviews:

"I have Cherlindrea's wand, Bavmorda!" [Posted on 2008-06-17]
This Lucas-written, Ron Howard-directed "epic fantasy" is one of those commercial flops that actually came to find a sizeable cult-following in the years after its theatrical run--whether via TV-showings, VHS, or now in this bright DVD incarnation.

Yes, the plot is totally derivative: savior-babies in reed baskets; halfling-types who must be brave enough to "carry" a serious burden on their shoulders; Brave but exiled swordfighter; Evil sorceror with equally evil General. Yeah, yeah, we get it. But Willow is not as unoriginal as 99% of the lame movies made these days, and all in all a fun, engaging adventure/fantasy flick with some believable performances that sort of lift it up to genuinely "beloved" status.

For the scope of the thing, it's not too badly plotted. Things happen at a nice click, and happen reasonably. The effects are dated now, but a few were actually groundbreaking at the time (the Raziel "morphing" scene).

In terms of the tale, a mysterious newborn Princess is being hunted by a sorceress queen named Bavmorda, and for good reason. There's been a prophecy that the infant will one day bring about her destruction, and the queen needs to obliterate the kid's soul with a spell. With the help of an ill-fated midwife, however, the babe is floated down a river until it reaches the home of a dwarf-farmer (a "Nelwyn") named Willow.

Reluctantly, Willow takes a shine to the babe and is swept-up in the adventures required to preserve her life from the wicked queen, her henchman, Kael, and her sexy-ginge daughter, Sorsha. Willow is enlisted to carry the baby to the world of the Big People, but gets waylaid by a spectral fairy-lady who apparently can't leave her forest to fight Bavmorda, but gives the midge a powerful wand and tells him to deliver it to a rival sorceress named Raziel, who can use it to oust Queenie and save the baby.

Along the way, of course, Val Kilmer enters the picture as the surly but eventually loyal warrior, and they are accompanied by two annoying "brownies" from Fairyville who are akin to mosquitos, in terms of being welcome additions to the story. Anyhow, they find the good sorceress, only to discover that she has been whupped by Bavmorda and turned into a possum (of all things).

The story then shifts toward Willow's need to get the baby safely to a fabled castle called 'Tir Asleen' and learn a touch magic so he can use the crooked wand to re-morph the good witch. None of this is successful and, several battles, snowboardings, and double-headed dragons later, the baby gets stolen and the goodies ride to save it, right up to the gates of Bavmorda's castle. (Sound familiar?)

Snatching a trick from Circe of Greek myth, Bavmorda puts a spell on the whole army and turns them into pigs--even her own daughter, Sorsha, who got the hots for Val Kilmer and defected to the good camp. Willow escapes pigdom and finally gets the hang of the wand. He painstakingly transforms Raziel back to human form, where she is a bit miffed to discover that she has, in fact, become a wrinkled old baggage. Even so, she's got some mojo and appropriates the stick from Willow, restoring the army. The final battle in the castle is well-filmed, as is the tense showdown between the rickety old witches. A cute little plot twist comes at the end, but nothing super-spectacular.

This is basically a cute Lucasfilm that is marginally less hokey than the Ewoks. That's a good thing. Ron Howard does a good job directing and James Horner does, too, with the grand score. Warwick Davis (later of "Leprechaun 1, 2,3,4,& 5 fame) does a worthy acting job here (especially since he's essentially "carrying" the picture--which was his first and must've been tough). Other performances are standard: Val Kilmer gets the job done but seems bored; Billy Barty is his usual sweet old self. Brit actress Jean Marsh is genuinely scary as Bavmorda--just the right amount of simmering evil without getting too hammy. Patricia Hayes lends great dignity as old-biddy enchantress Raziel. Call me sentimental, but I thought the most moving performance in this film was by one of the other "little" folk--the actress who plays Willow's wife, Kaia.

This sturdy action/fantasy/adventure has got loads of nice but generic Lucas mythical touches, and lots of chummy Ron Howard dependability. A keeper for young and old, if not a classic, by any shake of the stick.

good movie [Posted on 2008-07-28]
I have enjoyed this movie since I was a kid and now my children like it.

DVD from amazon [Posted on 2008-08-16]
the item I purchased arrived in excellent condition and also in a very timely manner.

"I Hate Trolls!" [Posted on 2008-10-03]
WARNING: This review may contain spoilers!

George Lucas (Star Wars Trilogy) has always enjoyed delving into mythological archetypes in his films and when Willow was released in 1988, it served as an example of his fascination with stories of unlikely and unexpected heroes. Directed by Ron Howard (Splash), Willow was a Box Office and critical disappointment when it first debuted, however since then it has developed a loyal following of diehard fans.

When a baby girl is born bearing a birthmark on her arm, a birthmark that signifies that she will overthrow the evil queen Bavmorda, Bavmorda orders the child's destruction. But the nursemaid who was attending the baby's mother hides the newborn in a pile of laundry and escapes the queen's castle without detection. When Bavmorda discovers that the child is missing, she sends out her soldiers and Death Dogs to retrieve the baby. When the nursemaid sees the approaching Death Dogs, she sends the baby down the river in a raft, which is carried downstream until it washes up on the riverbank of a Nelwyn (a race of short people similar to dwarfs) village. The baby is found by two Nelwyn children who tell their father Willow, a local farmer and aspiring sorcerer's apprentice. Willow doesn't dare tell the other Nelwyns of his discovery for fear that he will be blamed for any misfortune that may befall their village (Nelwyns are naturally superstitious and fearful of the outside world). But after an attack by the Queen's Death Dogs, Willow takes the baby before the village council where he is chosen to take the baby back to the Daikini (the Nelwyn term for tall people) lands. Willow embarks on a perilous journey, with only a small group of Nelwyns, and it's not long before he comes across a charismatic Daikini prisoner named Madmartigan. Madmartigan claims that he would take care of the baby if they would just free him from his hanging cage, which the Nelwyns do with some reluctance. As Willow heads home, he discovers that the baby has been kidnapped by Brownies (tiny mischievous forest sprites) who take the baby to the realm of the Fairy Queen. She bestows unto Willow a magic wand and tells him that he must safeguard the baby, who she tells him is named Elora Danan. Following the Fairy Queen's instructions, Willow then takes Elora to the island where famous sorceress Fin Raziel has been exiled. He is guided by two of the Brownies, Franjean and Rool, and soon they meet up with Madmartigan. Bavmorda's soldiers track them down and Madmartigan proves to be a valiant warrior and expert swordsman. By the time Willow finds Fin Raziel, she has been turned into a possum-like creature by Bavmorda (why Bavmorda didn't simply kill Raziel, I'll never know). Bavmorda's soldiers are lead by her beautiful and rebellious daughter Sorsha, who captures Willow and his companions. After a daring escape Willow, Elora, Madmartigan, and Raziel seek out the castle of Tir Asleen where they will be safe from Bavmorda's army. However, upon their arrival they discover that the castle is under a curse, and worse, it's crawling with hairy, odorous, flesh-eating trolls. When Bavmorda's army attacks and Elora is abducted, Madmartigan defends the castle and stages a climactic battle against Bavmorda's vile forces. Meanwhile Willow and Raziel face Bavmorda in an exciting final confrontation of magic against magic.

The cast includes Warwick Davis as Willow, Val Kilmer as Madmartigan, Jean Marsh as Bavmorda, Patricia Hayes as Raziel, and Joanne Whalley as Sorsha.
The film's strengths are its elaborate action scenes depicting swordfights, battles with vicious trolls, and a fight against a two-headed, fire-breathing dragon. However the film suffers from a script, which isn't sure whether the film is intended for a sophisticated adult audience or an audience of children. Ultimately the film appeals to an audience of predominantly male viewers, between the ages of six and thirteen years old.

The special features on this DVD include an audio commentary by Warwick Davis, Willow: The Making of an Adventure vintage featurette, From Morf to Morphing: the Dawn of Digital Filmmaking featurette, production stills and image gallery, and theatrical trailers and TV spots.

Also recommended:
The Dark Crystal
The NeverEnding Story
The Black Cauldron
Labyrinth
Jim Henson's the Storyteller: The Definitive Collection
The Princess Bride
The Chronicles of Narnia

Fantastic Movie! [Posted on 2008-10-11]
Willow was such a delightful movie. I've had the movie for years and about every two years I play it again--it's that entertaining. You would think Hollywood would take the hint and had sequels to this movie. I feel this way about Clash of the Titans also--still playing it every so often since the 80's! Anyway, Val Kilmer was great and the little folks stole the show! We need more--come on Hollywood, start growing some smarts!

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