Willow
From AwardAnnals
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| Director(s) | Ron Howard |
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| Distributor | 20th Century Fox |
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| From legendary filmmakers George Lucas and Ron Howard comes one of the most beloved fantasy tales of all time. This groundbreaking film features stunning special effects, dazzling action and a classic battle between good and evil. When young Willow Ufgood (Warwick Davis) finds an abandoned baby, he is suddenly thrust unto an adventure filled with magic and danger. According to an ancient prophecy, the sacred child is destined to end the reign of the evil sorceress Queen Bavmorda (Jean Marsh). Now, the only a single swordsman (Val Kilmer) at his side, Willow… | |
From legendary filmmakers George Lucas and Ron Howard comes one of the most beloved fantasy tales of all time. This groundbreaking film features stunning special effects, dazzling action and a classic battle between good and evil.
When young Willow Ufgood (Warwick Davis) finds an abandoned baby, he is suddenly thrust unto an adventure filled with magic and danger. According to an ancient prophecy, the sacred child is destined to end the reign of the evil sorceress Queen Bavmorda (Jean Marsh). Now, the only a single swordsman (Val Kilmer) at his side, Willow must overcome the forces of darkness that threaten to destroy anyone who stands in the Queen’s way!
Honors
Reviews
Amazon.com
This epic Lucasfilm fantasy serves up enough magical adventure to satisfy fans of the genre, though it treads familiar territory. With abundant parallels to Star Wars, the story (by George Lucas) follows the exploits of the little farmer Willow (Warwick Davis), an aspiring sorcerer appointed to deliver an infant princess from the evil queen (Jean Marsh) to whom the child is a crucial threat. Val Kilmer plays the warrior who joins Willow’s campaign with the evil queen’s daughter (Joanne Whalley, who later married Kilmer). Impressive production values, stunning locations (in England, Wales, and New Zealand) and dazzling special effects energize the routine fantasy plot, which alternates between rousing action and cute sentiment while failing to engage the viewer’s emotions. A parental warning is appropriate: director Ron Howard has a light touch aimed at younger viewers, but doesn’t shy away from grisly swordplay and at least one monster (a wicked two-headed dragon) that could induce nightmares. —Jeff Shannon
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Billed as a fantasy to please kids and adults alike in 1988, Willow was revolutionary in its day. Not only did it have a vertically challenged actor (Warwick Davis) as its leading man, it also set new standards for special effects, using the first known “morfing” (sic) systems. To top it all off it combined the talents of two of Hollywood’s biggest names, director Ron Howard and writer-producer George Lucas, and changed Val Kilmer’s destiny, influencing both his career and love life. In theory all this should have added up to a rip-roaring success of a film.
Alas, the end result has been unkindly if accurately described as the bastard son of Lord of the Rings, with Star Wars as its doting mother. The plot line (plucky young man sent off on a quest to protect something which could change the reign of evil) has obvious links to Tolkien’s classic; Kilmer’s Madmartigan (the diamond in the rough) has distinct similarities to Hans Solo. And with the great advances in modern cinemas special effects, Willow’s ferocious two-headed dragons now look like something out of 1963’s Jason and the Argonauts. However, even though it marked the end of the road for fantasy films in the 1980s, Willow’s combination of locations, set design and groundbreaking SFX set new standards and influenced much modern cinema, including Peter Jackson’s epic Lord of the Rings. All in all, this is a movie with its heart, soul and magic in the right place. —Nikki Disney
Barnes and Noble
Forget about Hobbits and rings—for rousing action, fantasy, and romance, you need look no further than Willow, an entrancing adventure that has all the attributes of first-rate swords-and-sorcery fare. Once upon a time, we’re told, there was an evil sorceress and queen (Jean Marsh), who ordered the deaths of all the kingdom’s infants to eliminate the royal-born successor to the throne. It falls to a diminutive sorcerer’s apprentice named Willow (Warwick Davis) to protect the baby girl who could someday be a princess. In defense of his tiny charge he enlists the aid of a roguish adventurer (Val Kilmer), and the oddball twosome ward off attacks led by the evil queen’s feisty daughter (Joanne Whalley). Directed by Ron Howard (Apollo 13) and adapted from a story by George Lucas, Willow lacks for nothing in terms of production: Its sets, costumes, and special effects are all top-drawer, and its well-cast principal players enact their roles with panache. Most important, though, the film never betrays the condescension or cynicism that mars all too many fantasy movies—and it’s this unsullied fairy-tale quality that makes Willow ideal family entertainment. The newly remastered version now available on DVD includes a commentary by Howard, an all-new documentary on the film’s making, a photo gallery, theatrical trailers, and TV spots. Ed Hulse
