Customer Reviews
A Lame Formulated Story 
2008-04-01
A seriously lame, formulated story. The entire tale is based on believing its ridiculous beginning. The scenes seem to be very much copied from many moments of the Lord of the Rings, way before those movies were made. It's a professional Hollywood film; it has good acting and decent character interaction and tension. The special effects are decent for its time. But still, by the standards of 2008 movie making, it's not a very good film.
Entertaining fantasy movie for kids/adults. 
2008-03-10
We purchased this DVD, along with The Princess Bride, for the grandkids. This was a bit more scary for the children, but all in all it was appreciated by everyone. Three generations watched it together. Good flick!
A magical fantasy epic! 
2008-03-03
In a time of swords and sorcery, the powerful and evil sorceress Queen Bavmorda (Jean Marsh) has overtaken the land with her army and a prophecy has stated that a female child would be born to become very sacred and put an end to the reign of the queen. She has almost murdered every pregeant woman in the village except for one which has the very special baby princess which has been taken to a village of little people called Nelwyns. Kind-hearted farmer Willow Urfgood (Warwick Davis) has found the child near a river and raises it but after an unfortune incident in his village, he has to return the child back to her people. A renegade swordswinging rebel named Madmartigan (Val Kilmer) teams up with Willow and a couple of small folk called brownies especially a sorceress named Raziel (Patrica Hayes) to stop Bavmorda's evil once and for all.
An entertaining and mesermzing fantasy comedy adventure from executive producer George Lucas and director Ron Howard is one fantasy cinema's greatest achievements. Co-starring gorgeous Joanne Whalley as Madmartigan's love interest, Phil Fondacaro and Billy Barty, The film is influenced by medieval mythology, J.R.R. Tolkein, and even The Ten Commandments with a majestic music score by James Horner and awesome special effects like that memorable morphing sequence that set the standard for CGI for years to come in this must see fantasy favorite.
This DVD has fantastic picture and sound with good extras like audio commentary, Trailers and Teasers, TV Spots, original 1988 making of Featurette and "Morf to Morphing: The Dawn of the Digital age" featurette.
Willow 2008-03-02
This is a great movie
Even the kids can watch this movie, without having to listen
to all the vulgar language, or watch any sex scenes.
A good family entertaining movie.
Comes up short 2008-02-29
by dane youssef
This one wasn't much when it first came out. The budget was extravagant and the box-office returns just barely covered the big fat price tag. And as measly as a movie as this was for it's day on it's own merits, it's dwarfed even further by the immortal "Lord Of The Rings" saga.
"Willow" is the film the impish Warwick Davis is renown for his participation in the never-ending Horror-movie stories, the "Leprechaun" movies.
This was his first lead role and he brings a likeable and earnest charisma to the role instead of just trying to be little and cute like so many child performers and other midget actors. Thankfully, he proves himself as to be more than just a cheap gimmick like so many other "bit-players." He allows himself to really give a true performance and the film itself doesn't go for the cheapest of shots with any of the height of it's little people.
As a filmmaker, George Lucas is and has always been a homage-payer. He's one of those filmmakers who always tries to re-make those old films he loved during his own adolescence. With space operas: "Star Wars," With Matinee Adventure flicks: "Indiana Jones," With futuristic sci-fi adventures, "THX 1138."
And now with "Willow," he attempts to do the same for the sword-and-sorcery genre.
Notice I use the word "attempts."
The whole universe is derived from the whole medieval sword-and-sorcery genre. And it's a full bar and buffet smorgasbord here: We've got "Lord Of The Rings," "The Story of Moses," "Snow White and the Seven Dwarves," "Sleeping Beauty" and "Gulliver's Travels" just to name a few.
Val Kilmer is pound-for-pound one of the great heavyweight champion actors from here to Timbaktu. Perhaps even Pluto. But he even he and the rest of this considerable cast can't make it's movie as special and magical as it's title character is supposed to be.
The 20th century and the 21st saw few better thespians. He truly delivered an Oscar for his re-birth as Jim Morrison in Oliver Stone's "The Doors."
Here, anyone could have done the same job he does. It's his most unremarkable performance to date. They didn't need the great Kilmer for this one.
Any stock actor with a Screen Actors Guild card or with one year of high school drama class experience could have done as good a job.
Jean Marsh does a good job as Queen Bavmorda, but just about any random British actress on the planet could have done the same and gotten the same results.
Sadly, this one just stands toe-to-toe with the He-Man "Master Of The Universe" movie from 1987.
Even though Ron Howard Opie Cunningham was at the helm for this one, just about any hack with access to a tripod (that tilts low) could have done the same and gotten the same results.
The real problem with "Willow" is that it's totally unremarkable. It's about a likeable little guy with a big heart for his family. He has a magical gift and uses it to make a name for himself. He meets a great warrior with a shady record who may find love along the way.
They do battle with a wicked queen who happens to be a powerful witch with a great army, a two-headed dragon, a menacing lieutenant General who wears a mask scarier than his own face, yada yada yada yada. Do you even care?
There are two little like the 3-inch tall people in "Gulliver's Travels" called Brownies named Rool and Franjean with helium voices and ethnic caricatured French accents that would have been considered embarrassing in the '30's. They irritate and confuse, but never amuse. Unlike R2D2 and C3PO or Marcus Brody, they never provoke as much as a smile.
Lucas planned for this to be something of a series saga of films. But since this one barely made any return whatsoever, Lucas wound up scrapping the film "trilogy" and continuing the story in books. Hey, anyone out there ever actually so much as read a copy of the continuing "Willow" story?
With "Star Wars," "THX 1138" and "American Graffiti," Lucas swung for the fence like a dominant male gorilla. He pulled out all stops and then some. This one is on-par with your average episode of a Saturday Morning TV series, even for the day.
With Lucas' legendary "Indiana Jones" saga, we all remember one key gruesome scene in each movie---like the "false grail" scene in "Last Crusade" or the "Ripped Heart" in "The Temple Of Doom." In "Willow," there's a similar sequence inspired by the "Bay Of Pigs" from the Greek tales of "The Iliad and The Odyssey."
Lucas story pretty much recycles the whole outline plot of the "Star Wars" saga (episodes IV, V, and VI). Unfortunately, Lucas and Howard don't really feel like they're trying
to have the last word of the genre as they did in many of their earlier efforts.
You can see anything just as good and inspired/thrilling/etc. every Saturday morning on just about any network.
Unlike "Star Wars," "Indiana Jones" or "Cocoon," this is not a product of theirs that defines the genre it's from.
And what is it with the baby Elora Danan? She's so much of the damn plot and yet, all she does really is smile and cry on cue. There are babies in diaper commercials who have characters with more depth.
I like the two-headed dragon. It doesn't look like the traditional fire-breathing dragon. It hardly even looks like a serpent. This one is kind of inspired. As a change of pace, it has more of an ugly look to it with long and furry serpent necks, almost like an ostrich. It's really weird.
Although, it's one of the few inspired touches in this routine medieval epic.
It's a Lucasfilm Ltd. production, so the special effects are (as it goes without saying) in the Oscar nomination territory. Enthralling for the day, some even by today's standards still shine. Lucas has made a bigger name for himself as a innovator of special effects than as a filmmaker.
While it was a defining role for actor Warwick Davis and it employs more midgets and dwarves than any other production (and respectively), for anyone else, "Willow" is never anything special, nor does it attempt to be.
Even for it's day "Willow" was unremarkable. Seriously, how many tales of swords, sorcery, kings, queens, dwarves, dragons and trolls had we seen in movies, TV shows, books, fairy tales and what-have-you before this came along? Yet another case of, "Too little, too late."
Nearly 20 years later, that old axiom proves even more true.
"I have Cherlindrea's wand, Bavmorda!" 
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.
Great Features Great Movie 2008-05-22
Excellent fantasy adventure with some unexpected heroes. Warrick Davis gives a sincere portrayal of a struggling family man/farmer who still has dreams. This version also has a full length commentary by Warrick Davis and several other bonus features. Great Buy.
Great Fantasy Loved It!!!! Vonkar!!!! 2008-05-14
Willow has got it all, Action, Fantasy Adventure, a little comedy, a little Suspense, Definitely something to watch on a stay-in night. Never bores me...Such a good story in a short time, wish they would remake with todays cgi and tech....
A Treat 2008-04-25
This is a great movie with all the elements of fantasy ...and that includes Val Kilmer.
Good for all ages but it is a bit scary sometimes.
Willow! 2008-04-23
Great movie, I loved it as a child and I still do as an adult.
