So, it's been awhile, even since I've revisited Willow. Theater has kept me busy, and then I went and bought my next TVD fix, and I haven't had much time to watch actual movies, unfortunately, so it's been a slow-go on Reel Thoughts. Plus, the fall TV season is upon us, which is only going to a throw another wrench into the workings of my trivial little blog. Ah well. Such is the life of the perpetual short attention span.
I digress. My second nostalgiac foray into my personal DVD collection centered on this little gem, a late 80s fantasy movie directed by Ron Howard and produced and written by George Lucas. I remember watching Willow at the movie theater when it first came out, and I loved it from the first. It's certainly not the best film ever created; it's not even the best fantasy film ever created. It is a film, however, that, as All Movie Guide said, deserves a second look because while it's not the best, it's far from mediocrity and an excellent genre movie.
Willow is named for its main character (Warwick Davis), a little person (called a Nelwyn in the story), farmer, and family man who dreams of being his village's next sorcerer's apprentice. His dreams are derailed after his children find a Daikini (that's Willow-speak for big person) baby in the river near his home. The baby, it turns out, is sought after by the evil Queen Bavmorda (Jean Marsh), a tyrant and sorceress herself, who wishes to magically banish the child, as she is, by prophecy, the baby who will bring about her downfall. Willow's village is attacked because of the presence of the baby; as such, he and fellow villagers embark on a quest to return the baby to the big people. Though they encounter a lunatic in a cage by the name of Mad Martigan (Val Kilmer), also a swordmaster unbeknownst to the travelers, to whom Willow resignedly assigns to care for the baby, his quest does not end. He learns through brownies and faeries that the baby is the child of prophecy, Ellora Dannon, and that he has been chosen to see her to safety. His quest is, of course, complicated by Bavmorda and her minions, including her soldier-daughter Sorsha (Joanne Whalley), and by his awkward magical tutelage from banished sorceress Fin Raziel (Patricia Hayes), the only person alive allegedly able to stop Bavmorda.
The story is, of course, even more complicated than that, as all good fantasy should be, but all in all, this movie is a rip roaring good time. The story is multilayered yet easy to follow. The special effects are astounding for the day, particularly in the sequences involving the faeries and magical spells, thanks to Mr. Lucas' then-growing Industrial Light and Magic division. The performances are believable and not cheesy, as sometimes fantasy films (particularly from the 80s) are prone to have, though possibly with the notable exception of the brownies (Rick Overton and Kevin Pollak), the film's principal comic relief device. The action sequences are fun to watch, particularly with the antics of Mad Martigan. Though a fantasy with some universal fantasy-related elements, the story is equal parts original and inspired by other fantasy, fiction, and even biblical sources; the Lord of the Rings and Gullivers Travels pop readily to mind.
If you're not yet convinced that Willow deserves a second look, I would suggest to you that the reason why this movie works is that it has something for everyone: there is sword and shield-related violence, mild gore, and scary monsters for those who like more edge to their fantasy and movies in general as well as pretty faeries, a cute baby, and imaginative magical sequences for those who prefer the sunshine and rainbow aspects. Though it was not one of Mr. Howard's more profitable filmmaking attempts, any financial non-success was not caused by him, for he is as adept at filming fantasy as any other film he chooses to helm. The movie draws you in from the moment you meet Willow, his family, and Ellora Dannon and holds onto you until the end.
This film is not perfect; the ending is abrupt, and the climax is even a bit anticlimactic, but the movie accomplishes what it is meant to accomplish. It's a great adventure and fairy tale that can be endlessly entertaining if the viewer is willing to suspend disbelief and any possible "critic's eye." I still like this movie. While it may have been primarily intended for children, and I was a child when I first watched it, it hasn't lost its charm since I've reached adulthood. This little movie has heart, particularly considering its thematic messages--believing in oneself, staying the course, and love's triumph--and a movie with this much heart deserves a second look, or in the case of my personal DVD library and me, several second looks.