WILLOW. Directed by Ron Howard; written by Bob Dolman; produced by Nigel Wooll for MGM. Starrlng Warwick Davis and Val Kilmer. Rated PG (violence).
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Willow has been getting some bad reviews, I suspect because it's not as good as Star Wars. (That blockbuster's creator, George Lucas, wrote Willow' s original story and executive produced the movie.)
Well, a lot of movies aren't that good, but are still well worth seeing. And Willow falls into that category. Especially for kids about 7 or so and up.
It's an adventure/fantasy about an especially cute and expressive baby who happens to be destined to overthrow a wicked queen and rule the kingdom with kindness and wisdom. Basically, the good guys in the story are the ones who try to protect the baby from the bad guys, who want to destroy it.
With a storyline this simple, of course, the ultimate ending is quite predictable. But there are some interesting surprises along the way and good acting by the major figures.
Number one baby protector is Willow himself (Davis), who is as appealing a hero, if a most unlikely one, as any fairy tale could wish. Reluctant at first, his devotion and courage eventually are what holds the band of good guys (and the movie, for that matter) together. Davis, though diminutive, is a very capable and engaging actor. I hope we will see more of him in movies to come.
A more ordinary hero-type is Mad Martigan (Kilmer) whose mercenary instincts eventually mellow out into true-blue knighthood. Kilmer is perfect for this Han Solo kind of character. He's handsome, athletic, has a good sense of humor and looks great in a swordfight.
The other assorted good and bad guys aren't as successful as these two. But they don't spoil the fun. First-rate special effects make it easy to overlook characterization problems and narrative improbabilities. The effects range from people changing into pigs, to an evil sorceress dissolving into scarlet smoke, to a really grotesque two-headed dragon.
The only real problem with Willow's script is a tendency to cram too much excitement into one movie. There are narrative threads and fantasy elements that don't get developed as fully as we feel they should, since we're off already on to the next adventure.
In truth, my family enjoyed the movie enough, we would have loved watching a 4- or 5-hour version that would have allowed all this development and following of side trails. But we'll take what we can get, and I recommend that you do, too. No matter what you read elsewhere.
June 1, 1988