Willow

Image credit: IMDb

There comes a moment in everyone’s life where they admit to someone that they have never seen a particular film and that person responds with a high-pitched and surprised, “really?” This happened to me yesterday when I admitted to my partner that I had never seen the film, Willow. Thanks to streaming services, I have remedied this.

Willow tells the story of a farmer (Warwick Davis) who discovers an abandoned baby that is prophesised to overthrow the evil queen Bavmorda. With an entire army out looking for the child, Willow must travel hastily across the land, braving all sorts of dangers so that Bavmorda can be defeated and the world saved from darkness.

Willow is one of those interesting films that you can’t quite decide if it’s being serious or not. It a has reminiscent vibes of Legend and The Princess Bride throughout, however I still can’t determine whether it’s having fun and making a farce of the fantasy/adventure genre or being so sincere that it’s ludicrously funny.

The film gets its strange and different edge from its central band of unlikely heroes, who are then thrown into these traditional fantasy situations (battles, being capture by fairy folk, dealing with magic, etc) with the added bonus of taking care of a baby. While I certainly appreciate that the characters are not bumbling in the baby-care part of the tale (they are actually competent and there are no toilet gags or gross humour like that), but the film struggles in finding a balance between the action scenes and the scenes of character and narrative development.

Indeed the majority of the film is fight, fight, fight, and considering that the battle sequences are more hilarious rather than exhilarating, it’s here where I was entertained, but at the same time confused about whether this film was serious or not. While watching Val Kilmer flail and play swordsman is magic in its own rite, the inconsistencies in action and drama causes the characters to suffer, as they don’t really get the growth they need to bring about any emotional payoff for the audience.

Image credit: Acast

Sadly too, the film has become quite dated in terms of its special effects. Admirably a large portion of the special effects are done through makeup and creature design rather than CGI, but these coupled with the simple style of filming and production makes me wonder whether the project was too ambitious for its budget and ran into trouble once or twice.

Regardless of these hiccups, the story of Willow is recognisable in terms of high fantasy, yet completely original and, in spite of its faults, fun. The film boasts great performances and good blends of drama, action, and comedy. Its datedness might make it seem like a fantasy farce by today’s standards, but it’s still worth checking out if you’re in for a silly movie to while away the afternoon with.

Director: Ron Howard, 1988

Cast: Warwick Davis, Val Kilmer, Joanne Whalley, Jean Marsh, Patricia Hayes, Billy Barty, Pat Roach, Gavin O’Herlihy, David Steinberg, Mark Northover, Kevin Pollak, and Rick Overton