X
- 1988
- PG
- Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM)
- 2 h 6 m
- 1988
- PG
- Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM)
- 2 h 6 m
Summary A reluctant dwarf must play a critical role in protecting a special baby from an evil queen.
Directed By: Ron Howard
Written By: George Lucas, Bob Dolman
- 1988
- PG
- Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM)
- 2 h 6 m
- 1988
- PG
- Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM)
- 2 h 6 m
Willow
47
7.5
Where to Watch
Summary A reluctant dwarf must play a critical role in protecting a special baby from an evil queen.
Directed By: Ron Howard
Written By: George Lucas, Bob Dolman
Where to Watch
Top Cast
Metascore
Mixed or Average
Based on 12 Critic Reviews
47
17% Positive
2 Reviews
2 Reviews
75% Mixed
9 Reviews
9 Reviews
8% Negative
1 Review
1 Review
Metascore
Mixed or Average
Based on 12 Critic Reviews
47
17% Positive
2 Reviews
2 Reviews
75% Mixed
9 Reviews
9 Reviews
8% Negative
1 Review
1 Review
It's fluffy stuff, lovingly made and instantly forgettable. [20 May 1988, p.5]
It's a stunning, dazzling motion picture that somehow, almost unaccountably, has the magnetism of a slab of corned beef. [20 May 1988, p.6]
User Score
Generally Favorable
Based on 68 User Ratings
7.5
79% Positive
54 Ratings
54 Ratings
18% Mixed
12 Ratings
12 Ratings
3% Negative
2 Ratings
2 Ratings
User Score
Generally Favorable
Based on 68 User Ratings
7.5
79% Positive
54 Ratings
54 Ratings
18% Mixed
12 Ratings
12 Ratings
3% Negative
2 Ratings
2 Ratings
The first act of Willow is perfect, and while the second act and third act started to have some nit picky here and there and i did feel a bit too long, the rest of Willow is still a fascinating wondrous journey that's been well acted, superbly written in terms of dialogue and story, all likeable convincing characters, incredible set and costume, and great score, comes from the imagination of George Lucas, Willow are just not less wide imaginative than Star Wars, it's a very well directed fantasy film that are entertaining to watch.
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Built on fantasy stereotypes – friendly little folk, evil witches, misunderstood heroes, guys on horseback with bloody great swords – it nonetheless contains enough epic action, narrative momentum and spit-and-sawdust pre-CGI special effects to hold the attention.
Directed by Ron Howard and produced by George Lucas, the film seems to mark the final paroxysm of a genre-the big-budget fantasy-adventure-that dominated American filmmaking for a decade but has recently been weakened by changing tastes, altered economics and sheer exhaustion. It's less a movie than a collection of morbid symptoms: a labored, arrhythmic narrative; a pathetic dependency on recycled themes and borrowed images; a sour, self-mocking humor that suggests the end is near. [20 May 1988, p.2]
And Willow, a pleasant but bland character, doesn't often inspire much sentiment, so the film lacks an emotional center. In place of this, it relies on so much overstatement and repetition that it's possible to grow tired even of the adorable baby.
Willow is medieval mishmash from George Lucas, a sort of 10th-century "Star Wars" tossed together with a plethora of elements taken from numerous classic fables. Even if Lucas has bastardized his own story with derivative and unoriginal elements, kids probably will love it. For MGM Pictures, b.o. should mean recoupment of its large investment.
Producer-for-Life George Lucas puts his awesome creative machinery to work in Willow, a would-be adventure of little people, big people, good guys and bad. But the fantasy wheels grind to a halt, bogged down in Lucas' flat, derivative story, and not helped in the least by director Ron Howard's clumsy steering.
I really had A LOT of fun with Willow and is cast that is memorable and keep it entertaining.
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[SPOILER ALERT: This review contains spoilers.]
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"**** yeah, now I remember (sort of). Just like every other cliché-driven fantasy film that was being pumped out during the 1980s, "Willow" attempts to follow down the beaten path, but suffers from too many missteps where the characters are uninteresting and annoying, the world looks bland and cheap, and the plot is derivative and lacks imagination. In short, this film feels like a dirty cash-in.
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Willow tries to do for fantasy what Star Wars did for sci-fi, but poor acting and a cheesy script keep it from being anything but a time waster for small children.
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Awards
Academy Awards, USA
• 2 Nominations
Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy & Horror Films, USA
• 1 Win & 5 Nominations
Razzie Awards
• 2 Nominations
