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| Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) | Release Date: May 20, 1988 |
Starring:
Joanne Whalley, Val Kilmer, Warwick Davis
Summary:
A reluctant dwarf must play a critical role in protecting a special baby from an evil queen.
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Its pacing is too deliberate, and it doesn’t have a light heart. That’s revealed in the handling of some characters named the Brownies, represented by a couple of men who are about 9 inches tall and fight all the time. Maybe Lucas thought these guys would work like R2-D2 and C-3PO did in “Star Wars.” But they have no depth, no personalities, no dimension; they’re simply an irritant at the edge of the frame.
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It's fluffy stuff, lovingly made and instantly forgettable. [20 May 1988, p.5]
Willow is not without its charms - the effects are more than special, the set-pieces suitably epic but it just doesn't fulfill the promise of certain other fantasy films.
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.
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.
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Oct 2, 2017
Excellent family film that jumps from one fun scenario to another. The musical score alone is among the very best made in that era of film making. A pure joy.
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Apr 24, 2020
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Jan 30, 2019
This review contains spoilers, click expand to view.
1 of 1 users found this helpful10
Jan 10, 2021
Entertaining movie with superb costumes and fitting fantasy world. In addition the soundtrack was good.
Only the plot was a bit simple and has some logical issues. There are some similarities to Lord of the Rings also.
Only the plot was a bit simple and has some logical issues. There are some similarities to Lord of the Rings also.
0 of 0 users found this helpful00
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