Willow (DVD)

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The settings and photography are sometimes breathtakingly beauteous and evocative of faraway times and places; the characters are all agreeably pleasant on the one hand and appropriately villainous on the other; the special effects and matte paintings are spectacular; and James Horner´s musical score is grandiose and epic. But despite all these glorious sights and sounds, the movie never provokes or inspires much sense of awe or wonder or elation as "Star Wars" did; there are no characters charismatic enough to draw our attention; and the fairy-tale story line is predictable from start to finish.

The movie´s first half drags on as we´re introduced to the plot and its various participants, and as we wait patiently for something to happen or someone to care about. Warwick Davis in the title role is amiable enough but spends a good deal of his screen time whining and yelling, "Stop, you can´t do that!" The other characters seem equally perfunctory. The biggest event of the first thirty minutes is an attack by a wild boar on the little people´s village. Most of the time, characters just stand around talking, while Horner´s music swells to giant crescendos even when nothing is happening. Later, saddled with a baby that´s constantly in danger, the hero´s journey is complicated and slowed down further. The last half hour of the film is pretty exciting, I admit, but it´s a long time coming.

Video:
Fox´s THX-mastered picture and sound, however, are outstandingly good. The anamorphic widescreen size closely duplicates its Panavision theatrical-release dimensions, showing up on the home set in a 2.13:1 ratio across a standard television. Colors are exceptionally deep and attractively rendered. Contrasts in light and shadow are well executed. Definition is exemplary. And grain, moiré effects, and other digital artifacts are nowhere to be seen. Obvious care was taken with this transfer, and for picture postcard beauty the film can´t be beat.

Audio:
The sound, offered in Dolby Digital 5.1 or Dolby Surround is also quite good, although its largely mono rear signal is not nearly so pinpoint precise in localization as new full-blown five-channel formats provide, nor is the bass particularly strong or deep. Otherwise, the sound is clear, detailed, and ambient, providing plenty of monaural surround information for wind blowing, birds chirping, water running, swords clanging, and what-have-you.

Extras:
Among the special features Fox offer are a commentary track with star Warwick Davis; a twenty-one-minute featurette called "Willow: The Making of an Adventure," created as a promotional item at the time of the film´s production; another featurette, this one newly made and seventeen minutes long called "MORF to Morphing," explaining the film´s special visual effects; and a photo gallery. Additionally, there is a series of THX Optimode audiovisual tests for color and sound calibration; thirty-six chapter selections; eight TV spots, two teaser trailers, and one pan-and-scan theatrical trailer. English and Spanish are included for spoken languages; English for subtitles.

Parting Shots:
Fairies, witches, trolls, brownies, spells, fire-breathing dragons, you name it and Lucas threw it into the mix. The result is a movie for which it´s hard to predict an audience. I mean, I can´t presume to speak for other people, but as an adult (and one who loves "The Lord of the Rings" and the "Harry Potter" books), I found "Willow" somewhat shallow and juvenile. What´s more, I should think the movie rather too intense and too violent for young kids and probably too childish for teens. Fantasy is a tricky business, and I´m not sure everyone is going to believe in this one. Maybe just look at it, enjoy the simplicity of the story and the beauty of the settings, and forget everything else.