The last half hour of the film is pretty exciting, I admit, but it’s a long time coming.
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It may be coincidence that Fox´s release of the DVD of George Lucas´s 1988 fantasy adventure "Willow" appears almost simultaneously with the theatrical releases of "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer´s Stone" and "The Fellowship of the Ring." Or maybe not. In any case, "Willow" was the last big, epic fantasy the screen had delivered until the above-mentioned titles came along, and the publicity surrounding the newer fantasy movies certainly couldn´t hurt the older one.
Now, if "Willow" had lived up to its potential, it might have been something to tide over fantasy fans until the home editions of the newer films arrived, but, alas, "Willow" sinks under the weight of its good intentions and its all-out spectacle. Still, the movie´s pictorial elements and atmosphere are so good, the look so right, that those qualities alone may make the disc a rewarding investment. I had no particular urge to watch it again, but others may find it enchanting.
Written and produced by Lucas and directed by Ron Howard, the film is far from a failure. How could it be? Its high production values, elaborate sets, and gorgeous cinematography make it worth seeing at least once. Yet, as I said, I found in it no compelling reasons for a revisit. Not unexpectedly, as things like this happen in Hollywood all the time, it´s the movie´s plot and characters that let us down.
Lucas might well have titled his film "Skywalker in Fairy Land" or something of that sort, it´s so close to the "Star Wars" format. Like his sci-fi hit of a decade earlier, "Willow" is all about Lucas and mythologist Joseph Campbell´s notions of the "Hero Myth" or "Hero´s Journey," where the storytellers argue that the protagonist´s ultimate trial is when he gives of himself to some higher end, when he ceases to think primarily of his own preservation; then, a heroic transformation of consciousness takes place. This was clearly the case with Luke Skywalker and it´s clearly the case with the hero of "Willow." (For a more detailed analysis of this "Hero Schema" business, I refer you to the rather windy introduction to my "Phantom Menace" review.) The Hero's Journey is an age-old storytelling device, and I admire Lucas's continued use of it. I was disappointed, however, that in "Wilow" he had done little to embellish it beyond what he had already done in "Star Wars."
"Willow" opens in typical Lucas fashion with a written prologue that sets up the action: "It is a time of dread.... Seers have foretold the birth of a child who will bring about the downfall of the powerful Queen Bavmorda. Seizing all pregnant women in the realm, the evil Queen vows to destroy the child when it is born..." Now, who does that Queen sound like? The Pharaoh of Egypt? Or, more pointedly, the wicked stepmother in "Snow White"? Just to make sure you get the connections, the baby girl in question, Elora Danan, is set adrift in a stream (shades of Moses), and the evil Queen Bavmorda (Jean Marsh) appears to have been outfitted by the Disney wardrobe department.
Well, who should find the baby floating down the river but a would-be sorcerer and full-time farmer named Willow (Warwick Davis), a member of a race of little people living far away and long ago (yet more references to "Snow White"). As an aside, the little people live in cottages with round doorways, much like Hobbit houses but aboveground. Anyway, it´s soon determined by the village elder and head sorcerer, the High Aldwin (Billy Barty in full, flowing, Merlin/Gandalf beard), that Willow will have to return the baby to its parents, necessitating a long journey to the land of the child´s origins. And so off he goes on his quest, only later learning of the infant's true significance.
Along the way, Willow meets up with a roguish swordsman, Madmartigan (Val Kilmer), who helps him in his expedition; encounters the evil Queen´s beautiful warrior daughter, Sorsha (Joanne Whalley); and secures the aid of a good witch, Raziel (Patricia Hayes). If you haven´t already figured it out, the character Willow is, for all intents and purposes, Luke Skywalker; the High Aldwin is Obi-Wan; the evil Queen is the evil Emperor; Madmartigan is Han Solo; the Queen´s beautiful warrior daughter is Princess Leia; and the good witch is Yoda. Indeed, the first time we see Raziel, the good witch, like our first encounter with Yoda, neither the hero nor we recognize her as a powerful witch; you see, she´s been turned into some kind of cute little mammal that speaks. Then, there´s even a frightful-looking fellow in a death mask who acts as the evil Queen´s right-hand man, corresponding to Darth Vader; and a pair of quarreling brownies who act as comic relief, corresponding to R2-D2 and C-3PO. If all of this point-for-point comparison weren´t so transparent, it might have been more fun; but still it's harmless, and derivative or not it works well enough for youngsters and the young at heart.
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