Evil sorceress Bavmorda (Jean Marsh) is on the hunt for a child prophesied to end her dreams of dominating the world.
The fate of the child - and the world - is now in the hands of amateur mage Willow Ufgood (Warwick Davis)…
After rewatching Ron Howard’s Solo, I wanted to go back to his last collaboration with George Lucas’s ideas.
As with Star Wars, Willow is clearly inspired by other stories.
Nowadays, when Hollywood seems determined to milk existing properties, Willow follows the ‘rip off, don’t remake’ philosophy that informed the space opera.
Warwick Davis - only 16 at the time - anchors the movie as an ordinary man out of his depth.
There is a warmth and lived-in quality to Willow’s relationships with his wife and kids.
Val Kilmer is also great as Madmartigan, a self-serving swordsman. With his disdain for magic and higher causes, he is a welcome dose of grit to the fanatical proceedings. It would be easy to call him the Han Solo of the movie, but not by much.
Davis’s casting turns the film into an extended metaphor for acceptance.
The world outside his village is literally not built for him.
Everyone dismisses him for his size.
Billy Barty’s mage tells him to trust himself - when he does, he is able to save his friends using the skills he knows.
Willow is enjoyable, but the film lacks a strong antagonist.
Jean Marsh is a fine actress but she - and the other villains - fade into the background.
Joanne Whalley is fine as the sorceress’s turncoat daughter, but she feels like an interesting idea that needs fleshing out.
One of the more surprising subplots of the film is her burgeoning romance with Madmartigan, which goes from loathing to spell-induced affection to a real(?) rapport.
If there was a little more definition to her relationship with her mother, her eventual moral turn might be more powerful. As is, it is just interesting twist.
I remember the movie being humourless, but on this viewing it is way more self-aware.
Madmartigan’s various asides are great, and the Mage’s revelation that his skills are partially a con is hilarious (he can conjure a bird but it flies in the wrong direction).
Willow is not Star Wars. It could never be. But on its own terms, it is an enjoyable fantasy adventure.
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