Willow‘s two-episode premiere takes a while to find its magic
Can our heroes defeat “the withered crone who dwells in the immemorial city beyond the Shattered Sea”?
TV Reviews Willow
It’s hard to say who exactly this new Willow series is made for. It taps into the nostalgia of the original 1988 film, yet it’s stacked with a cast of attractive young actors who give it a contemporary YA vibe. For older viewers, it may be difficult to connect to a story that so heavily centers the next generation—the namesake character doesn’t even show up until the end of episode one—but at least they have a connection to the franchise. Those who most closely identify with the characters are far less likely to have any frame of reference beyond major genre influences like The Lord of The Rings. The show so far attempts to span that generational divide with mixed success, not to say that these two episodes don’t have their charms.
In case you’re wondering: It’s not a prerequisite to have seen the film to understand what’s going on in the series. The opening of the first episode helpfully summarizes it to get you up to speed, picking up the story in real time “200 moons” later. I don’t know how many of our years that is, but judging by the age of certain characters it can’t be more than 20 or so (certainly less than the 34 years that have passed in real time). The realm is relatively peaceful for now, but darkness is stirring. Even so, it’s refreshing to watch a fantasy series that, like the film, aims to be light and fun, as opposed to the very serious and epic shows that came out earlier this fall.
GRADE FOR SEASON 1, EPISODE 2: B+
With as wide an audience as it’s going for, you have to give the show credit for taking audience expectations into account. There’s a bit of a tease in the opening scene, which cuts directly from footage of baby Elora Danan with her bright red hair to two young women—one of them redheaded—fighting each other on a cliff. Neither of them turns out to be Elora, though. This is our introduction to Kit Tanthalos (Ruby Cruz) and Jade Claymore (Erin Kellyman, who made the most of her smaller roles in Solo: A Star Wars Story and The Falcon And The Winter Soldier and does the same with meatier material here). Kit is a “not like other girls” princess who likes fighting and riding and hates dresses and balls. Considering her parentage, it’s not all that surprising.
That’s right: Following the end of the movie, Sorsha (Joanne Whalley, reprising her role) and Madmartigan (originally played by Val Kilmer, but so far absent from the series) got married, became the rulers of Tir Asleen, and had twins. At some point after that our Mads left on a mysterious quest and never returned, leaving Queen Sorsha to rule and raise the kids on her own. Now that Kit is grown, her mother plans to marry her off to the prince of Galladorn (Tony Revolori), uniting their kingdoms and combining their power against the forces of darkness. Kit hates the idea and never misses an opportunity to express her feelings about it to her mother, her brother, her girlfriend, and anyone else who happens to be within earshot.
Meanwhile, Kit’s twin brother Airk (Dempsey Bryk), named for Madmartigan’s old friend who died heroically in the film, is busy wooing a kitchen maid he calls “Dove” (Ellie Bamber). As the only male heir, he’s had to grow up under his father’s long shadow. It’s a lot to live up to and also a lot to live down. It probably doesn’t help that Bryk looks so much like a young Val Kilmer. Everyone expects him to be brave and a skilled fighter, but they also expect him not to take anything seriously and to bail when things get difficult, just like his dad (or, as we learn in the second episode, maybe not). When Kit calls him on this, he reassures her he isn’t going anywhere. Then he promptly gets kidnapped by some terrifying creatures (thanks to a major upgrade in digital FX, these guys are way more scary than anything the ’80s could conjure up).
This is where the show really begins to pick up steam. There’s a quest afoot, and what’s a fantasy quest without a fellowship? Kit volunteers to go after her brother and, to her surprise, Sorsha immediately agrees. Jade isn’t about to let her girlfriend head into danger alone, so she’s in too. An older knight named Jorgen (Simon Armstrong) also offers his sword. (Don’t get too attached to Jorgen, he’s old and therefore easily dispensable.) And Prince Graydon gets roped in by his father to protect his bride-to-be on the journey. Finally, there’s Boorman (Amaer Chadha-Patel), a rogue who’s been biding his time in the castle’s dungeon up until now. Sorsha offers him a pardon in exchange for his services on the mission and then, for good measure, guilts him into it by mentioning a debt to an old friend.
Before I move on, I need to say a few things about Boorman, the best character on the show so far. The fact that he’s locked up when we first meet him should be the first clue that he’s going to be the Madmartigan surrogate here. Chadha-Patel has little in common with Val Kilmer physically, but he’s got the charisma, comic timing, and bravado (that’s possibly backed up with legitimate skills) that made Mardmartigan such a fun character. Willow isn’t the same without him, but I appreciate that they at least attempted to compensate for his absence, and Chadha-Patel is up for to the task.
So now our little party of adventurers is nearly complete—we just need a sorcerer. All the really powerful sorcerers are gone, but there is one who may be able to help. Sorsha sends them to find Willow (you know, the guy the show is named for, who still hasn’t shown up yet) and invite him to join the search for Airk. She’s been hearing ominous whispers and having bad dreams herself, so she has a feeling he’ll be expecting them. On the way, they add one more unexpected member to the party. Dove the kitchen maid—a.k.a. Muffin Girl, since she has a way with buttered muffins—has been following them and wants to help find Airk too. By the time she catches up to them in some really fabulous knitwear, it’s too late to send her back. At least she can cook though.
Finally, in the waning moments of the first episode, the title character appears. Warwick Davis is in the house, at last. Or the forest, actually. He has one more surprising revelation to deliver. Elora Danan has been with them all along. It’s Muffin Girl! Even she is shocked when Willow magically uncovers the rune birthmark on her arm. The episode ends on her cheeky, one-syllable response to this news: “What?”
The ripples of Elora’s secret identity carry over into the beginning of episode two, which keeps the story humming along now that Willow is officially a part of it. Not everyone is fully on board with Dove being the prophesied empress who will one day save the world from the forces of evil. Kit is anxious and feels like they’re wasting precious time not going after her brother. Dove, whose given name is really Brunhilda (we’ll stick with Dove, or Elora, or Muffin Girl, thanks), doesn’t feel like she has any magic inside her at all, and even Willow starts to doubt it. In a flashback, we see him try to convince Sorsha that Elora must be trained or she’ll lose her ability to do magic for good. Sorsha is perfectly fine letting magic die out from the world, and considering her mother was an evil sorceress, who can blame her?
It’s in the second episode that the full arc of their journey becomes clear. They must pass through the magic barrier that keeps the kingdom safe from darkness in order to save Airk from “the withered crone, who dwells in the immemorial city beyond the Shattered Sea.” Boorman, looking a little peaked, notes that that’s where all the maps end. No one seems particularly excited about going there, except maybe Kit, who has always wanted to see the world and is too naive to know how dangerous it really is.
Meanwhile, Sorsha discovers Elora has gone missing and sends Commander Ballantine, captain of the guard, after her. She knows all the details of her daughter’s carefully orchestrated love life, but if she’d been paying attention to her son’s interests, she might have seen this coming. Unfortunately, Ballantine was infected by some dark magic during the raid in which Airk was taken and is slowly turning into a monster. He’s after Elora, all right, but not in the way the queen hopes. With black veins running across his face and some creepy modulation effects on his already deep voice, he’s pretty chilling. We end the second episode with Ballantine sneaking up on Elora and snatching her from the camp, just as evidence of the spell she was trying so hard to perform begins to sprout. Finally, some real magic.
Stray observations
- Like I mentioned, you don’t have to have seen Willow the movie before watching the series, but it helps. If it’s been a while since you’ve seen it, you might catch some things you might have otherwise missed. The only potential drawback is that you might become attached to Madmartigan. Nothing against Boorman, who I already adore, but after watching the movie you can’t help but feel his absence from the show even more keenly.
- I know this isn’t the Madmartigan show, and there are extenuating circumstances behind the scenes, but the fact that they didn’t write him off as dead in the first episode gives me hope that we might somehow see him again before the end. Please?
- I love how every time Joanne Whalley picks up a sword we’re treated to a little snippet of James Horner’s triumphant original Willow theme, reminding us of what a badass Sorsha was and still is.
- According to the credits, the creatures who attack the castle and kidnap Airk are called The Lich, The Scourge, The Doom, and The Hag.
- Shoutout to Graham Hughes as Silas, the fake Willow at the end of episode one who eventually joins the group on their quest. Hughes makes the most of his few lines and moments of screen time. The way he says, “Yep. That’s me. Willowww,” is delightful.
- I do wonder what happened to Meegosh, though. And Kiaya and Ranon. The fact that the Nelwyns have moved underground and have become extremely suspicious of outsiders doesn’t bode well.
- Willow’s grown daughter Mims, who is still around, is played by Warwick Davis’ real-life daughter Annabelle. Knowing that gives a whole other layer of meaning to the sweet goodbye scene where she hugs him and tells him he’s her hero.
- My favorite bit of trivia about the original Willow is that the two-headed beast that appears in the Tir Asleen fight scene was dubbed The Eborsisk by legendary creature designer Phil Tippett, in honor of film critics Gene Siskel and Roger Ebert. I have no idea whether it will be relevant to the new show; I just think everyone should know this.
94 Comments
Well, as we know, Val Kilmer’s character ended up in a land far far away in charge of not one but a whole fleet of ships tasked with a vital mission defeating a great evil after a daring trench run (or something like that)!
I know everything gets its cult eventually even if it’s total shit, but…seriously, Willow? 80’s nostalgia is really scraping that barrel.
Hardly! There are a number of 80s Halloween TV specials that are just waiting to be rebooted.
Punky Brewster, Indian Cave
Netflix’s Wednesday is basically a Mr. Boogedy reboot.
You clearly haven’t seen a lot of 80s fantasy films if you think Willow is bottom-of-the-barrel.
While that is true, it also doesn’t make Willow good. Just watched the two episodes and they are better than the movie so far. Which also doesn’t necessarily make this show good.
WHERE’S MY SWORD AND THE SORCERER SEQUEL?!!
Oh I have seen some shit, but shit has some watercooler value. Willow is just dispiritingly generic, like all the common parts of ten thousand 80’s paperbacks. Liked Whalley though, at least when magic pixie dust isn’t making her fall in love.
Everything has something to offer. Even Legend gave us Tim Curry’s demon.
What’s next? KRULL the series? lol
I have been a member of that cult since seeing the movie in cinemas when it first came out. I had the collectible cups from Wendy’s that changed color when you added cold beverage. That movie heavily informed my pop culture vocabulary. It wasn’t a big hit at the time, but it did decent enough business.Just because it’s your thing doesn’t mean you need to shit all over it. “Don’t yuck other people’s yums,” especially when those yums aren’t hurting anyone.
I had the naked chick glasses from Playboy.
Guilty.
As a kid who thought Star Wars was boring as hell but adored Willow and watched it constantly, I dream of the alternate universe Willow trilogy (a Willo-gy as it were) that was never embraced with Brownie merchandising and novelty wands…
You’d probably hate it if they made a sequel to Ladyhawke.
And you’d be wrong. 😀
I don’t know what they’d pick up on for a sequel, but I like Ladyhawke well enough (soundtrack notwithstanding) and would absolutely check out a sequel if they managed to necromance Rutger Hauer for it.
The soundtrack gets a bad rap, but mainly because of the drums that kick in about the 1 minute mark during the Main Theme. The synths give it a Labyrinth vibe, the electric guitar gives it a Highlander vibe, but it’s those drums that kill it for me.
Otherwise it’s actually pretty good:
Yes. Get over it.
Quoth Crow T. Robot: I LIKED Willow!
It was ok. Nothing amazing, pretty standard fantasy fare, which honestly fits with the inspiring source. Has more of a mid 2000s TV show feel than a Disney offering though.
Kudos to them not trying to keep things that were obvious from the start as supposed mysteries. I’ll definitely give them that much. Some shows would be holding out Elora’s reveal until near the end of the season.
I’ll keep watching, it’s a quiet part of the TV season and I enjoyed the original movie as a kid, but it’s definitely not something I’m rushing to tell others to check out at this point.
I don’t know what this is but I’m immensely intrigued by seeing Warwick Davis in the header.
Yeah it’s cool that they brought him back
Took a huge sign of relief with this one… I was expecting a massive flock of people to fly out of the woodwork and bitch about the ethnic diversity of a completely fictional world.
oof this article refers to a girls female friend as her girlfriend? That’s so old timey. Unless the author meant they’re romantic.
They are queer girls, and it is romantic!
I think they’re a legit queer couple, based on some other responses.
Maisie Williams thinks they’re queer.
How many times does narrator refer to Ross as “my boyfriend”?
They make out in the first fifteen minutes of the show. It made me bemused over how Andor has a really well-written queer couple but dodges controversy by never having them be affectionate in any way and then counters criticism by having no one in the show express romantic physical affection at all — i.e., a total cop out.
You could convince me that the lack of on-screen physical affection is symbolic of the sanitization of life/expression under the Empire.Or maybe they’re saving all of it for season 2.
It COULD mean a lot of things. Jade had a kind of non-reaction to the kiss, so it could be that she doesn’t reciprocate. TBH, the way Cruz portrays Kit it’s hard to tell whether she’s gay, bi, or just plain toying with her (considering her objection to marrying the Prince of Galladorn is more about others making her life decisions for her, rather than him being of incompatible gender, suggests she’s at very least bi. Not helped by the fact he’s kind of a putz so far).
Should the writer have included (THEY’RE A COUPLE; HOMOSEXUAL; PART OF THE LGBTQ COMMUNITY; ENJOY PHYSICAL AND EMOTIONAL INTIMACY WITH ONE ANOTHER; THEY FUCK LIKE THERE’S NO TOMORROW) after each instance of the word “girlfriend” to assuage all assumptions of old-timeyness?
There’s a full on, on-screen kiss even. This is not a “well, the subtext says they’re super into each other and will spend the whole season pining for each other”, this is “we haven’t quite defined what their explicit relationship is quite yet, but it sure as fuck ain’t platonic”.
There is no “sub” to the text and it’s glorious.
Not to spoil anything, but when Kit is getting ready to sneak out at night she climbs on top of Jade (pretty much in “cowgirl position”) and gives her a kiss on the lips. I think “girlfriend” is pretty accurate here.
Major kudos for not trying to drag out the “Who is Elora?” mystery, since I’m sure I’m far from the only one who had it pegged the second she was revealed to be lower class. Also, it’s pretty amazing to FINALLY see a Disney product that says right off the bat “Yeah, they’re gay. So what?”
They learned from Rings of Power that people don’t want to wait all season to find out who this important character is only to be annoyed and disappointed by who it is.
People weren’t annoyed and disappointed at the twist. They’d predicted it from the beginning. Some people might have been annoyed and disappointed that there wasn’t an actual twist, though, but it’s a case of Rings of Power not talking down to the audience or lying to them.
I was both disappointed and annoyed. I just don’t want my dark lord to have smoldering bedroom eyes.
Sauron’s whole deal was that he had the hottest body in Middle Earth… until he didn’t have a body.
The twist was that the most important character was the friends we made along the way.
This show was definitely too far into production for LotR to have any effect on the series.
They kind of still stumbled on the reveal. I thought they handled Elora kind of awkwardly in the beginning, especially since they reveal who she is pretty much right away. I honestly didn’t even realize she was someone to care about until she decided to chase after them.
Premiering today, 11/30 on Disney+. I don’t understand why “where and when” is rarely included in these reviews.
Imagine only being the second best show on TV with a major character called Elora Danan.
SKODEN
Elora Dannon. Brought to you by yogurt: the food that makes Aubrey Plaza normal.
Burgle to the cutt cutt
Right away I don’t like how the young characters speak in this series. They have too much of a modern sensibility. It’s like they grew up in the 21st century in high school. They don’t give the feeling of people living a medieval fantasy world.
And General Kael was named after Pauline Kael.
And Willow was named after a type of tree.
I call bullshit.
It’s true! A Willow is actually a type of tree.
Can our heroes defeat the withered crone who dwells in the immemorial city beyond the Shattered Sea?I’m confused, I thought Queen Elizabeth had died already?
Savage.
Here’s a slate of 100 equally random IPs that are getting their own nostalgia reboot within the next 5 years:Hudson Hawk
Hangin’ with Mr. Cooper
Porky’s
Meatballs
The Lost Boys
Young Guns
Mr. Ed
Drexel’s Class
Ferris Bueller
The Single Guy
Krull
Short Circuit
Here’s Boomer
War Games
Punky Brewster
My Girl
Sudden Death
Hey Dude
Blind Fury
What About Bob?
Coach
Hot to Trot
Rain Man
Three Amigos
Baywatch
Doc Hollywood
Batteries Not Included
Cocktail
Step By Step
Mac and Me
Young Einstein
The Wizard
Nothing But Trouble
Don’t Tell Mom The Babysitter’s Dead
My Two Dads
Weekend At Bernie’s
Stop! or My Mom Will Shoot
Coneheads
Alf
Vampire in Brooklyn
Judgement Night
The Cable Guy
Tank Girl
M.A.S.K.
The Jackal
Kazaam
Honey, I Shrunk The Kids
TJ Hooker
My Giant
Good Will Hunting
My Cousin Vinny
Encino Man
Early Edition
So I Married An Axe Murderer
Ed (the Matt LeBlanc orangutan baseball movie)
Species
The Greatest American Hero
Deep Impact
Chopping Mall
Misery
Suburban Commando
The Littles
What’s Eating Gilbert Grape
Powder
Face/Off
Passenger 57
Jayce and The Wheeled Warriors
Grumpy Old Men
White Men Can’t Jump
Patch Adams
Teddy Ruxpin
You’ve Got Mail
Gimme A Break!
Death Becomes Her
Cool World
Small Soldiers
Drop Dead Fred
Jake and the Fatman
What Women Want
The Pallbearer
The Pagemaster
Capitol Critters
The Rock
Three Ninjas
Indecent Proposal
Showgirls
Dinosaucers
Body of Evidence
National Lampoon’s Loaded Weapon 1
Zapped!
Spaced Invaders
The PJs
Soul Man
Peacemaker (the one where a girl bangs a dude from space)
The Nanny
Blank Check
Barb Wire
Mr. Wrong
Suddenly Susan
Joe vs The VolcanoYes, this is fake. But you know some of these will be made. Most of them will be bad.
Might be more efficient to mix and match some. Sign me up for Krull vs Three Ninjas vs Joe vs the Volcano
THIS is how you start a shared universe!
People really salty out here that in a world with fifty mediocre Star Wars spinoffs people are getting an actually entertaining Willow sequel.
Many are craving a Hudson Hawk reboot, lol. This list is great and will drive people who think it is real totally insane
I’d totally see a next-generation sequel to Judgment Night, when the neighbourhood’s been gentrified and instead of gangsters it’s more of a psycho neighbourhood watch group.
Sounds like a ready-made Jordan Peele joint. Instead of a rap-rock soundtrack, we get country-trap crossovers.
Pretty sure a half dozen of those have already been turned into musicals.
DO NOT JOKE ABOUT A DROP DEAD FRED SEQUEL LIKE THAT!…someone might hear you…
Whatsherface who plays Harley Quinn has been trying to get a Tank Girl reboot off the ground for some time, I think. And I’ll be first in line if and when she does, whether it’s a movie or a series. It really should be an animated series, ideally, but you can’t have everything.
I finally got around to watching Willow for the first time a few weeks ago to see if I might want to see this. It’s not very good.
Correct. I’m the exact age for Nostalgia and it’s got some neat ideas, but it’s not a good movie.That said I’m going to give the series at try. Looks fun.
I saw the movie for the first time a couple years ago and concluded the same opinion. It’s not that great… Or it didn’t really live up to the hype that was given to me by others.I can barely recall what it was all about… I just remember being baffled by the movie’s excessive use of the word “peck” which was a made up slur used as derogatory term for the race of little people. I wasn’t expecting something like that to be so prevalent in the dialogue, but that alone didn’t make me think less of the film. I kinda regarded the whole movie as a forgettable 80s fantasy flick.
Oh, it definitely doesn’t live up to hype. I’d say that the appeal of the film is more that it’s got a certain charm to it, a fun earnestness that really, fully embraces itself and isn’t really trying to be anything else but itself.It’s also one of the best roles that Val Kilmer’s ever had, Madmartigan is just the perfect combination of charming, action-badass, and butt-monkey that really let his unique combination of abilities really thrive.Basically, he was the Ryan Reynolds of the 80s and 90s, and also got ruined by producers trying to crowbar him into the generic action lead slot >_<.
tis blasphemous to compare Kilmer to Reynolds!
What is this “living up to the hype” about with Willow that these commenters are talking about? Who has ever been hyping up Willow before the sequel series was announced? I loved the movie and always found either people enjoyed it or didn’t know what I was talking about l but no one ever hyped it up. The movie has always been an cult classic fantasy film. It’s fine if it’s not someone’s bag, but acting like Willow was hyped when a dozen other films/series have been hyped way way more is hilarious to me.
Go right to the Sorsha and ask the horsha, she’ll give you the answer that you endorsha, she’s always on a steady coursha…
Well, I sure can’t dig into this review since I struggled mightily to get through the first 20 minutes. Changed to The Peripheral, a show with some teeth and edge. I know most new series take a while to get moving but… this didn’t hold my attention. I will likely give it another half hour.
These photos make it look like they found and re-used the sets from all those syndicated fantasy/sci-fi shows from the 90’s and early 00’s.
So what you’re saying is a Xena reboot/sequel is on its way?!
I kind of loved it. It took me years to realize that Willow was this big financial disappointment. I remember literally everyone in my generation seeing it. We had sticker books, ffs. It’s not perfect, but it was extremely charming and unusual. This surprised me most by aiming straight for that charm and unusual creativity. The monsters are freaky and neat looking, the jokes actually made me laugh, and the young characters are distinctive and not annoying. That’s way more than I expected. If they can just keep the charm going and keep tossing new and weird fantasy ideas at us, then I think that this’ll go a long way towards scratching an itch that only the Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance has managed to reach for me in the last few years. I’m actually very pleasantly surprised. Looking forward to watching this every week now that Andor and Interview With A Vampire are both finished, especially in the wasteland that is the usual December tv landscape. Also, is Boorman named for John Boorman, for some reason? Because, if so, then that is rad. He’s a fair Madmartigan replacement, with a hat-on-a-dick joke and a name referencing the director of ZARDOZ to start. I can dig it.
Agreed!
Who’da thought fantasy with a sense of humor could work?! Wish some other current series would take note.
I miss The Magicians.
Man, there’s a lot of people here crapping on the original. If you don’t like something, but other people clearly do, have you tried shutting the hell up about it? Also, it’s spelled Galladoorn.
The wardrobe on the series doesn’t look lived in. It looks too shiny and knew, as if they bought it at the costume shop in the mall.
Val Kilmer was set to appear in the show, but pulled out the last second because of the pandemic. https://people.com/tv/val-kilmer-planned-to-join-willow-series-until-insurmountable-obstacles-forced-exit/
Here’s what’s great about Willow the Movie:1. James Horner’s score.2. Val Kilmer.3. Warwick Davis.4. The woman and kids who played Willow’s family.5. The baby’s reaction shots. (Great coverage on little Elora)6. “I have Shalindria’s wand, Bavmorda!”7. That’s it. There is no 7th thing. The TV show is good so far. Kind of cookie cutter. I kept thinking they should run into the questing crew from Wheel of Time, camp overnight, and shoot the shit. I also like in episode two that Princess Kit is visibly pissed that she’s not the main character anymore. The characters pop a little better than the Wheel of Time crew too. And the slightly jokey tone survived from the movie. So far, anyway. Kevin Pollack and Rick Overton in the original were mostly annoying as their characters kind of herky-jerked the pacing of the action scenes whenever Ron Howard cut to them. I don’t want them to return for this new series … but then I kinda do, because the sadist in me wants to experience some hardcore cringe. There’s an outside, very slim chance that their characters could be funny as Old Men Brownies (or Sprites or whatever they were). But, Lord, nothing more than a cameo, please.
The cringe meter is on high-alert also because I suspect the show might pull a Luke Skywalker on Madmartigan in the finale. But again, there’s a chance they might pull it off.And as far as #1 on the list up there, the show got James Newton Howard to adapt-in the James Horner score. Smart move. They haven’t pumped the Willow Theme outrageously yet – saving it for a big action sequence to be sure – which is also a smart move. Willow was one Horner’s best – and he had a lot of good ones. Avatar was a solid “B” James Horner score. I expect he’ll get credited in the Way of Water too.
The Brownies had some great lines in the original (“THAT’S Razael?” “I don’t know…I expected something a little more grand! A little less…” “Fuzzy.”) and are a big part of the charm and worldbuilding of the setting. The reaction people today have to them is from years of pop culture driven by armchair critics who don’t like fun.
According to the “This Season on Willow” preview, Kevin Pollack’s Brownie does indeed show up. My estimation of Kevin Pollack over the years has been greatly improved thanks to his role in The Marvelous Ms Maisel. So, I’m fine with a one episode guest starring appearance. The special effects will be better. A brownie complaining about his bad back or knee arthritis sounds pretty funny, actually.
I enjoyed the 2 episodes but by the end of it I was tired of Kit and her attitude. Though I suppose that was kind of the point.
The show is inoffensive and watchable enough. The princess and her knight have amazing chemistry, but then the princess starts acting like a total dick. I love Ralph Ineson so it’s great to have him on board. Also, Warwick Davis is very much in his “Life’s Too Short” mode, which considering the original movie’s cardinal sin was taking itself seriously, is a good thing. I hope Ineson didn’t like slaughter his daughter…the show probably should have cleared that up…she’s actually a really interesting performer, has a really unusual energy.
Thanks for the trivia! That’s great about the Eborsisk.Val Kilmer is, as you may know, ill. They had to computer generate his voice based on old recordings for Top Gun: Maverick. Would you accept someone else in the role?
For older viewers, it may be difficult to connect to a story that so heavily centers the next generation Rubbish. The key is this series has remembered to keep the sense of humor the movie had, so it’s quite entertaining and easy to connect with for anyone who liked the movie.
I certainly find it more fun to watch than the self-seriousness of Rings of Power, House of the Dragon, Wheel of Time, His Dark Materials, etc. and I can find things to like about all of those. It’s just so far Willow is better.
It’s strange how many people forget how FUN Willow was. I often see complaints/criticism that it “took itself too seriously” (including in this very comments section).To them, I have three words:“Gentlemen? Meet Llug!”(And four words for free: “He’s not a woman!”)
NOT A WOMAN?!?
The movie was cheesy, some of the effects show their age, and there are serious moments in the story, but it’s not a self-serious movie.
It’s by post RotJ George Lucas when he was in full Ewok promotion mode. It’d take another decade before he got self-serious enough to write the slog that was Phantom Menace.
“Wanna BREED?”“Tempting…”
I really enjoyed it, with two exceptions:The end credits music in the first two episodes is WOEFULLY out of place. Didn’t they learn ANYTHING about how to score Fantasy productions from Ladyhawke (the movie itself is one of MANY incredible fantasy films of the 80s. The orchestral “love”theme is fantastic. The Tangerine Dream score….not so much)?I’m also not fond of Kit’s dialogue. Amid all the conventional fantasy dialogue, her insistence on using contemporary vernacular sticks out like a sore thumb. She sounds like she walked off the set of any other teen comedy, not a High Fantasy adventure.
I know I’m late to the party but has anyone noticed that the end credits and some vague aspects of the plot are very similar to Brittania? They even use the song “Hurdy Gurdy Man” by Donovan that was used in the opening of the first season of Britannia as well as the brush stroke artwork aesthetic. The blonde girl is secret royalty with secret powers is similar to both Brittania and the Witcher. The funny thing is that Elora Danan predates both of those stories.