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Movies / On DVD / Willow
Willow

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Willow (1988)

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Reviews Counted:25

Fresh:12

Rotten:13

Average Rating:5.6/10

Consensus: Good production value and decent special effects, but the story is too insipid and slowly paced.

Runtime: 2 hrs 10 mins

Genre: Science-Fiction/Fantasy

Synopsis: Based on a story by STAR WARS creator George Lucas, WILLOW is director Ron Howard's fantasy world of medieval adventure. WILLOW stars Val Kilmer as Madmartigan, a swashbuckling warrior, and Warwick... Based on a story by STAR WARS creator George Lucas, WILLOW is director Ron Howard's fantasy world of medieval adventure. WILLOW stars Val Kilmer as Madmartigan, a swashbuckling warrior, and Warwick Davis as the title character. In a mythical kingdom, the evil sorceress Queen Bavmorda (Jean Marsh) plots to kill all infants so that the newborn princess, Elora, will never take over the throne. But a midwife sets the baby adrift in a river, and she is rescued by Willow, a farmer in Nelwyn, a peaceful village of trolls, fairies, and little folk. Willow and Madmartigan begin a quest to deliver the baby from evil while being chased by Queen Bavmorda's daughter, Sorsha (Joanne Whalley), sent to bring the baby back to Nockmaar. Director Howard benefited from his affiliation with George Lucas on the film--Lucas's company, Industrial Light and Magic, contributed the Oscar-nominated special effects. Lucas, the executive producer of WILLOW, went on to create a series of books based on the world of WILLOW, the SHADOW WAR series. [More]

Starring: Warwick Davis, Val Kilmer, Billy Barty, Jean Marsh

Starring: Warwick Davis, Val Kilmer, Billy Barty, Jean Marsh, Joanne Whalley, Patricia Hayes, Pat Roach, Gavan O'Herlihy, Kevin Pollak, Rick Overton

Director: Ron Howard

Director: Ron Howard
Screenwriter: Bob Dolman
Story: George Lucas
Producer: Nigel Wooll
Composer: James Horner

[See More Credits]

Reviews for Willow

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1 - 20 (sorted by critic A-Z; UK critics are listed first)
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N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Time Out | comment Comment
01/26/06
Time Out
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

It works better as a portfolio for ILM techies than an example of such hoary entertainment standards as acting, screenwriting, plotting, and direction.

Full Review Source: Film Freak Central | comment Comment
12/24/01
Walter Chaw
Walter Chaw
Film Freak Central

At the story level, Willow is turgid and relentlessly predictable.

Full Review Source: Chicago Sun-Times | comment Comment
01/01/00
Roger Ebert
Roger Ebert
Chicago Sun-Times
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Magic-filled fantasy adventure for tweens and up.

Full Review Source: Common Sense Media | comment Comment
10/22/07
Pam Gelman
Pam Gelman
Common Sense Media

Although the dragon is a fantastic early computer generated creation and must have cost a bundle to design, the film itself is too long, too slowly paced, and not very intelligent.

Full Review Source: Apollo Guide | comment Comment
12/22/01
Jamie Gillies
Jamie Gillies
Apollo Guide

The big budget can't conceal the fact that this fiction is fallow, more rootbound than spellbound.

Full Review Source: Washington Post | comment Comment
01/01/00
Rita Kempley
Rita Kempley
Washington Post

Grand escapism

Full Review Source: Filmcritic.com | comment Comment
11/28/01
Christopher Null
Christopher Null
Filmcritic.com

...high production values, elaborate sets, and gorgeous cinematography make it worth seeing at least once. Yet, I found in it no compelling reasons for a revisit.

Full Review Source: DVDTown.com | comment Comment
11/16/01
John J. Puccio
John J. Puccio
DVDTown.com

Though children will mostly be enthralled by the spectacles, even they might notice the weak story protruding through the industrial magic.

Full Review Source: Washington Post | comment Comment
01/01/00
Desson Thomson
Desson Thomson
Washington Post

A sloppy and intermittently goofy flick, but it still holds enough charm, excitement and good humor to please quest fans.

Full Review Source: eFilmCritic.com | comment Comment
05/23/02
Scott Weinberg
Scott Weinberg
eFilmCritic.com

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Cinemaphile.org | comment Comment
01/01/00
David Keyes
David Keyes
Cinemaphile.org
N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Combustible Celluloid | comment Comment
05/26/06
Jeffrey M. Anderson
Jeffrey M. Anderson
Combustible Celluloid
N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: New York Times | comment Comment
05/20/03
Janet Maslin
Janet Maslin
New York Times
Top Critic Icon Top Critic
N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Sci-Fi Movie Page | comment Comment
01/01/00
James O'Ehley
James O'Ehley
Sci-Fi Movie Page
N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Urban Cinefile | comment Comment
09/17/02
Urban Cinefile Critics
Urban Cinefile Critics
Urban Cinefile

Nice fantasy adventure, looking pretty dated now, but ably helmed by Ron Howard.

comment Comment
01/10/09
Steve Crum
Steve Crum
Video-Reviewmaster.com

Gad.

comment Comment
12/29/02
Ken Hanke
Ken Hanke
Mountain Xpress (Asheville, NC)

It isn't without significant flaws, but overall an effective and memorable fantasy spectacle.

comment Comment
10/21/04
Luke Y. Thompson
Luke Y. Thompson
New Times

As a movie, it's a hell of a video game

comment Comment
10/22/05
Pete Vonder Haar
Pete Vonder Haar
Film Threat

This is how I always figured the project got started: ILM called Ron, and said 'Ronnnnnnn, we're BORED.'

comment Comment
09/23/03
Widgett Walls
Widgett Walls
Needcoffee.com
 
 
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