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Movies / On DVD / Willow
Willow

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Willow (1988)

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48 %
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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 date; UK critics are listed first)
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Reviews
Tomatometer Critic Review Category
N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: | comment Comment | Jan., 26 2006 03:16 AM

Time Out

tomato
3/5

Steve Crum

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

comment Comment | Jan., 10 2009 06:30 PM

Video-Reviewmaster.com

tomato
4/5

Pam Gelman

Magic-filled fantasy adventure for tweens and up.

Full Review Source: | comment Comment | Oct., 22 2007 03:58 PM

Common Sense Media

tomato
3/5

Boyd van Hoeij

No review available.

comment Comment | Jun., 10 2006 05:34 AM

european-films.net

N/R

Jeffrey M. Anderson

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: | comment Comment | May., 26 2006 03:17 AM

Combustible Celluloid

splat
2/5

Pete Vonder Haar

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

comment Comment | Oct., 22 2005 10:46 PM

Film Threat

splat
2/5

Chuck O'Leary

No review available.

comment Comment | Jul., 29 2005 02:38 AM

Fantastica Daily

splat
2/5

Emanuel Levy

No review available.

comment Comment | Jul., 03 2005 11:00 AM

EmanuelLevy.Com

splat
2/5

Lori Hoffman

No review available.

comment Comment | Jan., 05 2005 01:04 PM

Atlantic City Weekly

tomato
4/5

Luke Y. Thompson

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

comment Comment | Oct., 21 2004 06:29 PM

New Times

tomato
4/5

Greg Maki

No review available.

comment Comment | Oct., 03 2004 09:32 PM

Star-Democrat (Easton, MD)

splat
1/5

Daniel M. Kimmel

No review available.

comment Comment | Feb., 08 2004 10:19 AM

Worcester Telegram & Gazette

tomato
4/5

Carol Cling

No review available.

comment Comment | Nov., 14 2003 11:22 AM

Las Vegas Review-Journal

tomato
3/5

Widgett Walls

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

comment Comment | Sep., 23 2003 01:29 PM

Needcoffee.com

N/R

Janet Maslin

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: | comment Comment | May., 20 2003 05:18 PM

New York Times

splat
1/5

Ken Hanke

Gad.

comment Comment | Dec., 29 2002 04:33 PM

Mountain Xpress (Asheville, NC)

tomato
4/5

Joshua Tyler

No review available.

comment Comment | Dec., 12 2002 07:05 AM

CinemaBlend.com

tomato
3/5

Nicolas Lacroix

No review available.

comment Comment | Nov., 12 2002 01:41 PM

Showbizz.net

N/R

Urban Cinefile Critics

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: | comment Comment | Sep., 17 2002 08:28 AM

Urban Cinefile

splat
2/5

Philip Martin

No review available.

comment Comment | Jul., 31 2002 10:58 AM

Arkansas Democrat-Gazette

 
 
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