by Mike Hilty, Contributing Writer
I have a soft spot for fantasy films. Perhaps it’s the bias from my childhood, but I just love getting lost in the world of certain fantasy movies. I love the Lord of the Rings, Game of Thrones, and anything and everything Harry Potter related. There were three critical movies to me as a kid when it comes to fantasy. The first is The Neverending Story. Yes, I’ll admit that cried hard when Dustin and Suzie started singing the theme song in Stranger Things. The second is The Princess Bride, which was my favorite movie for the longest time. The final film is Willow. I wore out the VHS tape we bought, and then the VHS of the recording we did on cable.
So I had several concerns when I heard that Disney+ was coming out with a Willow series. Disney doesn’t exactly have my trust when it comes to their streaming content, since the majority of the series are fine at best. Their shows on existing properties (Marvel included) have been all over the place, and it feels like they’re trying to find something that sticks with viewers. I did feel better once I saw Warwick Davis signed on for the return. I didn’t watch any of the trailers because I wanted to go back into the world without any preconceived notions. It was probably the best call, because I will give credit where it’s due: Willow is a gorgeous TV series.
Everything here is beautiful. Props to the various cinematographers who worked on the season for capturing how gorgeous Andowyne is. We see all kinds of different corners of the world, as well as the people and creatures that inhabit them. Each of these locations is unique, and their set design is fantastic. The opening sequence of a book telling the story of the series is a creative way to set up each episode. The final piece that deserves recognition visually is the special effects. The world of Willow is full of magic, and the scenes where magic is involved are wonderfully done. Whether it’s Willow showing someone magic, or a scene where magic is used for combat purposes, the effects are breathtaking.
I wish I could say the same about my audio experience. The score is amazing, so props to composers James Newton and Xander Rodzinski. This might be ticky-tack, but I couldn’t stand the music at the end of each episode. It took me out of the world, and it was a weird choice to make, to end each of these episodes. This is one example of some curious decisions by the creative staff.
The other thing that I was frustrated with is the dialogue. The writers make some odd choices about how to present scenes with certain characters. For instance, there is a fair amount of cursing and modern language. I’m trying not to sound all holier-than-thou, but it is distracting and feels out of place, considering Willow the movie has minimal cursing. There’s a scene during one of the pivotal moments of the final episodes where there is cursing so distractingly bad that I had to consider whether it ruined my experience. The dialogue in general feels weak at times, and I’m hoping it will improve in the future.
A word of caution for anyone interested in checking out the series: It’d be wise to watch or rewatch Willow the movie before watching the series. The story is extremely dependent on the movie, and previous knowledge is essential to understanding what’s going on. If you’re a fan of the original movie, there are plenty of cameos, Easter eggs, and callbacks that will help enhance the story and make fans shriek with joy.
As a fan of the original, my biggest concern was how they would expand the story and incorporate new faces. There are a fair amount of newcomers to this world, and a lot of them do fantastic work. Some of the new characters include Dove (Ellie Bamber), a kitchen maid who falls in love with another one of the new characters. Bamber has a tall task for her performance, and she crushes it. Dialogue aside, her performance is solid, and she becomes essential to the fellowship on their quest. Another new character is Princess Kit (Ruby Cruz), who is related to someone from the original movie. Kit struggles with what she has to do as a princess, and is eager to prove herself. Cruz is a great addition to the cast, and she has great chemistry with her friend and companion Jade (Erin Kellyman), and her brother Prince Arik (Dempsey Bryk).
To me, the new cast member that stands out the most is Prince Graydon (Tony Revolori). His backstory is tragic, and his situation, particularly with Kit, is complicated. He’s not exactly the strongest fighter, but he has a lot of heart and is knowledgeable about the quest at hand. Revolve gives a great performance, one that showcases his talent as a performer. He has the chance to be a great leading man in the future. I also enjoyed Thraxus (Amar Chadha-Patel), the muscle and comic relief.
As a fan of the movie, the real question I had involved how much Willow Ufgood (Davis) would be in the series. I knew going in he probably wouldn’t be the main character, and some of what he’d be doing would be passing the baton to the other cast members. I was a little miffed at how he wasn’t in a lot of the series. Willow is the primary bridge between the movie and the series, along with one other person. Davis is still amazing as Willow, even if his screen time is a touch limited.
Willow has a wonderful story and a great quest that spans plenty of different areas of the world. It’s a pretty standard rescue mission when a character is kidnapped. The quest involves hopping from area to area, and feels a little like a video game. Once you find what you need from one world, you move on to the next. Some worlds and episodes are more engaging than others, but I still enjoyed the quest.
Willow is a love letter to those who are fans of the movie, but it also sets up an intriguing quest for new viewers. Despite the dialogue being bad at times, and the music distractions at the end of each episode, the new characters blend amazingly with the old legacy characters. In an age of streaming where shows are getting canceled left and right and not getting enough time to tell the story they want, I’m hoping that Willow will continue, as I’m very interested to see where everything ends up. As a fan of the movie, I was happy enough with the series, and am excited for the prospect of more.
Score: 8/10
Willow is currently streaming on Disney+
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