Willow (1988)
Special Edition / (CBS Fox Home Video)
This movie concerns Willow Ufgood, a member of a diminutive
Hobbit-like race whose life is turned upside down when he discovers
a human infant floating down the stream beside his farm. Wanting
to wash their hands of the child, the village dispatches Willow
and several others to return the baby to the "giants"
to whom it must belong. But this is no ordinary child, and in
trying to protect the infant, Willow has a remarkable adventure
where he encounters wizards, dragons, and warriors-all the requisite
ingredients for an exciting fantasy adventure.
Although this film offers excellent acting-not only from then-newcomer
Warwick Davis as Willow, but also from the great Jean Marsh as
the evil Queen Bavmorda, and Val Kilmer as the roguish swordsman
Madmartigan-the film is also rife with flaws, many of which can
be traced to author and executive producer George Lucas (Star
Wars).
Lucas is a keen enthusiast of mythology and fairy tales, and
one of Willow's problems is the more-than-passing similarity
of its characters to those in Star Wars. These similarities
are likely due to Lucas' interest in Joseph Campbell, whose book,
The Hero With a Thousand Faces, asserted that all myths
are essentially the same and therefore inhabited by the same
characters.
This film exemplifies Campbell's theory taken to the extreme.
Willow Ufgood longs to be something far greater than a mere farmer
(just like Luke Skywalker) while Madmartigan is an unreliable,
self-serving rogue who ultimately finds honor in serving something
greater than himself (like Han Solo). Bathed in blue, low-key
light, Queen Bavmorda plots from her capacious throne-room (much
like the Emperor in Return of the Jedi) while her dirty
work is carried out by her daughter Sorsha, a feisty princess
who wields weapons but ultimately falls in love with Madmartigan
(like Princess Leia). Finally, the queen's armies are commanded
by General Kael, a tall, burly warrior who is attired in a flowing
cape and skull-like mask (um, Darth Vader?).
In the 1980s, fantasy films were notorious for their shallow
characters, but at least some of them partly made up for it with
imaginatively realized fantasy worlds. Willow sadly misses
the mark in this area, too. Queen Bavmorda's fortress should
have been a dark tower, looming threateningly over the land that
it sought to enslave. Instead, it resembles a big, squat box.
Neither folktale nor dollmaker has ever depicted a troll as a
hairy ape-man, yet that is precisely what the trolls in this
film resemble. Additionally, the climax of the film is a laugh
as the evil queen fights with the female wizard Rozell, a battle
that degenerates into a fistfight. Not only that, but the film's
attempts at humor are generally infantile and unfunny.
Willow does have exciting, nail-biting battles and chases,
Warwick Davis carries the film well, and Val Kilmer is entertaining,
but one in search of a fantasy video would do better to sample
some other offerings first.
Paul Andrew MacLean
© 2002
Shelton CT 06484 USA
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LadyJanet@RenaissanceMagazine.com