‘Willow’ Review: Disney Plus Reboot Has Fun Updating ’80s Fantasy

If Lord of the Rings and Sport of Thrones take themselves too severely, Willow is again to place some enjoyable into fantasy. This new Disney Plus collection is a long-awaited sequel to the Nineteen Eighties sword ‘n’ sorcery romp, and it is a welcome mix of clanging swords and comedy (with some spooky bits to make the children bounce).

Directed by Ron Howard and written by George Lucas, the unique 1986 movie starred Warwick Davis as short-statured however big-hearted farmer battling a cackling sorceress for the soul of a child destined to avoid wasting the world. Val Kilmer got here alongside for the trip as cocky swordsman Madmartigan in a movie that injected a wholesome dose of humor into its fantasy world.

Kilmer is unfortunately absent from the brand new collection as a result of actor’s current sickness, however Joanne Whalley returns as the primary movie’s heroine, Sorsha. She guidelines over a time of obvious peace and prosperity, though her kids with the lacking Madmartigan aren’t so simply commanded. The child from the movie has been hidden away because of Willow having a imaginative and prescient, which looks like a fairly large factor to yada yada previous in a gap voiceover, however then we’re straight right into a hilltop sword battle and racing off into a complete new journey with a forged of sharp-cheekboned teenagers.

The primary two episodes of the 2022 collection are streaming now on Disney Plus, with new episodes touchdown every Wednesday. Showrunner Jon Kasdan introduces a feisty new princess who’d reasonably follow swordplay than settle for an organized marriage; her twin brother the cocky girl’s man; a shy prince from the neighboring kingdom; and varied underlings in various ranges of affection with them. All the things kicks off the night time earlier than the marriage as an evil pressure launches a shock assault, and earlier than you possibly can say “J.R.R. Tolkien,” a fellowship of bickering royals, gruff previous fellas and bantering warriors set out on a quest throughout picturesque surroundings. Hurrah!

It is not completely clear why the heirs to not one however two royal households are dispatched into hazard, however what the heck. Issues rollick together with rousing motion, scary baddies and an inexplicable combination of accents saying humorous fantasy names. However what’s most charming is the present’s sense of enjoyable. This seven-episode collection contains loads of genuinely humorous bits, together with a scene-stealing Amar Chadha-Patel as a chatty warrior/thief and a understanding flip from Warwick Davis, drawing as a lot on his current comedy work with Ricky Gervais as on the unique movie.

It’s totally exhausting to keep away from comparability in a post-Sport of Thrones period that is saturated with fantasy TV. Up within the premier league are the fashionable, grownup and clearly costly Thrones spinoff Home of the Dragon and Amazon’s Rings of Energy. Some current exhibits have a powerful hook, like The Witcher‘s attractive monster searching, Shadow and Bone‘s army magic or Carnival Row‘s steampunk shenanigans. Willow’s identikit magical lore is much less distinct, veering dangerously near flat-pack fantasy just like the TV adaptation of The Wheel of Time. Meaning Willow depends virtually completely on identify recognition nostalgia to hook you in. However as soon as the title will get you thru the door, the collection is price sticking with. The forged and characters are partaking, and it comes with a profitable mix of motion, humor and spookiness.

Talking of which, the baddies are suitably evil, with scary magic and even scarier make-up. There is a massive battle within the opening episode that is a bit gory and intense (and somebody says “shit” for completely no purpose in any respect), however then no ’80s youngsters journey was full with out a bizarrely terrifying bit that scarred a technology, so we’ll enable it. And the deliciously creepy stuff can be leavened with playful touches like irreverent music cues and understanding ’80s cameos.

Whether or not Willow was a memorable a part of your childhood otherwise you’re coming to it for the primary time — maybe with your individual kids — the movie and its world have aged surprisingly nicely. Possibly not the hokey particular results, which seem like the advances of Star Wars a couple of years earlier than hadn’t occurred — and let’s face it, the unique Willow was mainly Star Wars in Lord of the Rings cosplay. You’ll be able to see why George Lucas’ story of a farmer, a mercenary and his bushy chum, a princess and a wizard battling an evil emperor and a masked normal could be seen as Lucas ripping off his personal creation (even when Star Wars was a space-based remix of basic Japanese samurai film The Hidden Fortress). It is solely with time that the gloss of nostalgia has worn away the Star Wars affiliation.

However the movie principally holds up due to its constructive vibe and matriarchal vitality. Launched within the macho Reagan-era Nineteen Eighties and in theaters concurrently Rambo 3, Willow featured a villain and magic mentor who had been each ladies. The story hinged on a valiant midwife, and a mother-daughter love/hate relationship was one of many primary storylines. In contrast to Star Wars and most tales a few chosen one, the prophesied youngster was a younger lady. And among the many menfolk, Willow was a loyal household man known as to be a hero not due to his preventing expertise, however due to his nurturing parental intuition and hands-on expertise of caring for a child. Even Kilmer’s Madmartigan, the cocky swordsman, was removed from the ultra-macho man’s man Kilmer performed simply two years earlier in High Gun. Kilmer gleefully embraced trying foolish (spending a piece of the movie in a gown), and his character grew as he was uncovered to Willow’s caring nature. 

Fortunately, this female vitality and normal sense of enjoyable simply interprets to at present. Whether or not you are a fan of the ’80s film or not, the brand new Willow is a slick and entertaining mix of swordplay and wordplay that conjures up a few of the previous magic.