Quartile rating: 7/10 · 1 rating
The evil Queen Bavmorda hunts the newborn princess Elora Danan, a child prophesied to bring about her downfall. When the royal infant is found by Willow, a timid farmer and aspiring sorcerer, he's entrusted with delivering her from evil.
Willow is a likable and earnest 1988 fantasy adventure that draws heavily on familiar Tolkienesque and Hero's Journey tropes — a humble small person thrust into a grand quest, prophecy-driven narrative, dark sorceress villain. The plot is functional and entertaining but derivative, leaning on well-worn fantasy conventions without real surprise. Acting is solid if unspectacular; Val Kilmer brings roguish charm and Warwick Davis is endearing, but performances don't transcend genre limitations. Cinematography by Adrian Biddle is competent and scenic but not particularly distinctive. The film has a warm nostalgic identity but isn't truly singular — it sits comfortably as a Lucasfilm genre exercise rather than a groundbreaking vision. The ending wraps up somewhat abruptly and anticlimactically, with Bavmorda's defeat feeling rushed and the emotional resolution underdeveloped. A solid, crowd-pleasing fantasy that earns affection more than admiration.