Over 30 years since the release of the original Lucasfilm classic, Willow arrives in 2022 as a new episodic series on Disney+. The onetime farmer Willow Ufgood has become a noted sorcerer and encounters a group of young heroes on a dangerous quest. Full of wonders and adventure, the series joins original cast and crew with new contributors to expand the beloved fantasy world.
Willow stars Warwick Davis in the title role, as well as Ellie Bamber, Ruby Cruz, Erin Kellyman, Tony Revolori, Amar Chadha-Patel, Dempsey Bryk, and Joanne Whalley. Kathleen Kennedy, Michelle Rejwan, Jonathan Kasdan, Tommy Harper, Wendy Mericle, Roopesh Parekh, Ron Howard, and Samie Kim Falvey serve as executive producers. Writers are John Bickerstaff, Hannah Friedman, and Jonathan Kasdan. The producers are Stephen Woolfenden, Julia Cooperman, Hameed Shaukat, and Max Taylor.
Starring: Warwick Davis, Erin Kellyman, Ellie Bamber, Tony Revolori, Ruby Cruz, Amer Chadha-Patel, Dempsey Bryk, Joanne Whalley
Composers: James Newton Howard, Xander Rodzinski
Executive producers: Ron Howard, Brian Grazer, Jonathan Kasdan, Kathleen Kennedy, Wendy Mericle, Roopesh Parekh, Michelle Rejwan
Producer: Julia Cooperman
Director: Jamie Childs
Willow has been a polarizing series; fans either love it or hate it. They love its nostalgia and likeness to the original movie or hate it for its dialogue and acting. These opinions aren’t mutually exclusive. Yes, Willow is fun and lighthearted. It doesn’t take itself too seriously. Willow does all the things that hardcore fantasy cannot, leaving out the blood, guts, nudity, and layers upon layers of plotlines. These aren’t necessarily bad things, but having a fantasy series the whole family can watch together is nice.
However, what Willow does, it doesn’t do very well. The dialogue is cringeworthy at times. Why the characters do what they do doesn’t always make sense. Honestly, trying to come up with explanations is getting tiring. Characters’ appearances change without explanation. Characters come and go without knowing who they are. Willow tries to cram more story into its 45-60 minutes than it should.
There is a difference between occasionally making something silly and just plain dumb. Why in the world would Boorman shoot the harpoon so stupidly? Yea, we get it. He’s a silly thief who does things without thinking them through. But even the most foolish person has moments of seriousness. Having Boorman stop, aim the harpoon, and make a legit attempt at hitting his target would make for a much more exciting scene.
Elora’s hair mysteriously changes from blonde to red in this episode without an explanation. One rumor making the rounds is that as Elora becomes stronger in her magical abilities, her hair changes back to red, as that was her hair color when she was a baby.
One bright spot of the series is the cinematography. Filming took place in Wales, and it’s gorgeous. For example, the scene with Elora and Kit outside their craft at night on the Shattered Sea was stunning, with the blue and purple night sky filled with colorful stars.
While crossing the Shattered Sea, the gang happens upon a houseboat, which they enter slowly, looking for shelter. Inside the boat, an older man is sleeping in his chair, mouth agape. Elora, weirdly, walks up to him, believing him to be deceased, and appears to try to stick her finger in his mouth. The man suddenly awakens and startles Elora. Nitpicky, maybe, but who came up with the idea that Elora should stick her finger in his mouth? Couldn’t she check his pulse? When the man asks for payment, Willow offers him various priceless gems, to which Graydon asks why they couldn’t have stayed at a decent inn. Willow shrugs. This is a microcosm of the entire series. This is what happened. This other thing would’ve made much more sense, but we went with this anyway. Okay, then.
By the way, the fisherman’s name is Zeb, played by Julian Glover (The Empire Strikes Back, Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, Game of Thrones). His name is easily missed as no one refers to him by his name. It’s only used when he calls his boat Zeb’s silt sleigh. It’s used as a tourist ride. Zeb serves as a sort of information dump. The action picks up when Graydon suddenly notices two Zebs wandering the sleigh. The Dag and The Doom attack.
In the Immemorial City, Airk and Lili of Cashmere hang out by a pool of orange liquid that apparently tastes good. Lili is played by Rosabell Laurenti Sellers, who also appeared in nine episodes of Game of Thrones as Tyene Sand. Seems very coincidental that two young, attractive people would be held captive in an abandoned city together. They flirt, but Airk remains loyal to Elora (Dove), but he eventually gives in. My gut feeling is Lili is The Crone in disguise.
Kit has completely changed from sarcastic Kit to determined Kit, which is a relief. The scene of her getting wounded and Jade helping her was quite funny. Kit and Jade work through their differences, and Elora and Willow work on improving Elora’s abilities. A lot of this should have happened two episodes ago. With one episode remaining, the story should be further along.
Graydon grows close to the mudmander, the beast pulling the sleigh. Sometimes Graydon comes off as the most grounded. He’s a prince but doesn’t act like one. He loves Elora without asking for her love in return and treats animals as if they’re people. By the end of the episode, Boorman finally shows a deeper side, admitting he is no one special. Maybe now he’ll grow up.
The group reaches the end of the Shattered Sea, where it literally drops off like the edge of the world. Leaving the rest behind, Kit and Elora jump off the edge, landing in Immemorial City, where they reunite with Airk, who is now under the influence and has gotten a haircut.
The last episode has loads to wrap up, and it will but not without leaving loose ends and doing things in a way that cuts corners. It’s easy to see Willow’s shortcomings, but it’s also easy to appreciate its willingness to go on an adventure and not let minor details ruin the fun.
- Hardcover Book
- Davis, Warwick (Author)
- English (Publication Language)
- 416 Pages - 11/01/2011 (Publication Date) - Trade Paper Press (Publisher)