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Movies / On DVD / Willow
Willow

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Willow (1988)

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Reviews Counted:25

Fresh:12

Rotten:13

Average Rating:5.6/10

Consensus: Good production value and decent special effects, but the story is too insipid and slowly paced.

Runtime: 2 hrs 10 mins

Genre: Science-Fiction/Fantasy

Synopsis: Based on a story by STAR WARS creator George Lucas, WILLOW is director Ron Howard's fantasy world of medieval adventure. WILLOW stars Val Kilmer as Madmartigan, a swashbuckling warrior, and Warwick... Based on a story by STAR WARS creator George Lucas, WILLOW is director Ron Howard's fantasy world of medieval adventure. WILLOW stars Val Kilmer as Madmartigan, a swashbuckling warrior, and Warwick Davis as the title character. In a mythical kingdom, the evil sorceress Queen Bavmorda (Jean Marsh) plots to kill all infants so that the newborn princess, Elora, will never take over the throne. But a midwife sets the baby adrift in a river, and she is rescued by Willow, a farmer in Nelwyn, a peaceful village of trolls, fairies, and little folk. Willow and Madmartigan begin a quest to deliver the baby from evil while being chased by Queen Bavmorda's daughter, Sorsha (Joanne Whalley), sent to bring the baby back to Nockmaar. Director Howard benefited from his affiliation with George Lucas on the film--Lucas's company, Industrial Light and Magic, contributed the Oscar-nominated special effects. Lucas, the executive producer of WILLOW, went on to create a series of books based on the world of WILLOW, the SHADOW WAR series. [More]

Starring: Warwick Davis, Val Kilmer, Billy Barty, Jean Marsh

Starring: Warwick Davis, Val Kilmer, Billy Barty, Jean Marsh, Joanne Whalley, Patricia Hayes, Pat Roach, Gavan O'Herlihy, Kevin Pollak, Rick Overton

Director: Ron Howard

Director: Ron Howard
Screenwriter: Bob Dolman
Story: George Lucas
Producer: Nigel Wooll
Composer: James Horner

[See More Credits]

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Release:

Aug 26, 2003

No Details Exist
 
 

Reviews for Willow

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1 - 20 (sorted by fresh rating)
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No review available.

comment Comment
06/10/06
Boyd van Hoeij
Boyd van Hoeij
european-films.net

No review available.

comment Comment
11/14/03
Carol Cling
Carol Cling
Las Vegas Review-Journal

Grand escapism

Full Review Source: Filmcritic.com | comment Comment
11/28/01
Christopher Null
Christopher Null
Filmcritic.com

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Cinemaphile.org | comment Comment
01/01/00
David Keyes
David Keyes
Cinemaphile.org

No review available.

comment Comment
10/03/04
Greg Maki
Greg Maki
Star-Democrat (Easton, MD)

No review available.

comment Comment
12/12/02
Joshua Tyler
Joshua Tyler
CinemaBlend.com

It isn't without significant flaws, but overall an effective and memorable fantasy spectacle.

comment Comment
10/21/04
Luke Y. Thompson
Luke Y. Thompson
New Times

No review available.

comment Comment
11/12/02
Nicolas Lacroix
Nicolas Lacroix
Showbizz.net

Magic-filled fantasy adventure for tweens and up.

Full Review Source: Common Sense Media | comment Comment
10/22/07
Pam Gelman
Pam Gelman
Common Sense Media

A sloppy and intermittently goofy flick, but it still holds enough charm, excitement and good humor to please quest fans.

Full Review Source: eFilmCritic.com | comment Comment
05/23/02
Scott Weinberg
Scott Weinberg
eFilmCritic.com

Nice fantasy adventure, looking pretty dated now, but ably helmed by Ron Howard.

comment Comment
01/10/09
Steve Crum
Steve Crum
Video-Reviewmaster.com

This is how I always figured the project got started: ILM called Ron, and said 'Ronnnnnnn, we're BORED.'

comment Comment
09/23/03
Widgett Walls
Widgett Walls
Needcoffee.com

No review available.

comment Comment
07/29/05
Chuck O'Leary
Chuck O'Leary
Fantastica Daily

No review available.

comment Comment
02/08/04
Daniel M. Kimmel
Daniel M. Kimmel
Worcester Telegram & Gazette

Though children will mostly be enthralled by the spectacles, even they might notice the weak story protruding through the industrial magic.

Full Review Source: Washington Post | comment Comment
01/01/00
Desson Thomson
Desson Thomson
Washington Post
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

No review available.

comment Comment
07/03/05
Emanuel Levy
Emanuel Levy
EmanuelLevy.Com

Although the dragon is a fantastic early computer generated creation and must have cost a bundle to design, the film itself is too long, too slowly paced, and not very intelligent.

Full Review Source: Apollo Guide | comment Comment
12/22/01
Jamie Gillies
Jamie Gillies
Apollo Guide

...high production values, elaborate sets, and gorgeous cinematography make it worth seeing at least once. Yet, I found in it no compelling reasons for a revisit.

Full Review Source: DVDTown.com | comment Comment
11/16/01
John J. Puccio
John J. Puccio
DVDTown.com

Gad.

comment Comment
12/29/02
Ken Hanke
Ken Hanke
Mountain Xpress (Asheville, NC)

No review available.

comment Comment
01/05/05
Lori Hoffman
Lori Hoffman
Atlantic City Weekly
 
 
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