Review: Willow
What Parents Should Know
Parents need to know that this film starts with the evil
queen searching for a baby and planning to kill it. There is a
scene where innocent villagers are frightened by soldiers
invading their village, looking for the princess baby. It shows
a battle scene with sword fighting, men dying, and blood on
bodies. There is also some romantic kissing between Val Kilmer
and Joanne Whalley's characters. Despite all this, the film is
beautifully filmed and shows important moral themes related to
good over evil.
Families can talk about the moral dilemma faced by Willow to
deliver the baby princess to safety and yet leaving his own
family behind in potential danger. For children who have
outgrown Disney adventures and animation, WILLOW is a great
entrée into the fantasy genre, brought to the big screen
by director Ron Howard and writer George Lucas.
Willow (Warwick Davis) is a Nelwyn, a dwarf-like person, who is a farmer and aspiring sorcerer. His children find a baby, a special princess who is the chosen one to bring down the reign of terror by the magical evil queen. The Nelwyn community is frightened by this baby, a Daikini or big person, and commands Willow to return the baby to its kind. The first Nelwyn met is a hooligan named Madmartigan (Val Kilmer). Willow has bonded with the baby and does not trust Madmaritgan. These two pair up to save the baby, meeting forest fairies and a kind sorceress along the way. Madmartigan receives a dose of fairy powder causing him to fall in love with Sorsha, daughter to the evil queen. The powder wears off, but not the affection. In the end, good triumphs over evil; Willow is a hero; and the baby princess is left in the loving arms of Sorsha and Madmartigan.
For today's Harry Potter generation, a viewing of WILLOW will surely be of interest. There's no more violence in this film than a child sees in Harry Potter or Star Wars, in fact, probably less. Directed by Ron Howard and written by George Lucas, it's a great film for kids interested in fantasy.
The adventure is easy-to-follow and full of school-aged humor, and two forest fairies provide comedy with their slapstick, strange voices, and snappy one-liners. Lucas' fantasy has interesting-looking characters and villages, gothic castles, and most of all, magic. There are no big surprises; we know who is good and who is evil. Though parents may want to fast forward through the fight scenes, Willow is an excellent choice to give young kids a taste of fantasy.
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