tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12380553.post3738185921325669409..comments2024-03-28T14:49:36.133-04:00Comments on John Kenneth Muir's Reflections on Cult Movies and Classic TV: Cult-Movie Review: Willow (1988)John Kenneth Muirhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15629979615332893780noreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12380553.post-92028299897937049772017-11-19T23:48:30.043-05:002017-11-19T23:48:30.043-05:00One of my favorite films all time. Not considered ...One of my favorite films all time. Not considered by many(esp.with Starwars fans), this film is a classic for me and very rewatchable. Val Kilmer kicked ass with this one, and the film has a very effective formula.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03561540212244418743noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12380553.post-74895477282211896002014-05-23T11:15:00.189-04:002014-05-23T11:15:00.189-04:00Nice to see you re-examine this film. I think it h...Nice to see you re-examine this film. I think it has aged really well. The location shooting and wonderfully detailed production design really help. As you mentioned reception for this film was tepid for the most part. I remember my mom commenting after the movie ended, "Well, you got to see another Star Wars movie, but with a dragon in it."<br /><br />But in the scope of 1980s fantasy films, this one really works. Not quite at the "Conan the Barbarian" level, but in a way they are very different movies. "Willow" is more in the fairy tale vein, and Conan goes for the earthy sword and sorcery vein. And yet, both of them have the feel of being in another world or another time - because of the production details and location shooting.<br /><br />But yeah, the Brownies... even when I was a kid they annoyed me. Drop them from the film, and it would be just about perfect. And as you mentioned, the action scenes are really handled well. That wagon chase is still a ton of fun. The movie is surprisingly violent and scary at times. When Willow transforms the troll into the dragon - just ... ewwww. The trolls gave my sister nightmares for years too. :)<br /><br />And James Horner's score is one of my favorites, a close second to "Krull" for his best fantasy effort. The main theme for "Willow" is iconic.Roman J. Martelhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09545497713474664555noreply@blogger.com