I've skipped most of the recent Disney+ series based on their live action movie catalog, including the "National Treasure," "Mighty Ducks," and "Santa Clause" shows. The 1988 film "Willow," however, is a piece of sword and sorcery media that is near and dear to my heart, and I couldn't restrain my curiosity. Key members of the original cast were returning, and there looked to be more emphasis on practical effects and locations instead of everyone being stuck in the Volume. "Willow" also promised to be a more lighthearted, more fun show than some of the other big fantasy projects of 2022, like "Rings of Power" and "House of the Dragon."
And boy, it was hard watching "Willow" the series squander so much potential. Roughly seventeen years after the events of the movie, Prince Airk (Dempsey Bryk) of the kingdom of Tir Asleen is kidnapped by evil forces. His twin sister Kit (Ruby Cruz) embarks on a rescue quest with her knight-in-training bestie Jade (Erin Kellyman), her intended fiance Prince Graydon (Tony Revolori), Airk's girlfriend Dove (Ellie Bamber), and a petty criminal named Boorman (Amar Chadha Patel). But first, they need to find the great sorcerer Willow Ufgood (Warwick Davis), who has been scarce for many years.
My first instinct was to compare "Willow" with "Wheel of Time," since they both start off with a collection of youngsters setting out on a fantasy quest for the first time together. It's immediately apparent that "Willow" has a much stronger cast, playing much better defined characters. You've got a couple of fighters, a rogue, the book-smart one, and some fledgeling magic users - all of them likable and easy to root for. Marvel fans will recognize Kellyman and Revolori, who are given a chance to shine more brightly here, but all the principals are great. The effects work is also excellent - making the magic spell battles and CGI monsters look effortless.
I wish the writing lived up to the production values. "Willow" takes pains to set itself apart by deliberately using modern language, a mix of different accents, and a soundtrack with several covers of classic rock songs. It's a good instinct, but the execution is awkward, and some of the tonal clashes are terrible. Also, "Willow" falls into the same trap as some of the other legasequels by putting way too much emphasis on callbacks, some of them not very well considered. One episode literally replays the finale of the movie when the adventurers wander into the old location. One episode drops in on Kevin Pollack playing his Brownie character Rool from the movie, seemingly for no real reason except to fill time. Other guest stars like Hannah Waddingham and Christian Slater keep showing up to gamely indulge in fantasy hijinks, but don't get much to work with.
However, the show's biggest mistake is that it ties so many emotional stakes to a character who doesn't actually appear in the show. It feels like the creators really wanted Val Kilmer to make some kind of appearance as Madmartigan, Kit and Airk's missing father, but couldn't manage it, and had no time left to rewrite the scripts in the end. One episode in particular is totally anticlimactic because the whole thing builds up to Madmartigan showing up, and he doesn't. "Willow" has several good episodes, where the writing clicks, and the action scenes are fun, and there's plenty of showing instead of telling. However, it has just as many rushed and messy episodes that don't work at all.
I strongly suspect that there were some pandemic issues causing trouble here, but several of the Disney+ "Star Wars" shows have suffered similar issues, so the problem may be more systemic. In any case, there are so many things that I liked about "Willow," I toughed out the full eight episodes. We have lesbian lead characters! Amar Chadha Patel being the funniest guy in any scene he's in! A sea monster named Kenneth! If we get more of this show, I'll be thrilled, but I won't be revisiting the first season any time soon.
---
No comments:
Post a Comment