Willow

The story is not completely predictable, although it definitely is not a plot that would amaze you with its innovativeness. This is a film for which one word perfectly fits - good. It's not bad, it's not excellent, it's simply good. More: http://www.filmovy-denik.cz/2013/06/willow-1988-65.html. (06/06/2013)

Very nice. An old-school fantasy film in the vein of The Princess Bride with a world that carries the traditional Lucas theme of an unlikely hero-saviour. The scenery is gorgeous in places, it doesn't feel like Howard is just behind the camera making sure the shot has the right angle to accommodate all the gratuitous effects. On the other hand, the often practical effects never slow down the narrative thanks to skilful direction, and the appearances of all those supernatural creatures, which the characters foreshadow in dialogue at the beginning of the journey, always have a specific charm. The cast is carried along not only by the likeable Warwick Davis, but especially by Val Kilmer with his sharp tongue and ultra-romantic lines – he may be a jerk, but he has charisma to spare. If it weren't for the more static finale, which is far from equal to the grotesque and at the same time scary passages with the dragon and the trolls, I would give it full marks. The genre's playfulness and sincerity won me over. (08/12/2022)

If Willow has anything to say to today's young audience then I don't know what it is because I have long outgrown childish films. Once upon a time, the film was intended for the so-called "family audience." But adults, unless influenced by nostalgia, now have a much wider selection of fantasy films that have pushed the genre forward toward better technical processing, more thoughtful construction of fantastic worlds, and higher-quality scripts. In my eyes, the film is brought down by boundless naivety, its awkward style of humor, the antics with the little creatures, and much more. I wouldn't have been thrilled with Willow even during its premiere, and since then, it's aged painfully. Overall impression: 25%. (31/12/2020)

What’s to stop a tiny guy from setting off on an adventure even outside Tolkien’s realm? Lucas’s production influence is evident from the ILM effects to the Star Wars vibes, and even to the evil general and two-headed dragon named after film critics. However, this fictional world was not built on foundations that would give it more than just fleeting entertainment value (with Val Kilmer’s overacting and dubious-quality forest Brownies adding to the mix). (12/06/2023)