REVIEW: ‘Willow’ A Classic Fantasy Story for a New Generation

Being a child of the 80’s I was surrounded by a wealth of fantasy, and sci-fi stories that left the biggest impact on my impressionable little mind. Now, most films in that generation didn’t always cater to their audience, especially when it came to kids and fantasy, however, one such story managed to strike that balance with the sword-and-sorcery theme and be family friendly as well. Of course we’re talking about Willow. It’s one of those films that holds a special place in my heart. So when I heard that Lucasfilm would working on a Willow Season 1 to debut on Disney+ I all but lost my mind. But does the sequel series live up to the original?

The series was developed and written by Jonathan Kasdan who in a recent press junket described he’s been pushing this project since his time on the set of Solo: A Star Wars Story. A major fan of the original film, Kasdan always felt like this story ended with far too many questions that he wanted to see answered. Which is where we find ourselves for Willow Season 1 as we welcome back Warwick Davis as Willow Ufgood, and Joanne Whalley as Queen Sorsha Tanthalos while introducing a new cast of characters such as Kit Tanthalos (Ruby Cruz),  Airk Tanthalos (Dempsey Bryk), Jade Claymore (Erin Kellyman), Graydon Hastur (Tony Revolori), Dove (Ellie Bamber), and Thraxus Boorman (Amar Chadha-Patel). It’s been decades since Queen Bavmorda (Jean Marsh) fell in battle, as Willow found a way to defeat her and save the prophecy Elora Danan. But evil is never really gone, it just lays in wait, regaining its strength and waiting for the perfect time to reveal itself once more. Now is that time, and when someone from the palace is kidnapped Queen Sorsha must dispatch a team to rescue them and ask her oldest friend Willow to accompany them.

Nostalgia can be an incredibly overwhelming feeling especially when tied to a joyous memory. When I saw Davis enter the screen donned in his full Willow garb, I may have lost it a little bit. Davis was just 17 years old when he first starred in the 1988 film, and returning as a now 52-year-old he brings that same infectiously bright state of being to the project. While Willow as a character has that warm sense of familiarity, Kasdan and Davis have also developed his character to suit the needs of the story given there’s such a large passage in time. The nelwyn is now High Aldwin of his village, and subsequently, the lead role in this company sent on their rescue mission. Kasdan did a fantastic job resisting the urge to make his lead role the wise old teacher in the guise of an Obi-Wan and instead still displays the humanity in the character that there’s a lot within his life he’s still trying to figure out. Davis absolutely kills it, and I adored watching him bring that big heart to the project once more, because he really ties the series altogether.

What’s immediately different, and noticeable about the series is the humor. Kasdan has stated he wanted to rely on Davis’ comedic talent and timing to inform not only his character but the show as a whole. My larger issue with that though is that it feels heavily overused at times and it almost feels that when the dialogue is found asking that the response was to plug it with a gag or a joke. It’s not that the comedic element isn’t funny, because it is, but it just too much, and too frequent and it shifts the fantasy tone of the series out of balance.

Another aspect of the series I particularly struggled with was the modernization of the story as it pertains to the musical or the scoring of the story. Whereas the original film used an original score it also served as a way to support the tone of the story. Utilizing current pop-music removed that component of escapism I wanted to feel. It doesn’t happen often, but when it’s used it’s very offputting. It’s likely this was an attempt to capture the energy of a younger audience, and a new generation of fans, and whether it’s successful only time will tell.

Where Kasdan does succeed in the series is his desire to honor the backbone of the story while expanding the lore and the world of Willow and the chemistry he’s able to foster between his characters. While I have some critiques with the series, I still found myself really enjoying it as an overall product. This was largely due in part to Kasdan’s vision to get deeper into the fantasy element encompassing new villains, magic, and a host of potential dangers.

Willow Season 1 will return to some of the very same geographic locations used in the original film, and allow the fans a chance to encounter some familiar faces. It’s here where the show feels like a love letter to the story as a whole, while also taking the time to push things forward. It’s the type of series that ADDS to the original as opposed to just continuing it for the sake of it, or even trying to replace it completely. Beyond that, the series is visually gorgeous within certain episodes. The cinematography employed within Willow really adds to the myth of the world in a very ethereal way.

The current cast is another wonderful aspect of the revitalization of this narrative. The story makes use of an adventure quest and as such it’s able to leverage the ensemble dynamic but it’s able over the series to allow development for each character. I appreciated the time to get to know these characters, as opposed to simply using them as a nameless way to move the story along. Revolori had commented about his biggest takeaway for the fans and for him he hoped people would see the reliability of the characters that as you watch you can feel personality represented. Chadha-Patel echoed similar comments in that not one person in the group has anything figured out as they stumble their way through their experiences, but each of them carries their own insecurities and baggage. It helps lend an air of authenticity to each of them because they’re not just this group of rag-tag members with a specific skill that are inexplicably smooth as hell in taking out monsters along the way.

Willow Season 1 was an entertaining ride that I felt privileged to watch after growing up with the film. The series does rely too heavily on humor, and it loses focus when it comes to the fantasy theme at times. All that being said, Kasdan has managed to conjure a story that serves as a love letter the 1988 film and in the same breath expands the lore and world-building. In the end though I loved it and I’m hoping we get see more from Kasdan and his crew past this season.

Willow Season 1 is a weekly series and episodes 1 – 2 are available now exclusively on Disney+.