Willow: 5 Ways The Fantasy Film Aged Well (& 5 It Didn’t)

The movie Willow is a cult classic fantasy film that didn’t do as well as hoped when it came out in the summer of 1988. Though a box office success, it didn’t reach the same heights as some of George Lucas’ other franchises (namely Star Wars). That said, it still has its fans and they waited a long time for the news that a sequel series is coming to Disney+.

Willow is an often-overlooked film that has a lot going for it (including some amazing performances). Still, some things about the movie have aged better than others.

10 Aged Well: Female Empowerment

Willow is a movie about women. Queen Bavmorda seeks to destroy Elora Danon. Danon is helped enormously by Willow Ufgood, but in the final equation, two other women play vital roles.

Sorsha, Bavmorda’s daughter, defects from her forces to help fight for the forces of good. Fin Raziel, an aged sorceress, takes on Bavmorda one on one in the climax. It’s a great example – unusual for the time – of women in positions of power and agency in the movie.

9 Didn’t: Goofy Humor

One thing that turned fans off of the Star Wars prequels was some of the goofy humor in it (particularly from Jar Jar Binks, though that was later corrected in the Clone Wars). That trend may have started with the Brownies.

These strange and silly little creatures were based on household spirits from Scottish legend. They tagged along on the journey to provide comic relief but in large measure, it was too much, despite how small they were in stature.

8 Aged Well: Classic Story

One of the reasons that Willow remains a cult classic is its story. It’s a classic fantasy story involving wizards, heroes, and villains. Willow Ufgood is a regular guy living his life when a powerful object – in this case, the child Elora Danon – falls into his possession.

He has to protect her at all costs from an evil queen who would use the child for her nefarious purposes. Along the way, Willow meets friends and enemies and grows a lot as a character.

7 Didn’t: Tired Tropes

Willow is a classic fantasy story in many respects. But it does lean a bit too hard on some tired tropes. One is the evil queen. Bavmorda resembles not just in action but also in appearance the character of Maleficent from Sleeping Beauty, as well as the Witch from Snow White.

It also features a classic quest story with classic stock characters (the everyman, the rogue, the knight) and Elora Danon’s origin mirrors very closely that of Noah (and consequently, Superman).

6 Aged Well: Sorsha’s Turn

Sorsha is unique in the oeuvre of George Lucas. She isn’t the first villain to turn good – that distinction belongs to Darth Vader – but she is the first female warrior outside presented on equal footing with the men in her peer group. She has few peers at all.

It’s clear that Sorsha is one of the greatest warriors in the forces of Nockmaar and no one ever questions her on it based on her age, gender, or anything else. She’s an overlooked icon among many important female protagonists.

5 Didn’t: Romance

As great as Sorsha (and Joanne Whalley) is, it’s arguable if the story serves her. She’s presented as an excellent warrior and hero in her own right and offers no concession on either.

One thing the film could have improved on is having her fall in love with Madmartigan at all. It’s not the end of the world that she and the mercenary end up together – just look at him – but maybe building to it might have worked better for her character, who goes through a swift, dramatic change.

4 Aged Well: Val Kilmer’s Performance

When the movie came out, Val Kilmer was on a roll. The star was in the middle of a career-defining run of roles like Top Secret! and Top Gun (both classics in their respective genres). Madmartigan is one of his best.

The selfish mercenary swordsman just out for himself ends up being the hero is a trope fans have seen before for sure, but Kilmer sells it with his charismatic and magnetic performance. The film is a great reminder of how good a leading man Kilmer was.

3 Didn’t: Presentation

Willow was state of the art in 1988. Skywalker Sound did its usual fantastic job creating the unique sound effects for the movie, but there has never been a proper remastering of the audio (or film for that matter) since. That has left new viewers of the film flustered.

The film wasn’t even that easy to find outside of DVD until relatively recently. The movie is now available on Disney+. Perhaps a remastering of the film is in the offering with the series.

2 Aged Well: Warwick Davis

Warwick Davis was an incredible find for George Lucas on Return of the Jedi as the young Ewok Wicket, the best Ewok in the Star Wars galaxy. Right away he saw the potential in the young actor and crafted the story of Willow around him.

That paid off with a great, charismatic performance that fans enjoy to this day. It will be a treat to see Warwick again and see what he brings to the role all these years later. He has continued to act with roles in the Leprechaun films, the Harry Potter franchise, and of course, numerous cameos in the subsequent Star Wars films.

1 Didn’t: Some Special Effects

Despite a lot of special effects from ILM, the standard in the industry then and now, some of the special effects in the movie didn’t age too well. Part of that likely is to do with when it was made.

The movie is on the cutting edge in 1988 of many innovations, including CGI, which it attempts in the scene where Willow uses magic to turn Fin Raziel back into her human form from that of a small possum. Some of it looks hokey and unrealistic now. And some of the green screen, especially for the scenes with The Brownies, definitely looks worse for wear.

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