7.4 | / 10 |
Users | 4.2 | |
Reviewer | 4.0 | |
Overall | 4.2 |
When young Willow Ufgood finds an abandoned baby, he is suddenly thrust into an adventure filled with magic and danger. According to an ancient prophecy, the sacred child is destined to end the reign of the evil sorceress Queen Bavmorda. Now, with only a single swordsman at his side, Willow must overcome the forces of darkness that threaten to destroy anyone who stands in the Queen's way!
Starring: Val Kilmer, Joanne Whalley, Warwick Davis, Jean Marsh, Patricia HayesFantasy | 100% |
Adventure | 70% |
Romance | Insignificant |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 2.40:1
Original aspect ratio: 2.39:1
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1
English: Dolby Digital 2.0
Spanish: Dolby Digital 5.1
French: DTS 5.1
German: DTS 5.1
Italian: DTS 5.1
Spanish: DTS 5.1
Japanese: DTS 5.1
Castilian Spanish DTS, Latin American Spanish Dolby Digital. Japanese available on Japanese menu settings only
English SDH, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Spanish, Danish, Dutch, Finnish, Norwegian, Swedish
50GB Blu-ray Disc
Two-disc set (1 BD, 1 DVD)
DVD copy
Slipcover in original pressing
Region A, B (C untested)
Movie | 3.5 | |
Video | 4.5 | |
Audio | 4.5 | |
Extras | 3.5 | |
Overall | 4.0 |
Before Peter Jackson's take on the Lord of the Rings trilogy, the closest J.R.R. Tolkien fans ever got to a live-action film adaptation of Middle
Earth was 1988's Willow, which borrows heavily from the writer's alternate medieval universe. Besides dueling sorcerers, castle sieges, and
trolls, both works feature diminutive heroes who heed the call of adventure, set out on uncertain quests to save the world, and return home as
changed men. This is the archetypal hero's journey, of course, the dramatic arc favored by executive producer George Lucas, who devised
Willow's story, having previously applied Joseph Campbell's monomyth theories to Star Wars.
Instead of directing the project himself, Lucas farmed it out to actor-turned-filmmaker Ron Howard, who was then coming off his success with
Splash and Cocoon. The two worked with screenwriter Bob Dolman (How to Eat Fried Worms) to flesh out the script, and
together they created a film that wasn't hugely successful in its own day, but has since become one of the most memorable cult kids' movies of the
1980s. Although it's not without its flaws—glacial pacing, some obnoxious side characters—Willow is one of those films that, if you grew up
with it, always sticks with you. It's enveloping, sweet, and like a lot of kids movies from the era, surprisingly dark and violent.
Willow and Elora Danan
Making its Blu-ray debut for its 25th anniversary, Willow features a 1080p/AVC-encoded transfer overseen by George Lucas himself. In a word, the picture is gorgeous, especially if you've grown accustomed to the now-ancient DVD. To start, there's not a scratch, speck, stain, or hair on this print —it's immaculate. The only evidence of age is some slight, barely perceivable brightness fluctuation in certain scenes, but you'd have to go out of your way to look for it. And while it does appear that there is some measure of noise reduction in a few scenes, grain is still readily apparent in the image, and there's none of that ugly DNR smearing that accompanies the most careless restorations. Quite the contrary. Willow seems to have been treated with kid gloves. No edge enhancement. No compression issues. No artificial-looking contrast or saturation boosting. The image is natural, filmic, and—on top of that—often wickedly sharp in high definition for a kids' movie from the mid-1980s. Just look at the screenshots of Elora's nappy swaddling clothes. Or the detail in Bavmorda's witchy facial features. Color is well-adjusted too, with consistent skin tones, good density, and a balanced contrast curve. If you've been waiting for years to finally have Willow in high definition, you certainly won't be disappointed. This is a Grade-A catalog restoration.
If George Lucas and THX are involved, you know the sound design is going to be thoughtfully engineered for immersion and clarity. That's certainly the case with Willow's lossless DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 surround track, which is engaging from the prologue's crackling thunder to the pouring rain and arcs of electricity that accompany the climactic wizard battle. In nearly every scene, the full soundfield is being utilized, blending clear dialogue up front with rear channel ambience—birds, insects, wind, village festival sounds—and pinpoint directional noises, like dog snarls or the baby's cries. The track is unrelenting in a good way, and it's always clean and full-sounding, with no tinniness or crackling or harsh highs. The film's magical score comes from prolific composer James Horner—Avatar, A Beautiful Mind, Aliens, Cocoon—and it too swells out from every speaker with presence and strength. The disc also includes several dub and subtitle options; see above for complete details.
If you grew up with it, you're probably able to look past Willow's flaws and get sucked back into the adventure anew. For those of a certain age, this film is a sugar rush of nostalgia. But here's the thing—I think kids today would likely respond to it just as positively. It may not have the sleek effects of The Hobbit, but Willow a warm-hearted movie with characters you can't help but love. (Once again, excepting those obnoxious "Brownies.") 20th Century Fox's Blu-ray remaster is itself the stuff of legend—a near-perfect transfer of a 1980s release—and the disc includes lots of fun special features, including some rarely seen deleted scenes and Warwick Davis' charming video diaries. Highly recommended for '80s kids and their kids too.
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