"Willow" (1988) Review (Spoilers)
Mar. 30th, 2022 05:13 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
matt_zimmerAlso reviews for the series premiere of Moon Knight, and the latest episodes of Superman & Lois, and Naomi.
Willow (1988)
That was not great. A bit of a mess. But I think the upcoming Disney+ series has potential, and I wanted to be caught up. It wasn't an amazing two hours. But that's all it took to be up to date on the franchise. This fantasy world being so self-contained until now is a very good thing, and made it easy for that reason.
I think Warwick Davis is a very underrated actor. Peter Dinklage is awesome because he refuses to do demeaning role for dwarves or little people. He possesses a strong sense of dignity, and isn't gonna be anybody's cuddly Ewok.
But the truth is, Dinklage's principles aside, somebody HAD to play those roles, and Davis is so valuable, not just because he fits in the leprechaun costume, but because he's also a good actor. He's not merely the best they could find. He turns in legit solid performances in every thankless role he's given.
Willow is his biggest movie role of his career, and I'd argue it's paradoxically his most thankless role at the exact same. How else can you describe it when Davis is given the lead role, the role the entire flipping MOVIE is named after, and his name is still billed third in the cast after Val Kilmer and Joanne Whalley? I get that Kilmer wound up playing Batman once. I can't dismiss that. But I will argue that Davis wound up with a better and more memorable career than Kilmer did. And he's still third fiddle to Kilmer and Whalley simply because Hollywood was bigoted towards little people in 1988. I now fully appreciate how big a deal Peter Dinklage's name being first in Game Of Thrones' credits is after seeing that Davis had to be billed third in his most visible role, and one of the few he was allowed to do without heavy prosthetic make-up on. It's not fair, and it's not right.
Couple of things to note before I give my mediocre grade of two and half stars. Well, before them, I should point out that although Bavmorda seems defeated at the end of the film, the prophecy of Elora growing up to destroy her is such a big deal in the film, I don't see how it was permanent. Thus a sequel was necessary. However an IMMEDIATE sequel in the early 1990's would make little sense. But in 2022 when Elena is a grown woman and the prophecy can be fulfilled? This is the precise franchise that was MADE for a decades later relaunch and I'm glad we're getting it, whether I liked the movie or not.
The other thing to note is the strong vibes I got of The Lord Of The Rings. Of course, the Nelwyns bring to mind the Hobbits, but if that merely were it, I'd just see parallels from the book. However the film reminds me more of the Peter Jackson films than the J.R.R. Tolkien books. Mostly the New Zealand vistas. I think Ralph Bakshi always wanted to sue Peter Jackson for ripping him off. Has anybody contacted Ron Howard or George Lucas' lawyers? Bakshi actually has a better case, but Howard and Lucas would have a pretty strong one too.
Fun fact you probably already know: This film contains one of the very earliest examples of CGI morphing technology, which James Cameron sort of perfected and made famous in Terminator 2: Judgement Day. But Howard and Willow actually got there first. It's definitely a curiosity of a film for this reason, even if the effect looks a bit primitive by today's standards.
So I'm looking forward to the TV show, even though I could take or leave the movie. I just sincerely hope Warwick Davis is billed first in the credits on the show, as he should be here. **1/2.
Moon Knight "The Goldfish Problem"
Intriguing.
I like that the first episode is set up as a mystery and the viewer is not clued into what is going on. We can guess, and people who've read the comics know, but it's a good puzzle for newbs like me.
I didn't expect it to be this funny and enjoyable, and I'm glad that it was.
Like a lot of MCU Disney+ TV stuff, the soundtrack of classic songs makes the project extra enjoyable.
One thing I didn't like, speaking as someone with mental illness, and speaking as someone who has been friends with people with disassociative disorder, was the PSA at the very end of the credits about where to go for info on mental illness and health. I'm like, "Hey, man, either somebody is gonna be offended by this premise or not. Don't pull back and act like it's a sympathetic portrayal of the problem." It uses it as a gimmick, which is my mind is fine. But the PSA makes it sound like they are really trying to be respectful of people who suffer from it, and they're not. And frankly, they're not required to be. It feels a bit that the producers are a little too worried about offending people about this, and having their cake and eating it too. If Batman: The Animated Series has a tenth as much concern for the portrayal of mental illness as this did, we'd have been in great shape. As it stands, I wish the show didn't try to pretend it cares about the struggles people with the actual illness go through. If they did, they could tell a different story. Since they chose this one, I expect them to have enough confidence in it to stand by it. Speaking as someone with schizo-effective, I'm more offended by the show trying to have it both ways, than I was by anything in the episode itself.
But that was a promising opener. Sort of weird how it was a credit blurb that got my biggest bit of ire there. ****.
Superman & Lois "30 Days And 30 Nights"
Poor Jordan. Poor kid's like a lovesick puppy.
I love that Lois knows knots better than Sam. She'd better. She's been tied up a lot more often.
I agreed very much with Jordan in him having to step up with Clark gone. I especially like that his revelation of training with Sam to Lois was not the huge blow-up it could have been. Why? I think because Jordan stood his ground. Sam tells him to dial it back, but he says he's the one with the Superpowers, so it's actually up to him. Literally the only other choice is Lois kicking him out the house, which would be dumb.
I'll tell you another thing I like about him, and another reason his puppy dog eyes broke my heart at the end. He actually stayed in the car until Lois called him. She and Sam were taken prisoner, and he stayed put solely because she told him to. Which is the actual reason I think he's better at this than she believes.
Lana's mayor stuff and Kyle's sad dad stuff didn't do much for me. And I was very surprised neither John Henry nor the show brought up a likelier reason John forget the anniversary of His Lois' death. He's been having memory problems since his head injury. It's nice that John takes responsibility for it, but it actually makes more sense to me that he's having trouble remembering dates and things because he's recovering than that he's simply trying to move on.
Either Jonathan is getting powers at the end, or he senses the arrival of his alternate universe doppelganger. If we are very lucky, it's both.
I love that Lois doesn't care much for Candace. Frankly, neither do I.
Strong episode, despite being Superman-free except for the very beginning and the very end. ****.
Naomi "Keep Your Friends Close"
That was a pleasurably shocking ending. Most shocking endings are not pleasurable. I take note of and praise the rare ones that are.
To be honest, I've never been crazy about the framing story of The Usual Suspects. It worked for that movie, but I don't often like TV episodes that pay tribute to it. Here though, it totally built towards that twist ending properly, and worked like gangbusters. I approve.
I love when Dee suggests crashing, the party, Zumbado looks at him like he has two heads, and says, "In that?" Whatever else Zumbado is, he's actually stylish.
Naomi has some making up to do with Nathan at the end. I think she'll be up to it, and that he'll forgive her. But I realized by the end of that why he was the exact wrong person to accuse.
Great episode. I loved the ending. *****.
Willow (1988)
That was not great. A bit of a mess. But I think the upcoming Disney+ series has potential, and I wanted to be caught up. It wasn't an amazing two hours. But that's all it took to be up to date on the franchise. This fantasy world being so self-contained until now is a very good thing, and made it easy for that reason.
I think Warwick Davis is a very underrated actor. Peter Dinklage is awesome because he refuses to do demeaning role for dwarves or little people. He possesses a strong sense of dignity, and isn't gonna be anybody's cuddly Ewok.
But the truth is, Dinklage's principles aside, somebody HAD to play those roles, and Davis is so valuable, not just because he fits in the leprechaun costume, but because he's also a good actor. He's not merely the best they could find. He turns in legit solid performances in every thankless role he's given.
Willow is his biggest movie role of his career, and I'd argue it's paradoxically his most thankless role at the exact same. How else can you describe it when Davis is given the lead role, the role the entire flipping MOVIE is named after, and his name is still billed third in the cast after Val Kilmer and Joanne Whalley? I get that Kilmer wound up playing Batman once. I can't dismiss that. But I will argue that Davis wound up with a better and more memorable career than Kilmer did. And he's still third fiddle to Kilmer and Whalley simply because Hollywood was bigoted towards little people in 1988. I now fully appreciate how big a deal Peter Dinklage's name being first in Game Of Thrones' credits is after seeing that Davis had to be billed third in his most visible role, and one of the few he was allowed to do without heavy prosthetic make-up on. It's not fair, and it's not right.
Couple of things to note before I give my mediocre grade of two and half stars. Well, before them, I should point out that although Bavmorda seems defeated at the end of the film, the prophecy of Elora growing up to destroy her is such a big deal in the film, I don't see how it was permanent. Thus a sequel was necessary. However an IMMEDIATE sequel in the early 1990's would make little sense. But in 2022 when Elena is a grown woman and the prophecy can be fulfilled? This is the precise franchise that was MADE for a decades later relaunch and I'm glad we're getting it, whether I liked the movie or not.
The other thing to note is the strong vibes I got of The Lord Of The Rings. Of course, the Nelwyns bring to mind the Hobbits, but if that merely were it, I'd just see parallels from the book. However the film reminds me more of the Peter Jackson films than the J.R.R. Tolkien books. Mostly the New Zealand vistas. I think Ralph Bakshi always wanted to sue Peter Jackson for ripping him off. Has anybody contacted Ron Howard or George Lucas' lawyers? Bakshi actually has a better case, but Howard and Lucas would have a pretty strong one too.
Fun fact you probably already know: This film contains one of the very earliest examples of CGI morphing technology, which James Cameron sort of perfected and made famous in Terminator 2: Judgement Day. But Howard and Willow actually got there first. It's definitely a curiosity of a film for this reason, even if the effect looks a bit primitive by today's standards.
So I'm looking forward to the TV show, even though I could take or leave the movie. I just sincerely hope Warwick Davis is billed first in the credits on the show, as he should be here. **1/2.
Moon Knight "The Goldfish Problem"
Intriguing.
I like that the first episode is set up as a mystery and the viewer is not clued into what is going on. We can guess, and people who've read the comics know, but it's a good puzzle for newbs like me.
I didn't expect it to be this funny and enjoyable, and I'm glad that it was.
Like a lot of MCU Disney+ TV stuff, the soundtrack of classic songs makes the project extra enjoyable.
One thing I didn't like, speaking as someone with mental illness, and speaking as someone who has been friends with people with disassociative disorder, was the PSA at the very end of the credits about where to go for info on mental illness and health. I'm like, "Hey, man, either somebody is gonna be offended by this premise or not. Don't pull back and act like it's a sympathetic portrayal of the problem." It uses it as a gimmick, which is my mind is fine. But the PSA makes it sound like they are really trying to be respectful of people who suffer from it, and they're not. And frankly, they're not required to be. It feels a bit that the producers are a little too worried about offending people about this, and having their cake and eating it too. If Batman: The Animated Series has a tenth as much concern for the portrayal of mental illness as this did, we'd have been in great shape. As it stands, I wish the show didn't try to pretend it cares about the struggles people with the actual illness go through. If they did, they could tell a different story. Since they chose this one, I expect them to have enough confidence in it to stand by it. Speaking as someone with schizo-effective, I'm more offended by the show trying to have it both ways, than I was by anything in the episode itself.
But that was a promising opener. Sort of weird how it was a credit blurb that got my biggest bit of ire there. ****.
Superman & Lois "30 Days And 30 Nights"
Poor Jordan. Poor kid's like a lovesick puppy.
I love that Lois knows knots better than Sam. She'd better. She's been tied up a lot more often.
I agreed very much with Jordan in him having to step up with Clark gone. I especially like that his revelation of training with Sam to Lois was not the huge blow-up it could have been. Why? I think because Jordan stood his ground. Sam tells him to dial it back, but he says he's the one with the Superpowers, so it's actually up to him. Literally the only other choice is Lois kicking him out the house, which would be dumb.
I'll tell you another thing I like about him, and another reason his puppy dog eyes broke my heart at the end. He actually stayed in the car until Lois called him. She and Sam were taken prisoner, and he stayed put solely because she told him to. Which is the actual reason I think he's better at this than she believes.
Lana's mayor stuff and Kyle's sad dad stuff didn't do much for me. And I was very surprised neither John Henry nor the show brought up a likelier reason John forget the anniversary of His Lois' death. He's been having memory problems since his head injury. It's nice that John takes responsibility for it, but it actually makes more sense to me that he's having trouble remembering dates and things because he's recovering than that he's simply trying to move on.
Either Jonathan is getting powers at the end, or he senses the arrival of his alternate universe doppelganger. If we are very lucky, it's both.
I love that Lois doesn't care much for Candace. Frankly, neither do I.
Strong episode, despite being Superman-free except for the very beginning and the very end. ****.
Naomi "Keep Your Friends Close"
That was a pleasurably shocking ending. Most shocking endings are not pleasurable. I take note of and praise the rare ones that are.
To be honest, I've never been crazy about the framing story of The Usual Suspects. It worked for that movie, but I don't often like TV episodes that pay tribute to it. Here though, it totally built towards that twist ending properly, and worked like gangbusters. I approve.
I love when Dee suggests crashing, the party, Zumbado looks at him like he has two heads, and says, "In that?" Whatever else Zumbado is, he's actually stylish.
Naomi has some making up to do with Nathan at the end. I think she'll be up to it, and that he'll forgive her. But I realized by the end of that why he was the exact wrong person to accuse.
Great episode. I loved the ending. *****.
