This is a spoiler free review of episodes 1-7 of Willow.
In an age where “content” is king and established franchises rule Hollywood, it often feels as if everything is getting rebooted. In many cases, it can leave fans wishing their precious artistic fave was left alone. But in some cases, it can lead to underappreciated gems getting to find a new audience as they’re reimagined for the modern age. Or, in the case of the new Disney+ series Willow, it can build on a beloved story that many thought would never be continued. The first seven episodes of Jon Kasdan’s sequel to the 1988 Ron Howard dark fantasy amount to one of 2022’s most magical shows.
Decades after the events of Willow, when the titular Nelwyn hero and his allies Sorsha (Joanne Whalley) and Madmartigan (Val Kilmer) defeated the evil Queen Bavmorda, peace reigns in the kingdom of Tir Asleen. Or at least it does within the walls of the magical barrier that was erected to keep evil out and the prophesied child known as Elora Danan in. Sorsha is queen and her rebellious daughter Kit (Ruby Cruz) is set to be married off to a noble, Graydon (Tony Revolori). But when Kit’s twin Airk (Dempsey Bryk) goes missing, it sets off a series of events that bring together a ragtag group of young heroes including Kit’s best friend and knight, Jade (Erin Kellyman); a local criminal and adventurer, Boorman (Amar Chadha-Patel); and Airk’s current squeeze, a young kitchen girl named Dove (Ellie Bamber). Together they must journey beyond the barrier with the help of the sorcerer Willow (returning star Warwick Davis).
Beautifully, vibrantly shot by four talented cinematographers — James Friend, Joel Devlin, Stijn Van der Veken, and Will Baldy — Willow watches like a warm hug. Though similar shows trade simply in nostalgia, the built-in audience for Willow is much more niche than your average re-quel, and the source material more limited. That means it has to constantly innovate and expand on the little that we who love it do know of the universe we’re losing ourselves in. Luckily, Jon Kasdan is a lifelong fan of the franchise and comes from a family legacy of creating accessible and exciting adventure yarns. His love for the world drenches every scene and, along with the stellar creative team, Kasdan has created a truly unique and lovely fantasy series.
Willow’s biggest surprise will likely be its comedy. While the original movie was funny — mostly thanks to Val Kilmer’s Madmartigan — what has long stuck with young viewers is the combination of terror and fantasy. Both of those elements come into play here, of course, but the writing is legitimately warm and often hilarious. Davis gives a performance that channels a truly heartwarming kind of humor that delivers some of the show’s most hearty laughs. His new party of adventurers are equally charming. Disney stalwart Kellyman, who’s had impressive but underwritten turns in Star Wars and the MCU, finally gets a role that showcases the breadth of emotion and range she can bring to a performance. Here, she’s the party’s Knight, a brave and brilliant soldier with a loyalty to Kit that will take her to the ends of the earth. Cruz seemingly has a lot of fun as the spoiled warrior princess whose brother’s kidnapping breaks her out of her palace-trapped reverie and into the real world.
While adventuring is at the fore, this is a story about legacy and how we live it. That’s true not just in the fact that Willow is itself a sequel, but in the journey that each of the heroes take. At the heart of many of those stories is Madmartigan and the impact he had on them. It’s this connection that introduces two of the show’s standout performances, one from a never-better Christian Slater, and the other from Chadha-Patel as Mad’s spiritual successor, Boorman. He’s a whirlwind of charm, quips, and well-timed violence that feels closest to what Kilmer brought to Willow all those years ago. It’s rare for an ensemble show like this to have such a balanced cast of key players, but Willow really does introduce us to an entire swath of characters where almost all of them feel like worthy additions to the story and world that we’ve been invited back into.
Leaning into the classic serialized storytelling that has always shaped Lucasfilm, this is a wacky and wonderful adventure-of-the-week series set in a gorgeously drawn fantasy world that’s driven forward by an overarching mystery and a party of heroes that you’ll care about.
About Post Author
