Unfortunately, we have stumbled upon a theme for the year. Last month I ended up writing something just after Gene Hackman passed away. Now it is time to memorialize Val Kilmer. While not on the level of quality as Hackman, Val Kilmer was a major Hollywood presence with some iconic roles in iconic films. But we are not here to write about great movies all the time. Sometimes we are here to write about fun movies, and this month, we will look at Willow (1988, dir. Ron Howard).
The titular character in Willow (a 17-year-old Warwick Davis) is an aspiring wizard in a rural town populated entirely by dwarves. The evil Queen Bavmorda (Jean Marsh), a powerful sorceress, learns of a prophecy of a child that will come to rule the realm. Despite her best efforts, the child – still a baby – evades Bavmorda and ends up being discovered by Willow. It is ruled that the baby should be transported to a more suitable place. Along this journey, they meet Madmartigan (Kilmer) – a swordsman imprisoned and left to die in a roadside cage. He convinces Willow he will deliver the baby to safety in exchange for his freedom. What follows is their journey to fight Bavmorda and save the baby.
It is objectively not a good movie, but, like many fantasy movies of the 80s (Labyrinth, The Neverending Story, The Dark Crystal) it can be a lot of fun when you are in the right mood. This one does seem to take itself a bit more seriously, which gets in the way of it being silly fun at times. You cannot help but enjoy the Brownies (Rick Overton and Kevin Pollak). There are some wonderful moments brought about by a love potion leading to the ultimate silly line “Sorsha? I don’t love her; she kicked me in the face.” There are some legitimately fun battle sequences and what I consider to be a very satisfying conclusion even if it makes no sense.
Kilmer seems to be having the time of his life in this one. Top Gun had come out two years prior and he was already somewhat known in comedy circles thanks to Real Genius and Top Secret. This was a shift for him. He was asked to play a complicated hero for the first time in his career. It is not an exceptional performance, but he brings a charm to Madmartigan that elevates the film some. Most people will not point to this performance as anything more than an early career trifle, but when I heard he had passed away, this film came to my mind. The image of Kilmer in that found golden suit of armor battling a bridge troll with graphics that look horrendous today. That may not be how he wanted to be remembered, but that is how I will choose to remember him. And it makes me smile.
FUN FACT – One of Bavmorda’s henchmen is named General Kael. He is named after film critic Pauline Kael, who notoriously never gave George Lucas (who produced the film) a good review. I enjoy the pettiness of naming a bad guy after a film critic who would then review the film (poorly, I might add) and know that she was being lampooned. It is truly next level pettiness.
Just Watch says that Willow is currently streaming on Amazon Prime (but hurry, as it leaves at the end of April). It is also available for rent/purchase on Apple TV.
As a reminder, here is the original post that details the scores and weighting system.