Ladyhawke

PG-13

Released Aug 12, 1985

2 hr. 4 min.

Fantasy

Adventure

List

67%

30 Reviews

Tomatometer

74%

50,000+ Ratings

Audience Score

Upon breaking out of a dungeon, youthful thief Phillipe Gaston (Matthew Broderick) befriends Capt. Navarre (Rutger Hauer), a man with a strange secret. Navarre and his lover Lady Isabeau d'Anjou (Michelle Pfeiffer) were cursed by the wicked Bishop of Aquila (John Wood), who desires Lady Isabeau for himself. His dark magic prevents the pair from ever being in each other's presence except at twilight, so they enlist Gaston in a dangerous plot to overthrow the Bishop and break his evil enchantment.

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Critics Consensus

There are pacing problems, but Ladyhawke has an undeniable romantic sweep that's stronger than most fantasy epics of its ilk.

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ChrisCSH H

Ladyhawke is not without its problems, which includes some pretty awful pacing and editing in the first half of the film, but the rest of the film after that is a pretty good fairytale fantasy film that in the heart of the film is overall a beautiful heartwarming love story at its core.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

01/22/24

Full Review

Matt R

It is very much an 80s movie, so many younger audiences might not see why I love it so much. The score is cheap and electronic, but surprisingly, it still adds to the narrative, and the overall story still has a romantic punch, even 40 years later. As a kid, I found it just a great sword/sorcery movie, but as an adult, I found myself identifying with the main characters and seeing myself, both good and bad, in Navvare.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

01/05/24

Full Review

Sue B

Tragic sci-fi love story. I just LOVED this. If they were to do a reboot, they seriously need to redo the music and make it more genre-suitable. Cast Gaston with someone slightly more sincere and authentic, like Colin Morgan (less Ferris Bueller).

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

10/27/23

Full Review

Jan S

Deeply, deeply flawed. Geared toward a young teenage audience, the director lost the golden opportunity to create an enduring classic. It begins (and ends if you must know) with a modern music score to a romantic myth set in the middle ages. At the very least, they should have gone with classical music, which is timeless. The main character is a charming Matthew Broderick playing a medieval Ferris Bueler character, a pickpocket and a thief always in trouble. The crux of the film is the doomed love story between Rutger Hauer and Michelle Pfeifer, two talented actors with drop dead good looks. Yet their story seems almost an afterthought. Even the climatic ending left me irritated. It went on and on to no purpose. What a shame! With more care and attention to detail, this could have been a moving love story told through the eyes of a charming street urchin. Two years after this film, The Princess Bride was released. What a difference in the two films.

Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars

09/11/23

Full Review

Alessandra L

This fantasy movie never gets old. Beautiful setting and photography, perfect casting choices and a plot that keeps you hooked from scene one till the end.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

08/09/23

Full Review

DJ C

After having read through many of the critics reviews, I find myself forced to ask- what movie were they watching?!? Because it certainly wasn't this one! This was far & away one of my favorites growing up (& still is). Fantasy with a bit of everything from action (sans gore or the need for overblown special effects), magic (a dastardly curse), romance (a beautifully tragic love story), lighthearted comedy (Matthew Broderick's Mouse & Leo McKern's Imperious provide some wonderful chuckles alongside more serious moments), drama, & beautifully shot scenery. The one thing I've agreed with is that the soundtrack could have been better, but it isn't terrible. (No popular music of the period was used, concentrating instead on a more symphonic accompaniment.) You have Rutger Hauer as the honorable, but vengeance-focused hero, Etienne Navarre. Ruggedly handsome without needing to be "pretty", & a very capable character actor that easily provides the physicality needed for the role as well as the more emotional side. Matthew Broderick does an excellent job providing both lighthearted chuckles as well as emotional depth as the charmingly roguish Phillippe "the Mouse" Gaston. And Michelle Pfeiffer is... well, Michelle Pfeiffer. (Yes, this was definitely one of my earliest crushes. I mean, the scene where we first see her turn towards the camera was masterfully done, providing ultimate focus on that angelic face & those stunning eyes!) She portrays Isabeau, the beautiful love interest to Hauer's Navarre, with grace & charm, & provides a desirable beauty without needing to resort to cheap displays of flesh or sexuality. Is it the best fantasy movie ever made? No, of course not. But for its time period it was extremely well done, providing a full story without needing to rush through or distract with special effects or overdone violence. The characters are given enough depth to know who they are without wasting time trying to include their entire backstories, & the story includes only what details the audience needs to understand what is happening & become invested with how it will all end. Will this hold the attention of the very young in the family (10 & under)? Probably not. But for the older kids (especially those with a predisposition to the fantasy genre), it provides plenty of entertainment value.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

08/01/23

Full Review

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Richard Donner

Director

Matthew Broderick

Phillipe Gaston, the Mouse

Rutger Hauer

Captain Etienne Navarre

Michelle Pfeiffer

Isabeau d'Anjou

Leo McKern

Father Imperius

John Wood

Bishop of Aquila

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Sheila Benson

Los Angeles Times

The actors are extravagantly good: Hauer, as always, with a sense of intelligence behind his physical exploits; Pfeiffer, strong and exquisite, and Broderick, embroidering on his role as go-between, is irresistible, comic and wistful by turns.

Oct 13, 2023

Full Review

Ian Nathan

Empire Magazine

Here is the kind of elaborate, gothic tragedy that fuels Germanic operas and Heavy Metal ballads — the lovers who can remain together but forever be apart.

Rated: 4/5

Oct 13, 2023

Full Review

Paul Attanasio

Washington Post

Unfortunately, director Richard Donner never quite gets the tone right, and the pace is positively stuporous. The horses gallop, but the film barely canters.

Jan 4, 2018

Full Review

Frances Lynn

Starburst

Richard Donner has made Ladyhawke an uncontroversial fairy tale for young children, as the film's blandness and stereotype performances...offers nothing interesting, let alone new.

Jul 22, 2022

Full Review

Matthew Turner

Hero Collector

A thoroughly delightful fantasy romance that holds up remarkably well and deserves to be rediscovered by today's younger audiences.

Rated: 4/5

Jul 9, 2021

Full Review

Mike Massie

Gone With The Twins

A competent fantasy with likeable heroes and dastardly villains, though the running time is slightly overlong.

Rated: 6/10

Sep 6, 2020

Full Review

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Synopsis

Upon breaking out of a dungeon, youthful thief Phillipe Gaston (Matthew Broderick) befriends Capt. Navarre (Rutger Hauer), a man with a strange secret. Navarre and his lover Lady Isabeau d'Anjou (Michelle Pfeiffer) were cursed by the wicked Bishop of Aquila (John Wood), who desires Lady Isabeau for himself. His dark magic prevents the pair from ever being in each other's presence except at twilight, so they enlist Gaston in a dangerous plot to overthrow the Bishop and break his evil enchantment.

Director: Richard Donner
Executive Producer: Harvey Bernhard
Screenwriter: Edward Khmara, Michael Thomas, Tom Mankiewicz, David Webb Peoples
Distributor: Warner Bros., 20th Century Fox
Production Co: Warner Brothers, 20th Century Fox
Rating: PG-13
Genre: Fantasy, Adventure
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Aug 12, 1985, Original
Release Date (Streaming): Jul 1, 2007
Sound Mix: Surround

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