Willow

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Willow

PG

1988

2h 6m

Fantasy

Adventure

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

52%

Tomatometer

63 Reviews

80%

Popcornmeter

100,000+ Ratings

Enter the world of "Willow." Journey to the far corners of your imagination, to a land of myth and magic, where dream and reality live side by side ... to a place that never existed, a time that never was. It is a world where a young man named Willow lives out an adventure that explodes beyond the boundaries of his own hopes and fears.

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Critics Consensus

State-of-the-art special effects and an appealing performance from Warwick Davis can't quite save Willow from its slow pace and generic story.

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Gene Siskel

Chicago Tribune

12/06/2018

2/4

There isn't a single major character in the film who is engaging.

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Sheila Benson

Los Angeles Times

12/06/2018

If it evaporates from memory with the airiness of a bubble bath, at least it leaves a friendly glow and a sense of a magical world lovingly evoked.

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Ian Nathan

Empire Magazine

12/06/2018

3/5

Willow is not without its charms -- the effects are more than special, the set-pieces suitably epic -- but it just doesn't fulfill the promise of certain other fantasy films.

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Charlotte Simmons

The Treatment (Substack)

Jul 23

Willow is better than “good,” because rather than trying to be another great fantasy story, it does something completely different -- it pulls back the curtain of mythmaking...

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Sean Burns

WBUR’s Arts & Culture

May 22

Captain Jack Sparrow owes an awful lot to Madmartigan.

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Matt Brunson

Film Frenzy

12/21/2024

2.5/4

Only partially successful in punching across the requisite excitement, which is often crippled by a nagging air of familiarity (it’s as much Tolkien as it is Lucas).

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Steven A

Nov 5

In a world where the fantasy genre has yet to get it's fair shake, this movie is an entertaining romp that satisfies like fast food. You'll get it out of your system before you know it and be hungry for something better. On the plus side the pacing is good, the story holds up well, and the practical effects hold up better than most fantasy movies of it's time and can still be watched without inducing a rag session. All it ultimately does for me is make me wish we had more fantasy movies of good caliber to enjoy.

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Sebastian D

Sep 24

Willow charms with heartfelt fantasy but falls short of greatness. Ron Howard’s direction delivers a warm, adventurous tale, and Warwick Davis anchors it with earnest heroism as Willow. Val Kilmer’s Madmartigan is a standout, but the film leans on predictable tropes—evil queens, magical babies—that echo Star Wars without matching its depth. The 1980s practical effects and James Horner’s score create nostalgic magic, yet pacing lags and supporting characters lack complexity. It’s a beloved, swashbuckling romp that entertains but doesn’t transcend its genre.

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Bobby E

Aug 26

Its a kids movie . Its fantastic .

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CT 8

@ct8787 Aug 12

I have to admit, after watching Disney destroy this IP forever with its wokeified lesbian version I had reservations about rewatching Willow, a movie I haven’t seen in decades. But to my surprise it’s a breath of fresh air compared to the recent series that was so bad Disney scrapped it for a tax break. It’s amazing what you can accomplish when you produce a movie that’s well-written and featuring a boatload of likeable characters as opposed to a series that’s the opposite in every way, shape, and form.

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Stephen C

@bob25009 Jul 12

Success in 2 hours and 6 minutes!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! The USA grossed over $55,600,000.00!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Starring Val Kilmer as Mad Martigan!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

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thiago s

@Thiagostone May 26

Filme fraco, o roteiro é fraco, as cenas são fracas, a história é fraca, o elenco é fraco, e ninguém ajuda a melhorar o filme, os personagens são fracos, e o filme deveria ter cenas bem melhores e relevantes, para fazer o filme ser bom.

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Ron Howard

Director

Val Kilmer

Madmartigan

Joanne Whalley

Sorsha

Warwick Davis

Willow Ufgood

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Synopsis

Enter the world of "Willow." Journey to the far corners of your imagination, to a land of myth and magic, where dream and reality live side by side ... to a place that never existed, a time that never was. It is a world where a young man named Willow lives out an adventure that explodes beyond the boundaries of his own hopes and fears.

Director: Ron Howard
Producer: Nigel Wooll
Screenwriter: Bob Dolman, George Lucas
Distributor: Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
Production Co: Lucasfilm Ltd., Imagine Entertainment, Metro Goldwyn Mayer
Rating: PG
Genre: Fantasy, Adventure
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): May 20, 1988, Wide
Release Date (Streaming): Dec 5, 2018
Box Office (Gross USA): $55.6M
Runtime: 2h 6m
Sound Mix: Dolby Stereo, Dolby A, Stereo, Surround, Dolby Digital, Dolby SR
Aspect Ratio: Scope (2.35:1)

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