So many too chose but as Willow is from the 1980’s I recommend the following 80’s fantasy films: _Legend_ directed by Ridley Scott and starring Tom Cruise and Tim Curry; _The Dark Crystal_ directed by Jim Henson and Frank Oz; Dragonslayer directed by Matthew Robbins; _Return to Oz_ directed by Walter Mitch; _Time Bandits_ and _The Adventures of Baron Munchausen_ all directed by Terry Gilliam; and _The Princess Bride_ directed by Rob Reiner. Finally while not Fantasy films from the 1980’s I also recommend you watch _Stardust, The Spiderwick Chronicles, MirrorMask, Brother’s Grimm,_ and the _Percy Jackson_ films.
let's take a moment to realize, one of the key battles in this movie involved 2 older women (who clearly knew each other for a long time and hate each other), using elemental spells, force powers and force lightning, then resorted to throwing hands and both fighting dirty...it seems like such a fun role, a cackling sorceress having fun throwing spells and fighting dirty, they looked like they were having fun
Fun Fact: As with most movies there was a lot cut out of Willow for various reasons, one was a subplot involving Sorsha's father, in the scene when they get to Tir Asleen, one of the frozen people is her father. In the scene when they have Fin as the rodent thing, Fin Razel tells Sorsha that she reminds Razel of her father, they have a discussion about that, Sorsha was taught by her mother that he was weak and a traitor, but he wasn't. The people frozen I think were either originally freed by Fin or when Bavmorda dies, don't remember. but of this cut thread one spot remains, at the end the old man standing next to them is Sorsha's father.
Additional Fun Fact: This movie is recycled from one of George Lucas' very early drafts for Star Wars. At one point, Lucas pondered having Luke be a "Little Person". This just goes to show that George Lucas was never one to let an idea go.
Because this was Warwick’s first leading role while not wearing a mask or makeup this movie is really special to him, and you can really tell with the commentary. His commentary is so detailed. Easily one of the best to listen to if you get a chance.
7:42 FYI: the actor playing the High Aldwin is Billy Barty, and at the time was probably the most recognized Little Person in Hollywood ... his persona was so incandescent
I’m seeing such a pattern of TH-camrs reacting to movies from the 80s and saying “this is dark! I thought this was for kids!” And then the comment section full of people who grew up in the 80s saying “this WAS for kids! I watched it as a kid! I turned out okay!” Love it 😂😂😂😂😂😂
Nostalgia Critic did an episode on Dark 80's Movies for Kids and why that decade was so awesome. Just watch the first two minutes: th-cam.com/video/3ypgzzDvZS4/w-d-xo.html
I mean we turned out okay, but dang our movies were dark AF. Even watching Return to Oz today, *I* am like "WTF this was a real kid's movie? I thought it was a nightmare fever dream!" Or the Black Cauldron. I was like 5 when my dad took me to see it in the theater and I was like O_O
I love that Willow saves the day by not suddenly becoming all powerful. He saved the day by being 100% himself. (Btw The actor that played Willow was I think 17 at the time of filming)
Correct. Warwick Davis was indeed 17 during filming, which proved to be a bit of a challenge for him to portray a father. Five years earlier he was under the Ewok costume of Wicket in Return of the Jedi.
Thank you so much for this reaction to one of my favorite fantasy films you guys and I especially enjoyed your reaction and I enjoyed the expressions and thoughts that you guys made throughout the reaction. Also, in regards to the Fin Raziel transformation scene, originally it was going to utilize Stop-Motion and Practical effects just like the earlier productions done at Lucasfilm (e.g Star Wars, Indiana Jones), however supervisor Dennis Muren from Industrial Light & Magic (ILM) found this to be challenging so it was decided that the Raziel transformation scene would be a perfect opportunity for ILM to create advances with digital morphing technology. It was the first film to make credible use of "morphing", in which one image is metamorphosed. This achievement represent a breakthrough for CGI and was even nominated for an Oscar for visual effects, but lost to _Who Framed Roger Rabbit_ which came out the same year as _Willow._ In fact, thanks to this scene the morphing effect was later utilized in the following movies released after _Willow_ such as _Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, Terminator 2: Judgment Day,_ and _Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country._
31:32 "Your mother was a lizard!" The delivery, lol, saw this movie when I was less than ten, approx twenty six years ago, still makes me laugh to this day. The brownies made this such a great movie, so many amazing characters. Yes, their growth was somewhat quick, but you get the hints at a large tapastry of a world, that I'm really sorry didn't get developed. The gritty dark story interspurced with comedy, even from the Nelwyn wizard saying "The bones say nothing" and "Ignore the bird, follow the road." Just such ana amazing story. Holds up to this day
If you haven't seen them, the Willow story is a Trilogy. The two following books at about 15-16 years in the future when Elora Dannon is a teenager, and Willow is a, genuinely, powerful sorcerer. Probably stronger than Bavmorda was. The second book is from Willow's point of view, and the third is from Elora's. One thing they go into is the Brownies. They are frighteningly powerful. Besides a mixture of poisons they put on their arrows and spears, Brownies have the ability to infuse part of their life energy into their weapons. In one fight, Franjean imbuses so much of his life force into three arrows that he shoots at a massive ogre, it launches it across the building, and broke every bone in it's body. It was dead before it hit the ground. So, just saying that leaving a pair of Brownies to protect Elora wasn't as daft as it seems.
"Child genocide and a lady killed by dogs." - Welcome to childhood in the 80's. We are talking about the decade where RoboCop had a toy line that was aimed at 10 year olds. Willow doesn't even enter my personal list of scary childhood cinema.
Dark and horrifying 80s kids movies: Dark Crystal, Labyrinth, Cloak and Dagger, Goonies, Dragonslayer, Legend, Pee Wees Big Adventure, secret of nimh.. It was a glorious time in children's cinema
There were a number of R-rated adult movies that were given toy lines and/or turned into children's cartoons in the 80s. Rambo, Alien, Toxic Avenger and Police Academy immediately come to mind. And kid's movies in general were a lot darker, edgy, violent and sometimes downright disturbing when compared to the modern era. And as a kid in the 80s, I loved every minute of it back then.
@@oaf-77 lol that was literally kids stuff. I was watching Pet Cemetery, The gate, ghoulies etc etc.. yea i loved dark crystal and Pee wees Big Adventure, secret of nimh, but i also liked the horror stuff. my parents didnt let me watch Married with Children.
@@soramirez5473 Nothing better than being home alone and watch a horror movie. Where I'm from the programmers couldn't make up their minds about Married with Children. It was part of the "after school" programing along with Saved by the Bell, The A-Team and The Golden Girls, but also ran very late at night. Anyway, no adult I knew would try to stop a kid from seeing that show.
Fun fact #1: Val Kilmer and the actress who played Sorcha (forgot her name) actually got married after the movie. It didn't last, though. Fun fact #2: Warwick Davis met HIS wife in this movie, and they're still together.
It's more normal than otherwise, for a "marriage" to be for a duration, and when it's served its purpose, they go their ways. Also, I know several good people who say they're better friends with their Ex for years after, than they were as a married couple.
Val Kilmer and Joanne Whalley who portrayed Madmartigan and Sorsha fell in love during the filming of _Willow_ and later married the same year the film came out and had two kids, Jack Kilmer and Mercedes Kilmer. Sadly they divorced in 1996, due to irreconcilable differences but they remained supportive even after they divorce.
Val was watching TV in a hotel room while on location for a movie (or something along those lines), when on the news he heard his wife was filing for divorce. Great way to find out, huh?
That scene where the evil queen transmogrifies everyone else into pigs was the single most terrifying thing of any 80's/90s film for me, _even compared to other 80s/90s films._ Sure, Judge Doom's death in _Who Framed Roger Rabbit_ was scary, _Labyrinth_ had scary moments, etc., but nothing before _or_ since has ever hit the level of raw emotional trauma that Willow did.
@@Leightr The lifeforce draining terrified me in an existential way as a kid. I get a similar sensation when watching Saving Private Ryan in the scene near the end where Melish gets slowly stabbed.
Warrick Davis actually played the very 1st Ewok in Jedi, yes the one Leia meets after coming off the speeder and has been in every Star Wars movie since.
You forgot to mentioned which popular Ewok he played,the character's name was Wicket W. Warrick ? And you caught on how his stage first name matches Wicket's last name,very eerie & cool coincident to be picked for the role,ha?.
@White Noise Reacts,hey James& Nobu -did you two knew Warwick Davis also guest stars in another George Lucas Sci-Fi film known to all geeks at Comic-Con conventions,in "Retun of the Jedi" as Ewok(Wicket W. Warrick)& strange coincident his first name almost match Wicket's last name?.
Billy Barty, who played the Nelwin elder, was THE iconic little person of my generation. However, it was awesome seeing some of the Nelwin villager actors and recognize them fir their later work. I forget the guy that was the limo driver from "Me, Myself & Irene", but I caught a glimpse of him in the village. Didn't realize he was that old!"
It's like killer klowns from outer space, all practical effects and masks. If remade or a part 2 done, they'd do mostly cgi, and I like the masks and outfits real better
And optical-composite VFX always look best in the theatrical first run, whereas duplicate prints will degrade the visuals. That's why the VFX in 80s movies look worse today -- we're seeing copies of copies. It's not just rose-colored glasses, those movies really did look better on their original release. The only way to see that quality restored would be to strike new prints off the original negative. (One nice thing about the advent of digital compositing is that it suffers far less from this phenomenon.)
Agreed. The prime example of this is the "special edition " of Star Wars. The original practical effects have aged better than the CGI Jabba Lucas inserted in the late 90's. (I really still wish we could get the original trilogy as it once was, especially Return of the Jedi.)
That's rubbish! Good CGI is completely unnoticeable, and don't kid yourself if you think that you can spot it, becasue you only see the bad stuff and assume its all like that. Bad CGI exists not due to it being inherently lower quality, but a lack of time given to the VFX artists. Practical is not infallible, and there are plenty of movies out there with awful practical effects.
33:05: The creature is an Australian Brushtail Opossum. They filmed some of this on location in New Zealand, so some of the shots were from The Milford Sound (which is also shown in one of the newer Mission Impossible films).
I'm here for Stella facial expressions and I'm getting everything I could've wished for! Also, proof she's magical - she picked the right finger! Fun fact: This was supposed to be The Hobbit, but they couldn't get the rights. Instead it brought us the eternal Madmartian!!!
The formidable and muscular Pat Roach playing the part of Kale, was quite busy in the 80's. He played the muscular sherpa in the bar fight of Raiders as well as the over muscled mechanic at the plane fight with Indy. He played the thuggie guard fighting Indiana at the Rock Crusher in Temple of Doom and then a very minor role in the Last Crusade assisting the Nazi henchmen looking for Jones... great actor and from what I've read a very sweet man behind the scenes. Sadly died in 2004
And Britag in Red Sonja, head of the Celts in Robin Hood Prince Of Thieves and one of the gods in the original Clash Of The Titans. The man was everywhere
7:42 FYI: the actor playing the High Aldwin is Billy Barty, and at the time was probably the most recognized Little Person in Hollywood ... his persona was so incandescent
Glad you guys enjoyed it. Some other classic fantasy movies to check out would be LadyHawke, Dragonheart, Krull, Conan the Barbarian (and its sequels including Red Sonja). I personally haven't watch the Willow series they did with Warwick a few years ago, but might be worth checking out if you want to see a folllow to his story and what happened in later years.
Fun Fact: Warwick Davis (the actor that plays Willow) actually had his movie debut in Star Wars, he was Wicket, the cute Ewok that meets Leia in the woods on Endor in Return of the Jedi, he reprised his role in 2 Ewok spin off movies, and has been in most of the star wars films since then. and of course he also played Flitwick in Harry Potter series
Showing my age, I watched this when it came out and wow what a movie it was for it's time. It's very interesting to see it through fresh eyes, glad you all enjoyed it. You either love great movies or you don't and you guys seem to know your stuff. Big respect.
The babies who played Elora were actually really easy to work with, but a lot of filming babies well, comes from how good a director is. Knowing how to film shots so it looks like a real reaction from a baby, knowing who to use to get the reactions they want when they want them, etc. Ron Howard is easily one of the best directors in the business, when left to his own devices. Which is not really something you'd ever think...that Opie from The Andy Griffith Show is one of the best directors.
I can't express how much i loved that movie when it first came out in 1987. I watched it a few times at the theater, and the soundtrack is so awesome as well, its a huge part of what makes the movie so good.
Another really great fantasy movie from this same time period is Dragonslayer. It actually plays around with some classic tropes in unexpected ways and is also grittier than youd expect.
It is a fantastic movie. It's one of those that could very well be a D&D or Forgotton Realms film, but it just wasn't advertised as such. I remember crying as a kid when he killed the baby dragons. My mom still reminds me about that scene!
Warwick Davis played several Ewoks in "Star Wars: Return of the Jedi", including Wicket, the Ewok who first finds Leia. He was 11 years old. More recently, he also played Griphook, the goblin who took Harry and Hagrid to vault 713 in "Harry Potter and the Sorceror's Stone" and again in one of the later HP movies. He was also the Leprechaun in "Leprechaun", with Jennifer Anniston.
I haven't seen this one in forever, yet I found that I pretty much remembered every scene you watched here. In the 80s when a movie disappointed at the box office it would sometimes make it's money back in home video sales after word of mouth spread if it was a good movie. That was the case with this one and other cult classics of the era
The baby‘s hair was a wig that was attached with honey, IIRC. Warwick Davis was just 17 when he filmed this movie. General Kael was portrayed by Pat Roach, who played several characters in Indiana Jones movies, like the big German Indy has a fistfight with around the plane in Raiders. The two-headed dragon was called Eborsisk after the two movie critics Ebert and Siskel. This was the first movie to use morphing for the transformation scenes. Some parts of the movie were filmed in New Zealand, which sparked my first interest in that country quite a few years before Peter Jackson filmed he LOTR trilogy there. But I later learnt that a lot of parts were filmed in California, while I originally assumed that most of it was filmed in New Zealand. Kudos to Stella for figuring out which finger is the correct one. Almost every time she predicts something, it turns out to be correct.
The two headed, fire breathing monster is called the Eborsisk: the name is a combination of movie critics Roger Ebert and Gene Siskel. The visual effects were done by Phil Tippet who did Dragonslayer a few years prior. I know there are a lot of 1980s fantasy, I would also recommend Clash of the Titans to the list. Special effects were much more amazing in previous decades.
Same as Stella: first thing I thought when I saw this movie at age 10, "Wow, that baby is a good actress!" And there was a plan for sequels but no one else was interested. George Lucas wrote a follow up novel and that was it.
Imagine enjoying these characters and getting attached to them and then 35 years later learning there’s a TV show only to watch it and see Willow get sidelined in his own show. And it’s a wonder why the show got cancelled??
I watched Willow, Ladyhawke, Krull, Conan the Barbarian, The Princess Bride, The Last Unicorn, Labyrinth, TRON, The (animated) Hobbit, Flight of Dragons, Flight of the Navigator, Candleshoe, ET, Escape to Witch Mountain, The Rats of Nimh, The Black Stallion, The Last Starfighter, the Original Star Wars Trilogy, and TONS of Star Trek, all before I turned twelve. AND THESE WERE JUST MY FAVORITES! The G/PG/PG-13 rating was DIFFERENT then, and I was born in 81, kids born in the '70s had it even CRAZIER. Now you know why so many people in their 40s, 50s, and 60s love Fantasy, Science-Fiction, Mystery, and Horror--we grew up on it! Also, I'm so excited for you to enjoy any of the above you haven't seen!
For me, it wasn't the bad effects in Krull (some of them were spot-on and trippy!), it was the rather wooden acting. The premise was very original though!
The reason the TV show didn't work is that it just didn't have the charm and fun of the film. Even though it is mostly just a tech demo for ILM it's a really solid fantasy film, and Mad Martigan😊 is a great character
Yeah, I didn't hate it as a fantasy show, but it just didn't "feel" like Willow. Joanne Whalley was barely in it, and the Val Kilmer-sized hole was palpable.
It was terrible. There is this trend of things moving so fast and not giving people time to think about what is being shown. It could've been great, but it was such a disappointment.
I guess I'm in the minority, because I really enjoyed the television show. It came around at a time when my parents had both died, and brought me such joy to be back in this world with Willow Ufgood & Co. This has been my favorite movie since I was a kid, and will always remain so... I loved the series so much, I'm heartbroken that they took it down so I can't even watch it. Maybe it wasn't what people expected, but the light-hearted fantasy and adventure was such a joy. I can't even choose a favorite character because I adore them all so much, which is rare for me, so I'm gonna keep showing it as much love as the actors did. The behind the scenes doc was a perfect display of how much all of the actors were invested, and had such passion. Those who used weapons were also trained in sword fighting etcetera so I really appreciate the effort that went into it. ❤
@@crazypants1864 I'm also sorta in the minority because I wanted to see it and I liked the clips I saw. But I never had the time to see it before it got taken down. So you're not alone.
As someone else mentioned, there were a few novels that came after this that jump forward 15 years and feature teenage Elora as the main character. I keep meaning to check them out to see if they're any good or not. Other recommendations of great 80s fantasy movies: Legend (a few others have recommended this, it's GREAT and so weird) The Dark Crystal The Last Unicorn Time Bandits The Secret of N.I.M.H. (animated) The Adventures of Baron Munchausen Excalibur Ladyhawke
They definitely have some issues, but are also quite fun. It's one of the more imaginative high fantasy stories I've read that doesn't feel overly inspired by Tolkien that many tend to be. Just don't go in expecting a lot of Madmartigan and Sorsha, they both die offscreen in the beginning of the book. To be fair, the books have ridiculous power creep for its characters and they wouldn't have been able to keep up, being simply daikini, and Willow is almost as powerful as Bavmorda at the start of the series.
This was my favorite movie from the 80s!!! Thanks so much for reacting to it. I had a big crush on Warwick Davis because of this movie. You mentioned you said you thought there was something more to it. There was, not just the show, but there was a movie tie-in novel that had more back story for Madmartigen. There was also a novel trilogy which happened years later The Chronicles of the Shadow War by Chris Claremont (of the X-Men comic fame) that supposed to happen years later and was considerably grittier than this movie. As long as you're doing 80s movies, it's not a fantasy movie but The Last Starfighter is also a great one I'd love to see you react to.
My first introduction/familiarity with _Willow_ was seeing clips of this movie though the THX/Lucasfilm reel (which also showcased the Star Wars Original trilogy, the first three Indiana Jones films and this one) that used to be played at your local Fry's and Best Buy and from the ILM documentary where they went into detail on the Raziel Metamorphosis scene, but for a the longest of time I didn't get a chance to watch the film until it came out Disney+ and for a fantasy film from Lucasfilm that are synonymous with the _Star Wars_ and _Indiana Jones_ franchises respectively, especially the former this was a very enjoyable fantasy film.
Oh, man. With Rip Torn as the bad guy! That movie just oozed 80's TV production value. But, it had 2 redeeming qualities... a decent 'Conan the Barbarian' type plot, and a very naked Tanya Roberts. 😊
Don't know if anyone told you yet, but there is a sequel tv series, most of the cast returned, except Val Kilmer, as while he's healthy now overall, he lost his voice due to throat cancer and was still in recovery during the time of filming, but he gave them his blessing. EDIT: Okay ,yea so you do know abotu the show then. :)
Without a doubt one of my most recent favorite fantasy films. From the music by the late James Horner, to the acting from Warwick Davis, Val Kilmer, Joanne Whalley, Kevin Pollack, Pat Roach, Patricia Hayes, Jean Marsh, to Ron Howard's directing and the visual effects of Industrial Light & Magic (ILM). When the film first came out in 1988 it was ahead of its time, along with the fact that this film besides being filmed in Wales was also filmed in New Zealand, so this film predates Peter Jackson's _The Lord of the Rings_ trilogy and without _Willow_ we wouldn't have gotten _LOTR_ and having several other movies filmed in New Zealand, so you can have _Willow_ to indirectly thank. In addition, this film is perhaps one of the few instances where an actor with Dwarfism is cast in a leading role for a film since most of the time the majority of the actors with dwarfism back then until now were either cast in the supporting, minor and secondary roles. Finally, Warwick Davis who played Willow was just 17 years old when filming this movie and he actually started acting when he was 11 when he played Wicket the Ewok in _Star Wars: Return of the Jedi_ he also happened to be in other films following _Willow_ such as _Leprechaun_ and the _Harry Potter_ films.
@@jrnsurlan405 And your point?!? If you read my post I said _"the film is perhaps one of the few instances where an actor with Dwarfism is cast in a leading role for a film since most of the time the majority of the actors with dwarfism back then until now were either cast in the supporting, minor and secondary roles."_ I didn’t say Willow was the only movie where an actor with Dwarfism was cast in the lead, I only said it was one of few films that had an actor with Dwarfism in a leading role.
Even though the special effects are dated, Willow is a movie that never gets old! Such a fantastic movie. I loved it as a teenager, and I still love it today! :)
The effects may seem dated, but "Willow" was highly lauded for advancing the art of visual effects. The "morphing" transformation in particular was state-of-the art for computer effects and got a lot of attention at the time.
Back then they were the best there was. Sure we saw the stop motion, we noticed the compositing, but it was really good and you could tell that within a few years one might reach the moment where compositing is no longer noticeable. And that did indeed eventually happen.
@@Quotenwagnerianer I commented this elsewhere, but optical compositing had reached its limit. They could get it looking great in the original theatrical prints, but distribution copies used for subsequent home video & streaming releases degraded the visuals and made the compositing more obvious. Thankfully digital compositing mostly solved this problem.
It’s all very memorable, but the part that pops into my head most often is the village party music. Once it gets in there, it really makes itself at home, and stays for awhile, too. 😄
You're a sorcerer Stella! Calling the correct finger. This is one of my favorite movies of all time. Maybe that is nostalgia but for sure it is a ton of fun. Thanks for this reaction all of you! I feel so lucky that they even made a sequel series. It isn't perfect but it is still cool to be in this world again. Oh, to get my nostalgia fantasy trifecta you will need to see (if you haven't The Dark Crystal, 1982. The practical effects from Jim Henson are astounding. It was the kid's movie that solidified Henson's stance that "it is healthy for kids to be scared."
Love Willow and love practical effects. I'm Gen X and watching you enjoy movies from when I was a kid lets me relive happy childhood moments. Please do more! 😊
Warwick Davis was only 17 when production started on willow, he looks 35, we was only 11 when he did return of the Jedi, and he did leprechaun shortly after this
this film was among one of the first to experiment with meshing early CGI into films ala the animal transformations of Fin Raizel. The ILM studio really went to great lengths for the time to showcase how it could be involved with practical effects. just a fantastic romp overall.
I wish you could watch the series after this, but sadly Disney both cancelled it and took it off Disney+ without there being an option to buy it or watch it another way. It wasn't a perfect series, but I thought it was mostly great, and Warwick Davis came back as Willow. And the animal Fin Raziel had been initially transformed into is called a grey possum native to South America.
That scene in the fortress where Madmartigan literally catapults himself into danger to save Willow while that music plays in the background, how can you not have fun watching this movie.
Great Reaction! Truly a fun movie. If you're looking for more 80's with a somewhat, kind of sorta, similar feel, let me recommend: "Legend" with a Young Tom Cruise (even younger than Val in this one) and Mia Sara (she was in Ferris Bueller's Day Off). OH and "The Dark Crystal", Jim Henson, muppets, nuff said. And a quick check looks like y'alls haven't reacted to "The Princess Bride", do y'alls a favor and watch it.
This and Beastmaster were 2 of my mother's favorite movies when I was a kid which means they were my favorite movies. They still are lol but now I realize how many well known actors were in this. Watching this reaction made me realize Kevin Pollak was in this as Rool one of the brownies. Obviously I knew about Val Kilmer and Warwick Davis already lol.
Disney made a surprise sequel TV series in 2020 with Willow teaching a teen Elora after her crush, Martigan and Sorsha's son, was kidnapped to be corrupted. Then they pulled it from Disney+ like six months ago.
the scene where fin razel is transforming into all the different things at the end was the first time a computer-generated transformation was done and it was groundbreaking at the time.
Yeah I was going to say that, first time we saw morphing. Which then got way over used in the 90s and then the public got sick of it. But here it was great. I remember being fascinated by it in the theater and wishing they had done that earlier with the other transformations, but now I'm fine with it done just the one time.
That transition from tiger to woman is absolutely chef's kiss! Yes she went to the "nether world". NEVER interrupt magic when it is being cast. ESPECIALLY not a Ritual.
I grew up watching the absolute hell out of this movie. That was probably the golden age of fantasy movies and growing up with all these magical movies makes me super happy just knowing i was fortunate enough to grow up with a childhood literally filled to the brim with magic and fantasy themes
As a child of the 80s I was convinced I had a low tolerance for scary things. It took me a bit to realize that adult horror wasn’t that much scarier than kids stuff I was watching when I was 8. This, Dark Crystal, Neverending Story, Poltergeist (which I thought was a kids movie), Something Wicked This Way Comes (part of Dark Disney), Secret of NIMH… these things prepared me for the existential horror I would experience as an adult.
There is also a novel trilogy: Shadow Moon, Shadow Dawn, Shadow Star, that was a continuation of the movie. It's a great read, if you are into using your imagination. Lol
Best reaction of Willow I've ever seen. Well done. This movie was so much better than Lord of the Rings. It was simple and fun plus you just felt the struggle that Willow was having to endure much more than Frodo.
There were supposed to be sequel films to Willow, but it didn’t perform well at the box office. 😢 I have always been shocked that more people didn’t see it in the theater because it’s so freaking good. It’s become a classic since though. I’m glad you guys liked it!
You know, it's just occurred to me that this movie may have the most accurate representation of an army on the march I've ever seen. The first thing you see is two forward scouts, riding out ahead of the army, and then the army itself is accompanied by supply wagons.
If you want a really great family film, my parents got me into foreign movies when I was little with a french film called My Father's Glory. It's beautiful and full of love and delight, about being friends and brothers in the beginning of the 1900s. I think everyone would like it, it's about childhood and learning about your family and it's funny too.
Great reaction guys! Willow is one of those special underrated picks that carries a lot of charm and character, even more so with today's standards. Stella mentioned wanting to know the rest of the story with Elora Danan. They did release a tv show very recently about that called "Willow". Unfortunately, its really not good XD Which is really sad because, as shown, the original has so much heart and a solid story with memorable characters.
the baby was actually played by identical twins, and the red hair was actually wigs, which were held in place by Treacle/Syrup since they couldn't use any actual glue on the Twins for safety reasons. and during the Dangerous bit the production had actually built a robot Baby, which the actors said weighed a ton more than the real babies did lol
One of my favourite movies, and one of the best movies ever made, too. Fun facts: Val Kilmer ad-libbed a significant portion of his lines in the film, Warwick Davis was only 17 during filming. Great reaction, looking forwards to your next one!
Talk about screen romance! Shortly after this movie came out Joanne Whalley became Joanne Whalley-Kilmer. They had 2 kids together, but alas, they split and she became Joanne Whalley again after only about seven years.
Willow, The Hobbit, Bedknobs and Broomsticks, and Robin Hood(Kevin Costner). All were the greatest of fantasy medieval lore and magic that still touches my heart to this very day. Also The Black Cauldron and The Secret of Nimh of course. Oh I forgot, and please anyone correct me if I'm wrong, the High Aldwin, the elderly leader Nelwyn was actually one of the three lollipop guild guys from The Wizard of Oz
If you interested in more fantasy and a Tom Cruise fan the movie LEGEND is very good and Tim Curry plays the bad guy Darkness. Tim Curry is amazing in this movie also the make up and effects are top notch. Great reaction for all of you.
Despite how much charm this film has(from the character development to Horner's, triumphantly epic score to ILM's, ground breaking visuals), it's still seen as cheezy and kiddy to those folks who were teenagers when this came out. But for a child to young adult this is really A+ fantasy and has exceptional action sequences. They still hold up today.
If you like 80s fantasy effects you have to watch DragonSlayer. I would argue it's just an ok movie but the special effects are a REALLY cool time capsule.
Great to see the younger generation appreciating the films we loved as kids. I was 9 years old when I saw this in the theater with my family and we all loved it. Still holds up in my opinion.
What fantasy movie should we watch next?
So many too chose but as Willow is from the 1980’s I recommend the following 80’s fantasy films: _Legend_ directed by Ridley Scott and starring Tom Cruise and Tim Curry; _The Dark Crystal_ directed by Jim Henson and Frank Oz; Dragonslayer directed by Matthew Robbins; _Return to Oz_ directed by Walter Mitch; _Time Bandits_ and _The Adventures of Baron Munchausen_ all directed by Terry Gilliam; and _The Princess Bride_ directed by Rob Reiner.
Finally while not Fantasy films from the 1980’s I also recommend you watch _Stardust, The Spiderwick Chronicles, MirrorMask, Brother’s Grimm,_ and the _Percy Jackson_ films.
I request Disney's Basil The Great Mouse Detective. it has Vincent Price playing Ratigan - Need I say more? :D
I recommend the Spiderwick Chronicles or Bridge to Tarabitha.
Time Bandits would be a great choice.
Stardust (2007), it's an underrated gem, has a Princess Bride vibe. :)
let's take a moment to realize, one of the key battles in this movie involved 2 older women (who clearly knew each other for a long time and hate each other), using elemental spells, force powers and force lightning, then resorted to throwing hands and both fighting dirty...it seems like such a fun role, a cackling sorceress having fun throwing spells and fighting dirty, they looked like they were having fun
Fun Fact: As with most movies there was a lot cut out of Willow for various reasons, one was a subplot involving Sorsha's father, in the scene when they get to Tir Asleen, one of the frozen people is her father. In the scene when they have Fin as the rodent thing, Fin Razel tells Sorsha that she reminds Razel of her father, they have a discussion about that, Sorsha was taught by her mother that he was weak and a traitor, but he wasn't. The people frozen I think were either originally freed by Fin or when Bavmorda dies, don't remember. but of this cut thread one spot remains, at the end the old man standing next to them is Sorsha's father.
Additional Fun Fact: This movie is recycled from one of George Lucas' very early drafts for Star Wars. At one point, Lucas pondered having Luke be a "Little Person". This just goes to show that George Lucas was never one to let an idea go.
And the armor that Mad Martigan was wearing was her Father's armor.
Yeah all that subplot what's cut for time and pacing reasons
Thanks for letting me know. I had no idea about these subplots, and they definitely give some context to things.
@@alaneskew2664 it was mentioned in the subsequent novels.
Because this was Warwick’s first leading role while not wearing a mask or makeup this movie is really special to him, and you can really tell with the commentary. His commentary is so detailed. Easily one of the best to listen to if you get a chance.
7:42
FYI: the actor playing the High Aldwin is Billy Barty, and at the time was probably the most recognized Little Person in Hollywood ... his persona was so incandescent
It's amazing that Warwick Davis was very young, like only 17 or 18 when he did this
@@secularmonk5176this was his next movie after Masters of the Universe (1987).
Same unforgettable voice.
17 when filming, 18 when it came out@@karenhall4645
George lucas made a deal with the Brownies and they now inhabit the west coast of Australia. They make good money as plumbers.
I’m seeing such a pattern of TH-camrs reacting to movies from the 80s and saying “this is dark! I thought this was for kids!”
And then the comment section full of people who grew up in the 80s saying “this WAS for kids! I watched it as a kid! I turned out okay!”
Love it 😂😂😂😂😂😂
Same here, fairly mild compared to today's violent standards
Nostalgia Critic did an episode on Dark 80's Movies for Kids and why that decade was so awesome. Just watch the first two minutes: th-cam.com/video/3ypgzzDvZS4/w-d-xo.html
First trauma in my life. ARTAX! DON'T BE SAD!
Well, if we wanted something less scary, we had Saturday morning cartoons and Sunday night Disney.
I mean we turned out okay, but dang our movies were dark AF. Even watching Return to Oz today, *I* am like "WTF this was a real kid's movie? I thought it was a nightmare fever dream!" Or the Black Cauldron. I was like 5 when my dad took me to see it in the theater and I was like O_O
I love that Willow saves the day by not suddenly becoming all powerful. He saved the day by being 100% himself. (Btw The actor that played Willow was I think 17 at the time of filming)
He defeated Bavmorda by outsmarting her.
Correct. Warwick Davis was indeed 17 during filming, which proved to be a bit of a challenge for him to portray a father. Five years earlier he was under the Ewok costume of Wicket in Return of the Jedi.
And he played a dad so well. I really believed he was old enough to be a father to those kids😂
Goes to show how close misdirection and slight can appear to skilfull intents :)
Thank you so much for this reaction to one of my favorite fantasy films you guys and I especially enjoyed your reaction and I enjoyed the expressions and thoughts that you guys made throughout the reaction.
Also, in regards to the Fin Raziel transformation scene, originally it was going to utilize Stop-Motion and Practical effects just like the earlier productions done at Lucasfilm (e.g Star Wars, Indiana Jones), however supervisor Dennis Muren from Industrial Light & Magic (ILM) found this to be challenging so it was decided that the Raziel transformation scene would be a perfect opportunity for ILM to create advances with digital morphing technology. It was the first film to make credible use of "morphing", in which one image is metamorphosed.
This achievement represent a breakthrough for CGI and was even nominated for an Oscar for visual effects, but lost to _Who Framed Roger Rabbit_ which came out the same year as _Willow._ In fact, thanks to this scene the morphing effect was later utilized in the following movies released after _Willow_ such as _Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, Terminator 2: Judgment Day,_ and _Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country._
31:32 "Your mother was a lizard!" The delivery, lol, saw this movie when I was less than ten, approx twenty six years ago, still makes me laugh to this day. The brownies made this such a great movie, so many amazing characters. Yes, their growth was somewhat quick, but you get the hints at a large tapastry of a world, that I'm really sorry didn't get developed. The gritty dark story interspurced with comedy, even from the Nelwyn wizard saying "The bones say nothing" and "Ignore the bird, follow the road." Just such ana amazing story. Holds up to this day
BEER!
Make camp!!!
If you haven't seen them, the Willow story is a Trilogy. The two following books at about 15-16 years in the future when Elora Dannon is a teenager, and Willow is a, genuinely, powerful sorcerer. Probably stronger than Bavmorda was. The second book is from Willow's point of view, and the third is from Elora's.
One thing they go into is the Brownies. They are frighteningly powerful. Besides a mixture of poisons they put on their arrows and spears, Brownies have the ability to infuse part of their life energy into their weapons. In one fight, Franjean imbuses so much of his life force into three arrows that he shoots at a massive ogre, it launches it across the building, and broke every bone in it's body. It was dead before it hit the ground. So, just saying that leaving a pair of Brownies to protect Elora wasn't as daft as it seems.
You be quiet, I’M the one in charge here!
@@ESO_PRIME you are drunk. And when you are drunk you forget that I am in change.
"Child genocide and a lady killed by dogs." - Welcome to childhood in the 80's. We are talking about the decade where RoboCop had a toy line that was aimed at 10 year olds. Willow doesn't even enter my personal list of scary childhood cinema.
Dark and horrifying 80s kids movies: Dark Crystal, Labyrinth, Cloak and Dagger, Goonies, Dragonslayer, Legend, Pee Wees Big Adventure, secret of nimh..
It was a glorious time in children's cinema
There were a number of R-rated adult movies that were given toy lines and/or turned into children's cartoons in the 80s. Rambo, Alien, Toxic Avenger and Police Academy immediately come to mind. And kid's movies in general were a lot darker, edgy, violent and sometimes downright disturbing when compared to the modern era. And as a kid in the 80s, I loved every minute of it back then.
@@oaf-77 lol that was literally kids stuff. I was watching Pet Cemetery, The gate, ghoulies etc etc.. yea i loved dark crystal and Pee wees Big Adventure, secret of nimh, but i also liked the horror stuff. my parents didnt let me watch Married with Children.
That’s an almost biblical theme.
@@soramirez5473 Nothing better than being home alone and watch a horror movie.
Where I'm from the programmers couldn't make up their minds about Married with Children. It was part of the "after school" programing along with Saved by the Bell, The A-Team and The Golden Girls, but also ran very late at night. Anyway, no adult I knew would try to stop a kid from seeing that show.
Fun fact #1: Val Kilmer and the actress who played Sorcha (forgot her name) actually got married after the movie. It didn't last, though.
Fun fact #2: Warwick Davis met HIS wife in this movie, and they're still together.
Kilmer's future wife's name is Joanne Whalley
They were married for 8 years... longer than most couples
Lasted long enough to have a couple of children though. They actually live next to each other.
It's more normal than otherwise, for a "marriage" to be for a duration, and when it's served its purpose, they go their ways.
Also, I know several good people who say they're better friends with their Ex for years after, than they were as a married couple.
Apparently, Samantha Davis died on March 24, 2024.
I'm SO glad you guys thoroughly enjoyed this movie, at the time it came out in theaters it was a huge deal.
Val Kilmer and Joanne Whalley who portrayed Madmartigan and Sorsha fell in love during the filming of _Willow_ and later married the same year the film came out and had two kids, Jack Kilmer and Mercedes Kilmer. Sadly they divorced in 1996, due to irreconcilable differences but they remained supportive even after they divorce.
“She kicked me in the face. I think it’s time to propose.”
Val was watching TV in a hotel room while on location for a movie (or something along those lines), when on the news he heard his wife was filing for divorce. Great way to find out, huh?
That scene where the evil queen transmogrifies everyone else into pigs was the single most terrifying thing of any 80's/90s film for me, _even compared to other 80s/90s films._ Sure, Judge Doom's death in _Who Framed Roger Rabbit_ was scary, _Labyrinth_ had scary moments, etc., but nothing before _or_ since has ever hit the level of raw emotional trauma that Willow did.
I see you and I raise you one The Dark Crystal Skeksis draining the lifeforce from a Podling.
@@Leightr The lifeforce draining terrified me in an existential way as a kid. I get a similar sensation when watching Saving Private Ryan in the scene near the end where Melish gets slowly stabbed.
Warrick Davis actually played the very 1st Ewok in Jedi, yes the one Leia meets after coming off the speeder and has been in every Star Wars movie since.
Wicket!
You forgot to mentioned which popular Ewok he played,the character's name was Wicket W. Warrick ? And you caught on how his stage first name matches Wicket's last name,very eerie & cool coincident to be picked for the role,ha?.
@White Noise Reacts,hey James& Nobu -did you two knew Warwick Davis also guest stars in another George Lucas Sci-Fi film known to all geeks at Comic-Con conventions,in "Retun of the Jedi" as Ewok(Wicket W. Warrick)& strange coincident his first name almost match Wicket's last name?.
@@pauhy5601 Dude that probably ain't a coincidence. Just a fun name to be given to a background character.
He and his son were in TLJ at the end when two Ewoks are watching the destruction of one of the Sith star destroyers.
Billy Barty, who played the Nelwin elder, was THE iconic little person of my generation. However, it was awesome seeing some of the Nelwin villager actors and recognize them fir their later work.
I forget the guy that was the limo driver from "Me, Myself & Irene", but I caught a glimpse of him in the village. Didn't realize he was that old!"
Billy Barty is prominent in "Masters of the Universe".
I think the reason the effects of this era age well is because practical effects will always have a tactile quality that even good CGI effects lack.
You can see the work behind it better and appreciate it on a different level that holds up
It's like killer klowns from outer space, all practical effects and masks. If remade or a part 2 done, they'd do mostly cgi, and I like the masks and outfits real better
And optical-composite VFX always look best in the theatrical first run, whereas duplicate prints will degrade the visuals. That's why the VFX in 80s movies look worse today -- we're seeing copies of copies. It's not just rose-colored glasses, those movies really did look better on their original release. The only way to see that quality restored would be to strike new prints off the original negative. (One nice thing about the advent of digital compositing is that it suffers far less from this phenomenon.)
Agreed. The prime example of this is the "special edition " of Star Wars. The original practical effects have aged better than the CGI Jabba Lucas inserted in the late 90's. (I really still wish we could get the original trilogy as it once was, especially Return of the Jedi.)
That's rubbish! Good CGI is completely unnoticeable, and don't kid yourself if you think that you can spot it, becasue you only see the bad stuff and assume its all like that. Bad CGI exists not due to it being inherently lower quality, but a lack of time given to the VFX artists. Practical is not infallible, and there are plenty of movies out there with awful practical effects.
One of my favorites and a very quotable film. Hayley’s “Shakespeare Who?” with that eye roll was perfect.
33:05: The creature is an Australian Brushtail Opossum. They filmed some of this on location in New Zealand, so some of the shots were from The Milford Sound (which is also shown in one of the newer Mission Impossible films).
There is no o, it is just possum.
Haley's shocked expression is top notch. The love for Willow was so nice to see.
I'm here for Stella facial expressions and I'm getting everything I could've wished for! Also, proof she's magical - she picked the right finger! Fun fact: This was supposed to be The Hobbit, but they couldn't get the rights. Instead it brought us the eternal Madmartian!!!
this is one of the films that helped to raise me. i have always, ALWAYS adored it.
The formidable and muscular Pat Roach playing the part of Kale, was quite busy in the 80's. He played the muscular sherpa in the bar fight of Raiders as well as the over muscled mechanic at the plane fight with Indy. He played the thuggie guard fighting Indiana at the Rock Crusher in Temple of Doom and then a very minor role in the Last Crusade assisting the Nazi henchmen looking for Jones... great actor and from what I've read a very sweet man behind the scenes. Sadly died in 2004
His loveable role as Bomber in 'Auf Wiedersehen, Pet' was probably the closest he got to playing himself on screen.
Respect for taking a role where 90% of his lines had to be delivered at a full scream.
And Britag in Red Sonja, head of the Celts in Robin Hood Prince Of Thieves and one of the gods in the original Clash Of The Titans.
The man was everywhere
WhiteNoise - the Elder Dwarf is Billy Barty, he was in Legend & Masters of the Universe.
Even Barty was the founder for the Little People of America organization in 1957 where he was an activist for people with dwarfism.
7:42
FYI: the actor playing the High Aldwin is Billy Barty, and at the time was probably the most recognized Little Person in Hollywood ... his persona was so incandescent
Not to mention Barty was an activist for people with dwarfism, and founded the Little People of America organization in 1957
Glad you guys enjoyed it. Some other classic fantasy movies to check out would be LadyHawke, Dragonheart, Krull, Conan the Barbarian (and its sequels including Red Sonja). I personally haven't watch the Willow series they did with Warwick a few years ago, but might be worth checking out if you want to see a folllow to his story and what happened in later years.
Those are some fun ones. I would also add The Dark Crystal and The Beastmaster as a couple more fun ones from the 80's.
Oh, I never hear people talk about Red Sonja! ❤️❤️❤️
The Willow series got yeeted off Disney+ because it was so bad.
@@johannbezuidenhout2976 Oh really, it did? Damn, I wanted to see it still.
@@ragabashmoon1551 It got memory holed with some other shows as tax write-offs at the start of the writer's strike.
Fun Fact: Warwick Davis (the actor that plays Willow) actually had his movie debut in Star Wars, he was Wicket, the cute Ewok that meets Leia in the woods on Endor in Return of the Jedi, he reprised his role in 2 Ewok spin off movies, and has been in most of the star wars films since then. and of course he also played Flitwick in Harry Potter series
Showing my age, I watched this when it came out and wow what a movie it was for it's time.
It's very interesting to see it through fresh eyes, glad you all enjoyed it.
You either love great movies or you don't and you guys seem to know your stuff. Big respect.
The babies who played Elora were actually really easy to work with, but a lot of filming babies well, comes from how good a director is. Knowing how to film shots so it looks like a real reaction from a baby, knowing who to use to get the reactions they want when they want them, etc.
Ron Howard is easily one of the best directors in the business, when left to his own devices. Which is not really something you'd ever think...that Opie from The Andy Griffith Show is one of the best directors.
*"...that Opie from The Andy Griffith Show is one of the best directors."*
Richie Cunningham 😛
I can't express how much i loved that movie when it first came out in 1987. I watched it a few times at the theater, and the soundtrack is so awesome as well, its a huge part of what makes the movie so good.
Agreed, adore the sound track. Listened to it so much on cassette back in the day now again on Spotify
Another really great fantasy movie from this same time period is Dragonslayer. It actually plays around with some classic tropes in unexpected ways and is also grittier than youd expect.
It is a fantastic movie. It's one of those that could very well be a D&D or Forgotton Realms film, but it just wasn't advertised as such. I remember crying as a kid when he killed the baby dragons. My mom still reminds me about that scene!
Warwick Davis played several Ewoks in "Star Wars: Return of the Jedi", including Wicket, the Ewok who first finds Leia. He was 11 years old. More recently, he also played Griphook, the goblin who took Harry and Hagrid to vault 713 in "Harry Potter and the Sorceror's Stone" and again in one of the later HP movies. He was also the Leprechaun in "Leprechaun", with Jennifer Anniston.
Also as Wicket, with his son as a young Ewok at the end of TLJ ep 9.
I haven't seen this one in forever, yet I found that I pretty much remembered every scene you watched here. In the 80s when a movie disappointed at the box office it would sometimes make it's money back in home video sales after word of mouth spread if it was a good movie. That was the case with this one and other cult classics of the era
The baby‘s hair was a wig that was attached with honey, IIRC.
Warwick Davis was just 17 when he filmed this movie.
General Kael was portrayed by Pat Roach, who played several characters in Indiana Jones movies, like the big German Indy has a fistfight with around the plane in Raiders.
The two-headed dragon was called Eborsisk after the two movie critics Ebert and Siskel.
This was the first movie to use morphing for the transformation scenes.
Some parts of the movie were filmed in New Zealand, which sparked my first interest in that country quite a few years before Peter Jackson filmed he LOTR trilogy there. But I later learnt that a lot of parts were filmed in California, while I originally assumed that most of it was filmed in New Zealand.
Kudos to Stella for figuring out which finger is the correct one. Almost every time she predicts something, it turns out to be correct.
The two headed, fire breathing monster is called the Eborsisk: the name is a combination of movie critics Roger Ebert and Gene Siskel. The visual effects were done by Phil Tippet who did Dragonslayer a few years prior. I know there are a lot of 1980s fantasy, I would also recommend Clash of the Titans to the list. Special effects were much more amazing in previous decades.
If you also look closely, the monster's heads clearly resemble penises. This was entirely intentional.
This movie has strong Star Wars and Indiana Jones vibes. I never noticed watching this as a kid and I just now learned it a was Lucas movie.
It’s a real shame Val was physically unable to take part in the new Willow series.
Yeah Val was recovering from Throat Cancer.
If he is able to return, maybe the series will continue with him back as a main character.
@@makekotor3722 Series was cancelled apparently...
@@paulleach3612 I know it was. I'm just hoping that would change if Val Kilmer could return as Madmartigan.
@@paulleach3612WTH?!
No way.
So unfair.
Season 2 was already written and it just got canned like that.
WhiteNoise - many of the Dwarf actors & actress , including Warwick .
they played the Ewoks in Return of the Jedi.
I enjoy the reactions of this channel!!
All of you truly enjoy watching the movies, and your genuine emotions are a delight.
Same as Stella: first thing I thought when I saw this movie at age 10, "Wow, that baby is a good actress!"
And there was a plan for sequels but no one else was interested. George Lucas wrote a follow up novel and that was it.
It's 3 novels and they are worth reading
There were three novels written by Chris Claremont, with Lucas. But I’d say it’s debatable how much they are in the same spirit of the film.
I legit woke up this morning thinking I wanted to see someone do a Willow reaction and then this gets posted. I'm for it!
Imagine enjoying these characters and getting attached to them and then 35 years later learning there’s a TV show only to watch it and see Willow get sidelined in his own show. And it’s a wonder why the show got cancelled??
I watched Willow, Ladyhawke, Krull, Conan the Barbarian, The Princess Bride, The Last Unicorn, Labyrinth, TRON, The (animated) Hobbit, Flight of Dragons, Flight of the Navigator, Candleshoe, ET, Escape to Witch Mountain, The Rats of Nimh, The Black Stallion, The Last Starfighter, the Original Star Wars Trilogy, and TONS of Star Trek, all before I turned twelve. AND THESE WERE JUST MY FAVORITES! The G/PG/PG-13 rating was DIFFERENT then, and I was born in 81, kids born in the '70s had it even CRAZIER. Now you know why so many people in their 40s, 50s, and 60s love Fantasy, Science-Fiction, Mystery, and Horror--we grew up on it! Also, I'm so excited for you to enjoy any of the above you haven't seen!
The nostalgia for bad effects is real. One of my favorite 80s fantasy films is Krull, which no one else seems to have ever heard of.
For me, it wasn't the bad effects in Krull (some of them were spot-on and trippy!), it was the rather wooden acting. The premise was very original though!
The reason the TV show didn't work is that it just didn't have the charm and fun of the film. Even though it is mostly just a tech demo for ILM it's a really solid fantasy film, and Mad Martigan😊 is a great character
I wish I got a chance to see the series before it got taken down. I wouldn't care if it's bad I just wanted to watch it.
Yeah, I didn't hate it as a fantasy show, but it just didn't "feel" like Willow. Joanne Whalley was barely in it, and the Val Kilmer-sized hole was palpable.
It was terrible. There is this trend of things moving so fast and not giving people time to think about what is being shown. It could've been great, but it was such a disappointment.
I guess I'm in the minority, because I really enjoyed the television show. It came around at a time when my parents had both died, and brought me such joy to be back in this world with Willow Ufgood & Co. This has been my favorite movie since I was a kid, and will always remain so... I loved the series so much, I'm heartbroken that they took it down so I can't even watch it. Maybe it wasn't what people expected, but the light-hearted fantasy and adventure was such a joy. I can't even choose a favorite character because I adore them all so much, which is rare for me, so I'm gonna keep showing it as much love as the actors did. The behind the scenes doc was a perfect display of how much all of the actors were invested, and had such passion. Those who used weapons were also trained in sword fighting etcetera so I really appreciate the effort that went into it. ❤
@@crazypants1864 I'm also sorta in the minority because I wanted to see it and I liked the clips I saw. But I never had the time to see it before it got taken down. So you're not alone.
As someone else mentioned, there were a few novels that came after this that jump forward 15 years and feature teenage Elora as the main character. I keep meaning to check them out to see if they're any good or not.
Other recommendations of great 80s fantasy movies:
Legend (a few others have recommended this, it's GREAT and so weird)
The Dark Crystal
The Last Unicorn
Time Bandits
The Secret of N.I.M.H. (animated)
The Adventures of Baron Munchausen
Excalibur
Ladyhawke
Yes, to all of those!
James and Nobu already did reacted _The Last Unicorn_
They definitely have some issues, but are also quite fun. It's one of the more imaginative high fantasy stories I've read that doesn't feel overly inspired by Tolkien that many tend to be.
Just don't go in expecting a lot of Madmartigan and Sorsha, they both die offscreen in the beginning of the book. To be fair, the books have ridiculous power creep for its characters and they wouldn't have been able to keep up, being simply daikini, and Willow is almost as powerful as Bavmorda at the start of the series.
@@applegeepedigreevery spoilery but ok.
The books are great, you absolutely should read them.
The old man playing the town sorcerer used to be in one or two of our Saturday morning shows. It was awesome to see him in this movie.
I really love your 80s fantasy reaction. May I suggest "Ladyhawk" and "Legend" both from 1985.
Loved Ladyhawk, even now it’s still my favorite soundtrack when riding and working with the horses.
I second this recommendation. Easily two of the most beautifully filmed fantasy films of the 1980s.
Legend is amazing! Tim Curry Mia Sara and Tom Cruise. Make sure you watch the directors cut. 100x better than the US theatrical release!!!
@@Transitcatoh yes: the extended cut.
More scenes, much better music.
Love Ladyhawke. Still do.
This was my favorite movie from the 80s!!! Thanks so much for reacting to it. I had a big crush on Warwick Davis because of this movie.
You mentioned you said you thought there was something more to it. There was, not just the show, but there was a movie tie-in novel that had more back story for Madmartigen. There was also a novel trilogy which happened years later The Chronicles of the Shadow War by Chris Claremont (of the X-Men comic fame) that supposed to happen years later and was considerably grittier than this movie.
As long as you're doing 80s movies, it's not a fantasy movie but The Last Starfighter is also a great one I'd love to see you react to.
I was born in '82. 'Willow', 'Ewoks: The Battle for Endor,' and 'Back to the Beach' were my obsessions! lol
Born in '81 and loved all of these!
I remember seeing Willow in the theater with my cousin. Good times and a great movie.
My first introduction/familiarity with _Willow_ was seeing clips of this movie though the THX/Lucasfilm reel (which also showcased the Star Wars Original trilogy, the first three Indiana Jones films and this one) that used to be played at your local Fry's and Best Buy and from the ILM documentary where they went into detail on the Raziel Metamorphosis scene, but for a the longest of time I didn't get a chance to watch the film until it came out Disney+ and for a fantasy film from Lucasfilm that are synonymous with the _Star Wars_ and _Indiana Jones_ franchises respectively, especially the former this was a very enjoyable fantasy film.
FYI Sorsha was play by Joanne Whally who became Joanne Whally Kilmer, Yee Val Kilmers wide.
I mean, she may have put on a few pounds, but that's no reason to insult her.
Also there is a Novel of the movie too that give a lot more of the back story.
If you'd like to see another dark themed 80s fantasy we 80s kids loved, I recommend The Beastmaster.
Loved The Beast Master! 😂❤😍
Oh, man. With Rip Torn as the bad guy! That movie just oozed 80's TV production value. But, it had 2 redeeming qualities... a decent 'Conan the Barbarian' type plot, and a very naked Tanya Roberts. 😊
Beastmaster’s first five minutes compete with Willow for being shockingly dark, too.
Don't know if anyone told you yet, but there is a sequel tv series, most of the cast returned, except Val Kilmer, as while he's healthy now overall, he lost his voice due to throat cancer and was still in recovery during the time of filming, but he gave them his blessing.
EDIT: Okay ,yea so you do know abotu the show then. :)
I've always loved Willow growing up. I always was hoping that they would make it into a 4 or more part series and even a TV show back in the 90s.
Without a doubt one of my most recent favorite fantasy films. From the music by the late James Horner, to the acting from Warwick Davis, Val Kilmer, Joanne Whalley, Kevin Pollack, Pat Roach, Patricia Hayes, Jean Marsh, to Ron Howard's directing and the visual effects of Industrial Light & Magic (ILM).
When the film first came out in 1988 it was ahead of its time, along with the fact that this film besides being filmed in Wales was also filmed in New Zealand, so this film predates Peter Jackson's _The Lord of the Rings_ trilogy and without _Willow_ we wouldn't have gotten _LOTR_ and having several other movies filmed in New Zealand, so you can have _Willow_ to indirectly thank. In addition, this film is perhaps one of the few instances where an actor with Dwarfism is cast in a leading role for a film since most of the time the majority of the actors with dwarfism back then until now were either cast in the supporting, minor and secondary roles.
Finally, Warwick Davis who played Willow was just 17 years old when filming this movie and he actually started acting when he was 11 when he played Wicket the Ewok in _Star Wars: Return of the Jedi_ he also happened to be in other films following _Willow_ such as _Leprechaun_ and the _Harry Potter_ films.
Except for Time Bandits.
@@jrnsurlan405 And your point?!? If you read my post I said _"the film is perhaps one of the few instances where an actor with Dwarfism is cast in a leading role for a film since most of the time the majority of the actors with dwarfism back then until now were either cast in the supporting, minor and secondary roles."_ I didn’t say Willow was the only movie where an actor with Dwarfism was cast in the lead, I only said it was one of few films that had an actor with Dwarfism in a leading role.
Even though the special effects are dated, Willow is a movie that never gets old! Such a fantastic movie. I loved it as a teenager, and I still love it today! :)
The effects may seem dated, but "Willow" was highly lauded for advancing the art of visual effects. The "morphing" transformation in particular was state-of-the art for computer effects and got a lot of attention at the time.
Back then they were the best there was. Sure we saw the stop motion, we noticed the compositing, but it was really good and you could tell that within a few years one might reach the moment where compositing is no longer noticeable. And that did indeed eventually happen.
@@Quotenwagnerianer I commented this elsewhere, but optical compositing had reached its limit. They could get it looking great in the original theatrical prints, but distribution copies used for subsequent home video & streaming releases degraded the visuals and made the compositing more obvious. Thankfully digital compositing mostly solved this problem.
Such a great score composed and conducted by James Horner.
It’s all very memorable, but the part that pops into my head most often is the village party music. Once it gets in there, it really makes itself at home, and stays for awhile, too. 😄
Fun fact! One of my family members was one of the actors for the baby 😅
There is a continuation show done recently on Disney+.
Sadly the series was cancelled and Disney removed it from Disney+.
Not to mention a lot of fans had mixed reception of it.
You're a sorcerer Stella! Calling the correct finger. This is one of my favorite movies of all time. Maybe that is nostalgia but for sure it is a ton of fun. Thanks for this reaction all of you! I feel so lucky that they even made a sequel series. It isn't perfect but it is still cool to be in this world again. Oh, to get my nostalgia fantasy trifecta you will need to see (if you haven't The Dark Crystal, 1982. The practical effects from Jim Henson are astounding. It was the kid's movie that solidified Henson's stance that "it is healthy for kids to be scared."
Love Willow and love practical effects. I'm Gen X and watching you enjoy movies from when I was a kid lets me relive happy childhood moments. Please do more! 😊
For real, the 80s and 90s were the Golden Age of fantasy movies. My favourite is Dragonheart ❤❤❤ a classic
Warwick Davis was only 17 when production started on willow, he looks 35, we was only 11 when he did return of the Jedi, and he did leprechaun shortly after this
this film was among one of the first to experiment with meshing early CGI into films ala the animal transformations of Fin Raizel. The ILM studio really went to great lengths for the time to showcase how it could be involved with practical effects.
just a fantastic romp overall.
It was the very first time that effect was ever shown in public actually.
Yes!! I’ve been waiting for this one. Willow is a childhood favorite and I was lucky enough to meet Warwick Davis at a convention this year.
I wish you could watch the series after this, but sadly Disney both cancelled it and took it off Disney+ without there being an option to buy it or watch it another way. It wasn't a perfect series, but I thought it was mostly great, and Warwick Davis came back as Willow. And the animal Fin Raziel had been initially transformed into is called a grey possum native to South America.
For a while, I thought it was a sugar glider (which is also a type of possum), but those do look a bit different from grey possums.
That scene in the fortress where Madmartigan literally catapults himself into danger to save Willow while that music plays in the background, how can you not have fun watching this movie.
Great Reaction! Truly a fun movie. If you're looking for more 80's with a somewhat, kind of sorta, similar feel, let me recommend: "Legend" with a Young Tom Cruise (even younger than Val in this one) and Mia Sara (she was in Ferris Bueller's Day Off). OH and "The Dark Crystal", Jim Henson, muppets, nuff said. And a quick check looks like y'alls haven't reacted to "The Princess Bride", do y'alls a favor and watch it.
Yes!!! They should watch The Dark Crystal.
This and Beastmaster were 2 of my mother's favorite movies when I was a kid which means they were my favorite movies. They still are lol but now I realize how many well known actors were in this. Watching this reaction made me realize Kevin Pollak was in this as Rool one of the brownies. Obviously I knew about Val Kilmer and Warwick Davis already lol.
Disney made a surprise sequel TV series in 2020 with Willow teaching a teen Elora after her crush, Martigan and Sorsha's son, was kidnapped to be corrupted. Then they pulled it from Disney+ like six months ago.
I don't know what you're talking about, no need to elaborate
the scene where fin razel is transforming into all the different things at the end was the first time a computer-generated transformation was done and it was groundbreaking at the time.
Yeah I was going to say that, first time we saw morphing. Which then got way over used in the 90s and then the public got sick of it. But here it was great. I remember being fascinated by it in the theater and wishing they had done that earlier with the other transformations, but now I'm fine with it done just the one time.
Warwick also starred in Return of the Jedi as Wicket.
That transition from tiger to woman is absolutely chef's kiss!
Yes she went to the "nether world". NEVER interrupt magic when it is being cast. ESPECIALLY not a Ritual.
I grew up watching the absolute hell out of this movie. That was probably the golden age of fantasy movies and growing up with all these magical movies makes me super happy just knowing i was fortunate enough to grow up with a childhood literally filled to the brim with magic and fantasy themes
this movie is so unbelievably charming and fun! the 80s were truly magical for stuff like this
As a child of the 80s I was convinced I had a low tolerance for scary things. It took me a bit to realize that adult horror wasn’t that much scarier than kids stuff I was watching when I was 8. This, Dark Crystal, Neverending Story, Poltergeist (which I thought was a kids movie), Something Wicked This Way Comes (part of Dark Disney), Secret of NIMH… these things prepared me for the existential horror I would experience as an adult.
Fun fact: Val Kilmer (Mad Mardigan) and Joanne Whalley (Sorsha) were married at the time. This makes some of their dialog exchanges pretty funny.
I think they met while filming this.
I watched this when I was very young, about age 8 or 9. Was crazy scary but loved it soooo much. Always loved everyone and Madmartigan ❤
There is also a novel trilogy: Shadow Moon, Shadow Dawn, Shadow Star, that was a continuation of the movie. It's a great read, if you are into using your imagination. Lol
Warwick wanted one of those books to be the next film.
Didn't say which one neither.
The books are so great. Returning to that universe was a lot of fun
My 80s fantasy adventures growing up were never ending story and dark Crystal. I wish I grew up with willow it’s such a classic
Best reaction of Willow I've ever seen. Well done. This movie was so much better than Lord of the Rings. It was simple and fun plus you just felt the struggle that Willow was having to endure much more than Frodo.
Warwick Davis' daughter Annabelle Davis plays a part in the series continuation. She plays an adult mims.
Oh and Fin Raziel is a grey possum! They are so cute!
There were supposed to be sequel films to Willow, but it didn’t perform well at the box office. 😢 I have always been shocked that more people didn’t see it in the theater because it’s so freaking good. It’s become a classic since though. I’m glad you guys liked it!
There are 2 novels that are sequels and Disney+ has a series sequel as well
@@chadfalardeau5396 I didn’t like the series. Ron Howard was supposed to direct the sequel films which I think would have been amazing
It's 3 novels and they are absolutely fantastic. Read them.
@@serinas4465 I only knew about the first 2 and I have read them
@@chadfalardeau5396 third one is Shadow Sun.
You know, it's just occurred to me that this movie may have the most accurate representation of an army on the march I've ever seen. The first thing you see is two forward scouts, riding out ahead of the army, and then the army itself is accompanied by supply wagons.
If you want a really great family film, my parents got me into foreign movies when I was little with a french film called My Father's Glory. It's beautiful and full of love and delight, about being friends and brothers in the beginning of the 1900s. I think everyone would like it, it's about childhood and learning about your family and it's funny too.
Great reaction guys! Willow is one of those special underrated picks that carries a lot of charm and character, even more so with today's standards. Stella mentioned wanting to know the rest of the story with Elora Danan. They did release a tv show very recently about that called "Willow". Unfortunately, its really not good XD Which is really sad because, as shown, the original has so much heart and a solid story with memorable characters.
Fin Raziel was a possum. That's the kind of possum we have in Australia (we have several kinds actually) Very cute!
the baby was actually played by identical twins, and the red hair was actually wigs, which were held in place by Treacle/Syrup since they couldn't use any actual glue on the Twins for safety reasons. and during the Dangerous bit the production had actually built a robot Baby, which the actors said weighed a ton more than the real babies did lol
One of my favourite movies, and one of the best movies ever made, too. Fun facts: Val Kilmer ad-libbed a significant portion of his lines in the film, Warwick Davis was only 17 during filming.
Great reaction, looking forwards to your next one!
Talk about screen romance! Shortly after this movie came out Joanne Whalley became Joanne Whalley-Kilmer. They had 2 kids together, but alas, they split and she became Joanne Whalley again after only about seven years.
Val Kilmer is amazing in this! Love it!
Willow, The Hobbit, Bedknobs and Broomsticks, and Robin Hood(Kevin Costner). All were the greatest of fantasy medieval lore and magic that still touches my heart to this very day.
Also The Black Cauldron and The Secret of Nimh of course.
Oh I forgot, and please anyone correct me if I'm wrong, the High Aldwin, the elderly leader Nelwyn was actually one of the three lollipop guild guys from The Wizard of Oz
If you interested in more fantasy and a Tom Cruise fan the movie LEGEND is very good and Tim Curry plays the bad guy Darkness. Tim Curry is amazing in this movie also the make up and effects are top notch. Great reaction for all of you.
It's also created and directed by Ridley Scott
Please, the extended version, not the US theatrical release.
Despite how much charm this film has(from the character development to Horner's, triumphantly epic score to ILM's, ground breaking visuals), it's still seen as cheezy and kiddy to those folks who were teenagers when this came out. But for a child to young adult this is really A+ fantasy and has exceptional action sequences. They still hold up today.
If you like 80s fantasy effects you have to watch DragonSlayer. I would argue it's just an ok movie but the special effects are a REALLY cool time capsule.
Perfect description! An OK movie held up by amazing VFX. Well worth a watch.
Great to see the younger generation appreciating the films we loved as kids. I was 9 years old when I saw this in the theater with my family and we all loved it. Still holds up in my opinion.
The actress who plays Sorsha became Val Kilmer's wife and the mother of his kids.
I have always loved this movie. So glad that all of you enjoyed it.