Willow: Special Edition [DVD]

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That being said, series creator Jonathan Kasdan did release a lengthy statement after news of the Willow series' cancellation broke made it sound like he's somewhat hopeful that the show does still have a future. The one thing that kind of suggests that while the show may not be officially cancelled, it’s not officially not cancelled either is this passage: That last bit is for me, I suppose, and I do appreciate the spirit of the statement. We critics are here to help, not to destroy. I want the next season of Willow to be much, much better than the first season and some very simple changes—like taking out the godawful modern pop music—can go a long ways toward achieving that goal. Reducing the amount of modern aphorisms present in the dialogue and putting a little more effort into costumes would also help. I’m fine with all the representation and diversity—critiques that the show is “too woke” are silly—but I’d appreciate a bit more depth for a lot of these characters, and more realistic struggles. I own the old Laserdisc release of Willow and watch it occasionally, and this 2.35:1 anamorphic widescreen transfer is quite an improvement over that multi-disc (featureless) set.The film used a very subdued "lived in" look for every aspect of the visuals, with very rare moments of bright colors. Even the early scenes in the Nelwyn village feature very natural hues. The clarity of this transfer brings that visual style through perfectly.

This transfer is pristine. There were no visual problems with the print, and thankfully the image was devoid of any edge enhancement or compression artifacts. It is definitely a more well-rounded transfer than the one on the Phantom Menace, and with this much improvement from one Lucasfilm disc to another, I think we're going to be in for quite a treat when Indy and the original Star Wars trilogy hit the format. Despite the excellent score of the film, the DD 5.1 mix isn't too aggressive. Most of the sound is limited to the front of the soundstage with only vary rare moments when it will spread to the rear surrounds. However, your sub will get some good action in this mix. Willow got off to a terrible start right out the gates. The show’s tone felt directed at a teenage demographic that doesn’t exist—but fits squarely outside the demographic most interested in this kind of fantasy: Kids and their parents. There’s a way to craft a story that appeals to younger kids and their parents and the blueprint is the Willow film. If you want to ignore both those crucial demographics and target teens with a CW-style romance, you have Willow the TV show. The problem? I’m not sure even most teenagers like shows that so badly misunderstand how teenagers think these days. It’s just too cheesy. It is a wonderful fantasy of heroes, villains, good vs. evil, magic, courage, and bravery. It is timeless and worth every penny.

Sound The all-new 5.1 sound mix is an impressive achievement, creating a soundstage of staggering depth. Elves, dwarves, an abandoned baby, and an evil witch? Why it must be "Willow", born from the mind of George Lucas and now polished-up for a new special edition DVD release.

What a delightful, fantastical, journey through the earlier days of the munchkins. Not since the Wizard of Oz have I seen than many people of shortened stature grace a movie set and what a shame that is. So much talent, courage, and determination in people who must navigate life in a world designed for giants. Sadly, Disney confirmed there wouldn't be a second season of Willow in March 2023, meaning the series was the latest to join the ranks of cancelled TV shows. Mostly, I’m sad that we never got the Willow that we deserved. That really bums me out. It was possible, especially with Davis on board. Willow: The Making of an Adventure "In a time of sequels and spin-offs, where many movies have numbers after their titles, "Willow" is truly one of a kind", declares the voiceover for the most self-delusional featurette ever committed to DVD. The tone of the earnestly dull cast and crew interviews is amusingly cheesy, but nothing eclipses this closing line: ""Willow" proves that one committed person can make a difference, and the making of "Willow" proves that if enough people share a creative passion, they can make a very special movie". Oh dear. Additional Extra Features Also included on the DVD are TV spot and trailer galleries, and a photo gallery with plenty of behind-the-scenes shots.

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So, perhaps we will see the Willow gang return for another adventure later down the line... after all, it took 35 years for this sequel series to arrive as is! Some have argued that Kasdan is saving face here, casting the current circumstances around the show in as positive a light as possible. It’s a cancellation in all but name. I think that may be true, but I also think it’s an important distinction. Disney could easily just cancel the show. This happens all the time. Keeping the door open to a potential second and third season has to be purposeful and until we hear otherwise, I think fans of the show should hold out a small sliver of hope.

That does not sound like a slam-dunk to me. At all. He says that he feels “fairly confident that, if asked, neither I, nor the folks at Lucasfilm, would or have actually characterized” the news as cancellation. But then what is it? I’m still not sure. Limbo, I guess? The Immemorial City? There were some highlights, of course. Had the show leaned into its strengths it might have been decent. I liked the casting for Elora a lot. Ellie Bamber is the perfect aged-up Elora, and did a great job with what she had to work with. She’s also one of those rare beauties that even in star-studded Hollywood stands out. Amar Chadha-Patel was fantastic as Boorman, as well, but the show decided to make his character a running gag rather than give him the depth he deserved. In his post, he explained that they decided to release the main cast to pursue other opportunities, and said Willow wouldn't resume filming in the next 12 months. However, he went on to explain that, "with the enthusiastic and unwavering support of Lucasfilm and Disney, we've developed and written what we hope is a brain-meltingly fun, richer, darker and better VOLUME II, which builds on the characters and story of our first eight chapters (The Wyrm survives!)."Perhaps the one thing Hollywood has consistently been great at, over its entire history, is servicing the appetites, no matter how obscure, of its consumers. And I have total confidence that, if an appetite for more Willow persists, Disney, Lucasfilm and this amazing cast and crew will satisfy it.” On top of this, you have Disney taking a more sober approach to Star Wars right now, and while Willow isn’t Star Wars it is Lucasfilm and that matters. The disappointing box office numbers for Solo: A Star Wars Story have led CEO Bob Iger to say recently that “maybe the cadence [of the release of Star Wars films] was a little too aggressive” and while the company is still “developing Star Wars films . . . we’re going to make sure when we make one, it’s the right one. So we’re being very careful there.” It’s not unreasonable to extrapolate from that a general sense of caution and feet on the brakes for non-Marvel projects going forward.

Oh well. Maybe it’s best we leave these old stories alone and write new ones instead. Just a thought. So as I’ve thought about this more, I think the question really is this: What exactly are we supposed to believe? What’s really going on here? However, despite these claims, Madmartigan does not physically appear in the show, as Kilmer was not able to join the cast on set. At a press conference close to the show's launch (via SYFY), Kasdan explained exactly how Madmartigan would factor into the Willow series.Kasdan describes the second season he has in mind as ‘brain-meltingly fun, richer, darker and better” adding: I think the best we can do is speculate based on the evidence at hand. A few things are happening at once here.