Willow

I felt that the first episode was OK, 6/10. Unfortunately, each episode presented so far is worse than the previous one.

I don't want to harp on the modernization prevalent in each episode, because, in other shows it doesn't bother me at all. For some reason though, it just grates on me here. It's like fingernails on a chalk board.

Since I'm airing my laundry, let's touch on other things that are sub par, or just plain bad. The two lead actresses are not very good, and the way their characters are written makes them fairly dislikable... a major negative in a show like this. Top that off with appalling humor, or rather, attempts at humor, no tangible bad guy, and a lackluster supporting cast, and you have the makings of a show that is going nowhere.

I'll keep watching, hoping for improvement; but, color me skeptical.

It's become apparent that Disney feels some grotesque need to release content on their platform without any deeper thought about what & where to go with it. This is the feeling you get with Willow, and the writing that doesn't even feel amatuer-ish - it feels embarrassing. For everybody on that show, Warwick especially. It's apparent that the writer has no connection with what the character/actor would comfortably say at any given time, prompting him to spew out wordy, awkward lines, that he has to somehow form together into "acting". The dialogue comes across so unnaturally it's embarrassing. Somebody should feel ashamed for this, really.

The last thing you want to do with fantasy is have it come across as modern. Even if you didn't enjoy the Rings of Power show it still has a feel of antiquity about it, about the continuity of what they say and do. About what the characters are concerned with during the course of the show..... but that is not the case here. Here you get Nickelodeon teen drama (that firmly reminds you you're in the year 2022), mixed with half-hearted, poorly conceived fantasy. Which has zero percent of the feel captured in the 1988 movie, and while i can't say that was perfect either it stands as a masterpiece in comparison to this.

Who is to blame here isn't clear. My vote goes to Disney, for coming up with an idea and then going with whatever first idea was presented forth to them, no matter how good or bad it was. The content machine must keep flowing, or else they lose subscribers.. right? Well they will certainly lose people by continuing to release abominations such as this. Ya know i do feel bad, just because i know how severe the internet is going to tear into this one, review-wise. So 6/10 is a mercy from me.

This didn't even feel like Willow. It felt like people were attempting to use what little clout the franchise had and use it as a vehicle to introduce a story/characters that should've been written into their own series in the first place. Here's some issues:

1.) Willow isn't even the main character. Imagine going to watch Wednesday only to find out it's about her friends, and she's just kind of 'around'. That's what you get here.

2.) Remember the beautiful orchestral music from the film? Gone. Replaced by completely inappropriate songs, many of which are terrible covers. Hearing The Beach Boys in a high fantasy setting completely detaches you from the show...or Crimson and Clover during a weird forest rave. There's a reason the fantasy genre generally sticks with basic music...anything else feels out of place.

3.) The series changes things with little to no explanation. Why has everyone aged decades except one specific character? Why do certain creatures suddenly have an extensive vocabulary and look completely different? You'll be left with more questions than answers.

4.) The forced modernization. Every race and sexuality are represented. I've said before, diversity is great but not when it feels forced. When it feels forced it's almost as offensive as no diversity, because you're essentially creating 'token' characters. There also shouldn't be social commentary on war/pollution in a fictitious world. We're watching a fantasy series to escape our world for a while, not to be reminded of what exists in it.

Bottom line, I'm fairly confident this series won't be renewed, and with good reason. Warwick Davis deserved way better than this.

If you disliked the acting and dialogue, you clearly misunderstood what was going on in the show. It's not meant to be a serious and heavyweight fantasy like LoTR for example, but a fun ride that you can sit, relax, and enjoy for 40 mins. For me it even felt a little bit like fantasy satire. At some points it was almost breaking the fourth wall even, like when they were talking about "the quest" they were on (as if it's a video game) and mocking the tropers they were getting themselves into.

So having said all this, acting and actor choices were spot-on, especially the Graydon actor - he did an amazing job with the role.

I really wish this gets past the audience thickness and score bombing and renews for volumes II and III.

Warwick is ok, the rest of the actors, accents and all the rest is so far terrible. Willow was a childhood favorite including the books but this does not come remotely close to capturing the magic that was the original Willow.

This how ever starts so poorly in episode one and just keeps getting worse. The sword play is laughable, sets below average and the costumes are a complete joke. If you loved the original movie I recommend steering well clear of this joke of a show which I had high hopes for. Warwick and the music are ok but everything else is a let down with Val Kilmer unable to reprise his role as Mad Mortigan due to his previous cancer struggles and loss of voice.

Its a pity as this could have been a wonderful and amazing show.