Willow Review (2022)



 This new series created by


Jonathan Kasdan captures the same magic as the original film, but of course, in a modern way. The most important takeaway from the new series is the inclusivity of its cast of characters. Kit Tanthalos (Ruby Cruz) is the princess and daughter of Sorsha (Joanne Whalley) and wants to learn how to fight and be involved with the townspeople. She wants to make her own choices, especially in marriage. Her brother, Airk (Dempsey Bryk), is the golden boy, heir to the throne, and is in love with a kitchen maid named Dove (Ellie Bamber). The siblings have gone in two very different directions, and in this series, they explore their individuality and whom they are destined to be. Kit has the strongest journey in this series. She learns how to fight and to love with her swashbuckling trainer, Jade Claymore (Erin Kellyman), by her side. The relationship between Jade and Kit makes for an interesting dynamic as they go on this journey with Willow. 

In this series, twenty years after vanquishing the wicked queen Bavmorda, the sorcerer Willow Ufgood (Warwick Davis) leads a group of misfits on a dangerous rescue mission into the unknown. Kasdan refocused the story and the lore with the new characters without leaning on the nostalgia of the original film. It was lovely to see Davis back in that element by also giving him a bit more to do with his character. The cast worked together well, and some stylistic choices worked for the modernity of the piece. There are some humorous moments and some song choices to bring these characters into a new generation. It felt refreshing to see a fantastical world highlight a queer romance and characters struggling with their individuality in a kingdom that has expectations for them. This series places women at the forefront and has a unique twist that makes for a compelling story in this first season. Audiences will connect with these characters. And understand what they’re struggling with, which is the importance of representation on screen. 

Review by: Amanda Guarragi

3.5/5 

#Willow #WillowSeries #WillowMovie #WarwickDavis #RonHoward #GeorgeLucas #LucasFilm #Fantasy #Series #DisneyPlus #1stReviews 

Popular posts from this blog

Promising Young Woman (2020) Review

Image
To start, I would like you to read the online descriptions of the film.  IMDB's description is: "A young woman, traumatized by a tragic event in her past, seeks out vengeance against those who crossed her path".  The Google description is: "Nothing in Cassie's life is what it appears to be -- she's wickedly smart, tantalizingly cunning, and she's living a secret double life by night. Now, an unexpected encounter is about to give Cassie a chance to right the wrongs from the past".  If you asked me what the film was about, my description would be "Cassie Thomas does everything in her power to right the wrong and restore whatever legacy is left of her friend Nina who was a victim of rape." These Hollywood descriptions are glazing over the events that are the reason why the film is even happening. Nina is the main character of the film, not Cassie. Though we are following the life of Cassie, she is merely an embodiment of justice in the tragedy
Read more

Boss Level Film Review

Image
       Boss Level is a new addition to the time loop genre, with a twist. Ex-special forces officer, Roy Pulver, played by Frank Grillo, relives the same day until he dies. Every day he is hunted by assassins and when killed, he wakes up back in his bed where he started, only to have to try and survive all over again. Roy has no idea why he is stuck in this infinite time loop but he must do what he can to survive, and the longer he survives, the more he uncovers about his particular situation.  Unlike most action films that take time to build up, this film gets right into it and offers tons of non-stop combat sequences that would satisfy any lover of action films. Its erratic flow makes for some fun action scenes which come out of nowhere since Roy can expect the assassins to attack at any moment. If you play video games often and have ever been stuck on a level for hours or even days, you know the feeling of having to repeat the same thing over and over again until you finally figure
Read more

Invincible Series - Mid-Season Review

Image
          ( Spoiler-Free Review) The first half of Invincible is available to watch on Amazon Prime. This 8 episode mini-series brings the famous 'Invincible' comic series to the digital screen. If you like the animated genre, Invincible is an incredible addition that also excites me for the future of the genre. Unlike live-action, animation has no limits in terms of budget or storytelling, and Invincible capitalizes on this by giving us one of the craziest and over-the-top superhero stories on screen.  The invincible world feels like a parody of a bunch of superheroes mashed together. Think the DC universe mashed with shows like "The Boys" and "One Punch Man". It makes it a lot of fun to see parody versions of characters that we know and love like Batman, Superman, and even Hellboy. The story follows Mark Grayson who is the son of the world's most famous superhero, Omni-Man. Mark knows he will inherit and develop an incredible amount of power but he is
Read more