Willow without Val

[RamblingMad]

I struggle with this series without Val. He provided all of the humor. Now, I know he can't do the role again, so I can't wrap my head around why they're doing this series.

I did see this article in Looper:

https://www.looper.com/1112790/the-new-willow-series-was-always-going-to-include-val-kilmer/

I'll watch the pilot, but I don't have high hopes. The article above does contain a potential spoiler.

 

[Mysterian]

All the humor? Were you not in the least pleased by the brownies, played by the great Kevin Pollak and Rick Overton?
What about the hubris and hijinx of ol' Burglekutt?

Anyways I haven't seen the new series yet, but I'm not getting my hopes up either.

 

[RamblingMad]

All the humor? Were you not in the least pleased by the brownies, played by the great Kevin Pollak and Rick Overton?
What about the hubris and hijinx of ol' Burglekutt?

Anyways I haven't seen the new series yet, but I'm not getting my hopes up either.

I found the brownies annoying as a kid. I would watch the movie as a kid for the Val banter.

 

[Suger Mag]

Warwick Davis is great, While Val's Mad Mardigan was a huge part, it does a disservice to the others who made that movies so special to say he was the ONLY thing to make it funny. I have faith in a new cast and look forward to watching it tomorrow.

 

[Douglas Dubh]

It’s the romance between Mad Mardigan and Sorsha that makes the movie great.

 

[VandVsmama]

I struggle with this series without Val. He provided all of the humor. Now, I know he can't do the role again, so I can't wrap my head around why they're doing this series.

I did see this article in Looper:

https://www.looper.com/1112790/the-new-willow-series-was-always-going-to-include-val-kilmer/

I'll watch the pilot, but I don't have high hopes. The article above does contain a potential spoiler.

No desire to see the TV series. Has to have Val Kilmer in it or it isn't worth watching.

 

[Mysterian]

I'll watch it out of curiosity. I get the sense that nostalgia was the reason for this series, more than anything. The first one was pretty cut and dry.

George Lucas came up with the story of the movie, which always resembled a shuffled, medieval version of Star Wars.

Madmartigan is very Han Solo, but sort of Luke when he fights the Vaderish Kael, and back to Solo by romancing princess Sorsha. Willow is very Luke becoming a Jedi, while Bavmorda's like the Emperor. The brownies are basically the droids.

But then Star Wars itself was said to be influence by Akira Kurosawa's The Hidden Fortress, with very similar characters. May be why some characters (Madmartigan and Sorsha especially) have some Japanese style in their costumes. If you've ever seen the concept art, it was even more blatant to the point where Sorsha wore a Kabuki mask.

 

[gshanny]

Were you not in the least pleased by the brownies, played by the great Kevin Pollak and Rick Overton?

I lovd them, but always wondered if I was the only person that got a Lenny and Squiggy vibe from them.

 

[BrianL]

Well, I watched the first episode - it was kinda weird, but then again Willow has always been a kinda weird movie, so I don't think that it doesn't work, but I'm also not sure. I'll watch the second at the least.

 

[Mysterian]

I'm not digging it too much. It seems so far removed from the feel of the movie. The pacing and music are so much different as well, and it doesn't seem to have the same quality of production value. It's like the show runners wanted to make a bland, teenybopper, Young Adult series while using riding Willow's coattails.

I love Warwick Davis though, I'm glad he's back. That's his real daughter as Willow's daughter, btw.

I may have missed the exact timeline of the series, but I assumed it to be 34 years since Willow 1988. Yet Elora Danan's in her 20's??

 

[BrianL]

I'm not digging it too much. It seems so far removed from the feel of the movie. The pacing and music are so much different as well, and it doesn't seem to have the same quality of production value. It's like the show runners wanted to make a bland, teenybopper, Young Adult series while using riding Willow's coattails.

I love Warwick Davis though, I'm glad he's back. That's his real daughter as Willow's daughter, btw.

I may have missed the exact timeline of the series, but I assumed it to be 34 years since Willow 1988. Yet Elora Danan's in her 20's??

It hasn't been 34 years, more like 20 to 25 at most to align witht he ages of the kids. I liked the second episode just fine, but man, Kit is the worst! At first I thought that the dude she was being foreced to marry was abd, but really, he's getting the worse end of that deal. I love Erin Kellyman though! It is great to see Willow back too.

Honestly, it's pretty fun and doesn't take itself too seriously. I feel like that's on-brand for Willow, being kind of kooky and all. I can dig it.

 

[Mysterian]

It hasn't been 34 years, more like 20 to 25 at most to align witht he ages of the kids. I liked the second episode just fine, but man, Kit is the worst! At first I thought that the dude she was being foreced to marry was abd, but really, he's getting the worse end of that deal. I love Erin Kellyman though! It is great to see Willow back too.

Honestly, it's pretty fun and doesn't take itself too seriously. I feel like that's on-brand for Willow, being kind of kooky and all. I can dig it.

Erin must have signed an ongoing contract, she's already been in Solo and Falcon & Winter Soldier, now this. I like her.

Willow the film was engaging from the beginning. There was much going on in just a short amount of time before
Elora ended up with Willow. But in the show, I didn't find much of anything interesting until the villains arrived. Sure you can pace things out with a series, but for a first episode, it wouldn't hurt to open with the villains attacking another town on their way to the castle. Something to build intrigue.

Kit seems likeable enough, but at this point, she feels they're borrowing Merida from Brave. I hope they make her more unique, otherwise she'll be completely predictable as the show moves forward.

So far Boorman is one character that appeals to me, and he seems to be sort of handling the vacancy left by Madmartigan's absence. Freed prisoner, good fighter, cracking the wise, etc.

That said, the last thing I watched on D+ was Andor, and that show was pretty solid. So soon after Andor ended, I'm watching Willow 2.0 and I can't help but keep thinking of numerous ways Andor develops scenes, environments, pace, and NEW characters in ways that were far more engaging! I'm sure someone could argue that Willow wasn't Shakespeare, but neither was any episode of Star Wars - yet Andor never once made excuses based on previous Star Wars installments.