Willow (1988)

Warwick Davis is great in this fantasy as the eponymous fellow charged with keeping a young baby from the evil clutches of the wicked queen "Bavmorda" (Jean Marsh). It has been foretold that this youngster will prove to be the undoing of the reign of terror that has permeated the land, and so this task is going to be perilous to say the least. Arriving at the crossroads, his townsfolk friends decide to abandon him and his quest but fortunately he has recourse to the trapped "Madmartigan" (Val Kilmer) who has been caged up and left to die. Pursued by the queen's battle-hardened daughter "Sorsha" (Joanne Whalley) and her henchman "Kael" (Pat Roach) what now ensues is a grand spectacle of high adventure that features some inspired special effects, a good solid story and some equally engaging characterisations that deliver a traditional good vs. evil scenario. I always support the baddies in movies, and here was no different - but I was very nearly tempted by the courage and decency of "Willow" to switch sides. Kilmer is on good form, his role allows him to flourish with some witty dialogue and plenty of swash and buckle as the denouement - and a magical one at that - looms large. Ron Howard and George Lucas have let their imagination take control here, and I felt it worked rather well. The photography and action scenes work well, and though maybe the story is a bit of an hybrid of others, it still doesn't stop this being an enjoyable David and Goliath style battle that is peppered with some strong supporting performances, some familiar faces and , I think, gets better with age.