The Leader

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It is a time of darkness in the land. Prophesy has foretold that a child born with a special mark and magical powers will one day depose the evil witch-queen Bavmorda (Jean Marsh). To put a halt to the prophesy and ensure her evil reign, Queen Bavmorda sends out an edict to round up all pregnant mothers in the region to have their babies killed; the child with the mark will be shown a fate even worse than death.

Thus begins Willow, a sword-and-sorcerer fantasy written in part by George Lucas as an obvious homage to J.R.R. Tolkien. Consider, if you will, the major fact that the film involves a race of little people called "Elwyns," better known as "Hobbits," and a race of "big" people, or averaged sized humans known as "Daikini," otherwise hailed as "the race of Men" in a far superior literary marvel. Then there are a handful of fairies, trolls and brownies to make things interesting. Willow's Ewoks, if you will.

The title character, Willow Ufgood (Warwick Davis) is one such Elwyn, a "have-not" Elwyn as it were, in debt up to his petite eyeballs with the main local businessElwyn. His main ambition is to become an apprentice to the local magician, but luck rarely comes his way. When his children find the Daikini baby in a nearby river, luck finally changes for the best.

Or at least, only to a certain extent, that is - the only Daikini/human/Man he can find that is capable of taking care of the baby is none other than Madmartigan (Val Kilmer) - the semi-stoned protege of Inigo Montoya (You killed my father: prepare to die). Madmartigan is, of course, a bit of a rogue, thief, scoundrel, swordsman and womanizer (not necessarily in that order) locked in a cage hanging above the Daikini Crossroads.

The goofy acting, costuming and story itself come as no surprise from a Lucasfilm enterprise - especially after seeing Howard the Duck, Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom and the tragically short-lived television series The Adventures of Young Indiana Jones. Willow is an entertaining ride along the lines of Lord of the Rings but taken far less seriously.

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