World of swords, sorcery returns

It was the 1988 fantasy that George Lucas hoped would spark another franchise. The swords-and-sorceryinfused adventure that made a star out of a teenage Warwick Davis.

A showcase for New Zealand’s scenery – everywhere from Tongariro National Park to Milford Sound and the Cardrona skifield – long before Peter Jackson had even contemplated shooting a Tolkein trilogy (or two) on our shores.

But while Willow cemented Val Kilmer’s onscreen charisma, even when playing a real douchebag, the box office for the Ron Howard-directed film was less than stellar (audiences perhaps tiring of a concept that had already been played out earlier in the decade in the likes of Legend, The Princess Bride, Krull, The NeverEnding Story, Labyrinth and Time Bandits). Lucas tried keeping the story alive via a trilogy of books, but they were so awful and reviled that he has since disowned them.

However, with particularly television fantasy back in vogue (thanks largely to the success of Game of Thrones and The Witcher), now seems like the perfect time to revisit Nockmaar, Tir Asleen and all who reside there.

As the eight-part Willow (now streaming on Disney+) opens, a shadow has once again been cast over the kingdom – with Queen Sorsha (Joanne Whalley) increasingly concerned about the fate of two young women.

While Nelwyn sorcerer Willow Ufgood (Davis) had long foreseen that evil would rise again and come for prophetic princess Elora Danan, Sorsha now has her own daughter’s future top of mind. Although the strong-minded Kit (Mare of Easttown’s Ruby Cruz) dreams of having wild adventures beyond the barrier, her mother knows that she is the key to cementing a vital alliance with her neighbouring kingdom.

So, to Kit’s dismay, she is set to be married to Graydon (SpiderMan: Far From Home’s Tony Revolori), a nervous young prince who doesn’t exactly light her fire.

To make matters worse, Kit’s best friend Jade (The Falcon and the Winter Soldier’s Erin Kellyman) won’t even be by her side in the coming days, having been accepted into the Shining Legion.

It all feels grossly unfair, especially when her feckless twin brother Airk (Dempsey Bryk) seems able to do whatever – and be with whoever – he likes.

However, when an attack by something far worse than the usual marauding Bone Reavers leaves everyone shaken and Airk kidnapped, Kit persuades her mother that she needs to be part of the quest to bring back her brother.

To successfully defeat whatever magic they’re up against though, they’ll need some sorcery of their own.

In broadening out the vision and scope of the original movie, showrunner Jonathan Kasdan (Freaks and Geeks, Dawson’s Creek, Solo: A Star Wars Story) has transformed the show’s style and tone into something akin to Game of Thrones: The Teenage Years (especially given that there’s a variation of a protective wall keeping out an evil everyone knows is coming to destroy them all).

There’s plenty of action, familial tensions and even a hint of saucy romance in the opening episode, as Airk admits to being won over by kitchen maid Dove’s (The Serpent’s Ellie Bamber) ‘‘buttered muffins’’ (part of a somewhat subversive running muffin gag that revolves around her).

The seamless special effects demonstrate just how far the craft has come in nearly three-anda-half decades, while Davis proves he still hasn’t lost his ability to dominate a scene.

However, it’s the young cast who really shine. Cruz and Kellyman spark brilliantly off each other, with the former particularly impressive as the princess determined to prove her worth is not just as a matrimonial offering.

With an epic journey set in motion, a rollicking tone established and a cast of characters that most viewers will be more than happy to spend time with, Willow looks set to be one of this summer’s most exciting and entertaining shows for the whole family.

Willow is now available to stream on Disney+.