Byzantium's Shores: chronicling the misadventures of an overalls-clad hippie

I watched Willow last night. It's a film I remember being unfairly underrated, so I was quite surprised to discover upon rewatching it that I no longer find it underrated. Now I'm wondering instead what I saw in it in the first place -- the script never seems to take life despite a number of spots where obvious underlying potential can be seen, the action and effects sequences trundle on and on and on, the villains are undeveloped cardboard baddies complete with swooshing capes and skull-shaped helmets and dramatic stridings through cavernous throne rooms. The pacing is ponderous, and the music is colossally overrated -- James Horner's score for Willow is often mentioned as his masterpiece, but I just don't hear it; I just hear the same three melodies repeated ad infinitum plus the little "evil motif" that Horner has been recycling for his movie villains for years now.

Of course, George Lucas's hordes of detractors seize on Willow as more evidence of his failings, along with Howard the Duck, from the same time period. Thing is, Lucas only came up with the story for Willow; he didn't actually write the script, nor did he direct. A lot of the Anti-Lucas Brigade says things like: "If only Lucas would only produce and not direct!" and "Lucas is a terrible writer!" But here's a movie on which he did neither, and he still gets blamed for it. I've never heard anyone mention Ron Howard's role in Willow, and Lucas's name is invariably tied to the giant dung-heap that is Howard the Duck despite the fact that Lucas had almost nothing to do with that film outside of producing it.

Watching Willow again, after seeing the first two Lord of the Rings films, is not unlike following the reading of Tolkien's novels with those of Robert Jordan. Highly disappointing (although it's neat to see that even fifteen years ago someone hit on the idea that New Zealand is the perfect place to film a fantasy movie).