ben12

And Tolkien didn't even call his orcs orcs at first. They were goblins.

mewmartigan

I love Willow and I am really looking forward to the series. I did not realize they got Joanne Whalley and Kevin Pollak back.

I read the Claremont trilogy back when it came out and absolutely hated it and everything they did with the characters.

Inhumans99

This really does look solid, and I did a fairly recent re-watch of Willow on Disney+ so I am ready for this. I have not read the books. I have fond memories of watching folks play the Willow game at arcades and usually not getting very far (you had to be a master of timing your ducks/jumps just right at many stages of the game).

Goldberg74

I thought it was an interest take on aging characters and a storyline that was way more developed than a simple 2-hour film.

I remember that I got hung up on Claremont's descriptions of scenes and events where he stop time and go one for pages describing details of the location and feelings and happenings... and that got tiring, so tiring. I guess I was use to his 22-page treatments of the X-men and not novelizations.

Either way, the world of Willow is worth further exploration and I hope that this series pays off.

Dr. DVD

I haven't read the Shadow Moon trilogy and it appears I didn't miss much. Interesting in that it's the one that was apparently the continuation in mind from George Lucas. I actually met Chris Claremont at a comic book store signing engagement and the man did not lack a good ego. I did ask him as to how much involvement Lucas had with the trilogy and Claremont said they basically just had a short conversation one day to create an outline and then that was about it for the involvement.

dex14

Decker

That seems more jokey and campy than I was expecting.

story

That's the editing, though. That music, those cuts, they all add up to that jokey feel. It's possible they pulled literally all the funny parts and put them together.

But you're right, it could also be looser than we'd expected. The original movie is quite funny, though when it's serious its deadly serious.

Decker

They're also all speaking in modern contemporary vernacular. That wasn't the case with the movie was it? This feels more like Life's Too Short.

Shannon Nutt

I think that's the right way to go, honestly. Kind of a Joss Whedon vibe to it that I think will work.

Dr. DVD

I personally think that approach would have made the original movie better. It has funny moments, but when it tried to go from that to dead serious it created a very uneven tone. The new set of bad guys in the poster and trailer look a lot like Hellraiser cenobites. MY understanding is that the identity of Elora Dannan will be revealed in the first two episodes. My guess is that it's either the redhead, which would make sense, or Sorsha's daughter, which would also make sense as Sorsha appeared to be taking on the mother's role when the original ended. Maybe something magical caused the memory loss.

Dr. DVD

Giving a bump since it starts this week. I've seen some interviews with Jonathan Kasdan, the lead writer, and he basically revealed a spoiler. Apparently The age doesn't exactly match, but given how big magic is in this world, it can probably be explained rather effortlessly. It's also supposed to be revealed in the first two episodes, so not a major one I guess. He said the big bad was inspired by the Nothing from Neverending Story. Seems a bit underwhelming.

jjcool

I'm excited for this one. It's been a few years since I've seen the movie though. I should do a rewatch before the series.

dex14

Just rewatched the film last night for the first time in years. Now I can’t get the music out of my head.

story

We watch the movie pretty regularly around here and absolutely, Willow is one of James Horner's best film scores, hands down.

Dr. DVD

I remember it getting re-used a lot for action adventure movie trailers, particularly 1991's Robin Hood.

Artman

Not just trailers, but for Horner's own scores... he re-used (or comes very close) themes quite a bit. I just listened to the Avatar soundtrack today during work, and I was amazed at how much of Willow I recognized in it. You can also hear the same themes from Aliens in the Jack Ryan (Harrison Ford) movies, etc.

dex14

I really enjoyed the first two episodes. I wish I could watch the rest now.

dex14

It's only been 20ish years since the events of the first movie, not real world 30+.

nickdawgy

The scene where the horses jump off the cliff was an homage to Young Guns II. Both involved being chased and using an “ancient word that meant stop”

candyrocket786

I'll stick with it for a few more episodes, but it honestly felt like I was watching something from the CW.

I also hate the end credits

ViewAskewbian

Yeah, those songs really toss you out of the world they are trying to create, huh? Oy!

The Infidel

I think I spotted a cameo of one of the original Elora Danan babies from the movie:

SmackDaddy

Enjoyed the first two episodes, had the spirit of the movie for sure. We especially liked how Madmartigan is still a vital part of the story without being there (would have been interesting to see how they were going to incorporate Kilmer had the original plans to have him appear been able to happen). Looking forward to the rest for sure! Another example of location shooting giving a tv show a bigger feel, not as well done as Andor, but nice to see.

B.A.

My son and I enjoyed it, although some of the casting seems questionable.

I really liked the closing musical selections.