George Lucas, the genius behind Star Wars to make a fantasy film? Excitement! Since Star Wars itself was basically a classic fantasy film in futuristic guise (it had a young hero with "magical" powers, a beautiful princess and a villian in black armour to name but a few themes) what would a pure fantasy film be like? Not quite what I had hoped for. It's not really fair to compare Willow to Star Wars - there are certain similarities but the scope of Willow never aspires to the lofty heights of the adventures of Luke Skywalker and pals, so I shan't waste time with parallels.

Reviewing the film on it's own merits: it's a competant piece of fantasy film-making with a simple but enjoyable plot. The child Elora Danan has been prophesized to end the reign of evil Bitch Queen Bavmarda, so needless to say the bad guys decide to defy prophecy by desposing of the baby. Elora ends up in the hands of Nelwyn farmer Willow Ufgood (Warwick Davis), whose task it becomes to protect Elora and help overthrow Bavmarda. Val Kilmer joins the quest in the guise of the warrior Madmartigan, at first an untrustworthy rogue, but (surprise surprise) turns out to be a hero and all-round good egg. Joanne Whalley, Patricia Hayes and Gavan O'Herlihy also give their aid to the quest, forming a likable group that you just know is going to be victorious!

The story is entertaining enough, although I did wonder what they could have made of the film with a slightly more serious script. The special effects, cast and budget where there to make something more akin to The Lord of The Rings instead of an enjoyable but ultimately forgettable fantasy romp. I would have very much liked to see what would have happened given a darker script and the removal of the annoying characters. Perhaps it would have bombed or perhaps it would have been the start of another great franchise, we will never know.

There are a lot of good things to say about the film as it is though and I should address them instead of getting wrapped up in what I consider a missed opportunity. Firstly, the cast - top notch throughout, the villians are evil without overacting, you can always rely on Jean Marsh to play this sort of role and her second, Pat Roach is just as established, if not more so, having played evildoers in Conan the Destroyer, Red Sonja and numerous other fantasy films. Val Kilmer and Joanne Whalley show us some of their chemistry together, both fitting their roles well and delivering solid performances. The Nelwyns are a good bunch too, even though most of them had not acted before, they did a good job of their parts, lead by the talented Warwick Davis.

The music, sets and scenery are all worthy of mention and add greatly to the appeal of the film, letting you get caught up in it. "Willow" doesn't try to be too serious, it's comedy moments are frequent and for the most part amusing - the baby especially provides some great moments with her facial expressions and er... vomit.

Unfortunately some of the effects aren't that great - see the monsters section for more details on the men and animals in furry suits that let the film down some. The two French-sounding Brownies are somewhat annoying too, but there is very little to say against this film - it's harmless family fun. It could have better, but then, what film couldn't have?