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Honestly after a bit of grumbling at the start now I don't mind the accents being all over the place, as it was the same with the movie, with characters like Madmartigan having absolutely none. At least Willow, unlike things like Rings of Power or Wheel of Time, doesn't have to be judged by how badly it adapts an existing story.
I was originally pining over how it doesn't follow the novels at all, but once again, it would have just been a crappy adaptation, as is EVERYTHING nowadays. This way it's free to go where it needs to.
But I still feel a bit let down by the costuming and overall "look", when fantasy shows like Merlin can do so much better, years earlier and without the nigh- bottomless pockets of The Mouse.
This message was edited 2 times. Last update was at 2022/12/01 22:21:37
"By this point I'm convinced 100% that every single race in the 40k universe have somehow tapped into the ork ability to just have their tech work because they think it should."
Mrs. GG and I finished episode 2 last night. I enjoyed it more than she did.
My complaint about accents is really quite minor compared to how much Wheel of Time was overall terrible. I have a stronger dislike for the costuming. I can not say it is categorically bad. The plate armor looked like actual metal plate, even if fantastically extravagant. It is a fantasy show after all. But I just so often do not like the aesthetics of the design choices. There were times it reminded me too much of the Shannara TV series.
Spoiler:
Like the use of blue denim for Willow in some of the flashbacks.
I love Willow himself, such a fun and wonderfully flawed character. Another character that reminds me of myself. His daughter is pretty cool too.
Spoiler:
I was disappointed that she did not join the party but hope she later joins them. Where are Willow‘s wife and son?
Given I watched the original Willow not long before I left for Basic Training, it is quite sobering to see how some of the actors have aged. Magnified by the flashbacks in the show.
The in-universe time jump is 20 years, as opposed to the real world gap of 30 ish, so the cast are all about right, relatively speaking, and by the time the older characters get to the age they are, the difference isn't going to really show.
I'm surprised people aren't commenting more on how risible Davis' acting is? I mean, he wasn't great in the first one, but he's had plenty of time to improve since then, and if anything has gone backwards. Some of the dialogue delivery is so stilted it's painful. Or are people just accepting it as inevitable and giving him a pass for the sake of nostalgia?
We find comfort among those who agree with us - growth among those who don't. - Frank Howard Clark
The wise man doubts often, and changes his mind; the fool is obstinate, and doubts not; he knows all things but his own ignorance.
The correct statement of individual rights is that everyone has the right to an opinion, but crucially, that opinion can be roundly ignored and even made fun of, particularly if it is demonstrably nonsense!” Professor Brian Cox
I thought his real-life daughter was better than he was. I wish she had come along instead of the other guy (can't remember his name).
I'm trying to figure out why Willow in 2022 is easily subpar to similar fantasy adventure shows like say, Merlin, from 2009.
This message was edited 2 times. Last update was at 2022/12/04 23:16:24
"By this point I'm convinced 100% that every single race in the 40k universe have somehow tapped into the ork ability to just have their tech work because they think it should."
Was okay, but that's kind of damning with faint praise as was optimistically hoping for a bit more
Also seems a bit mean of Rayzell and Sherlindrea to not include the village inside the wibblywobbly as seems some horrid happened to Kaya and Ranann and the wee folk in general
I'll stick with it for now
"AND YET YOU ACT AS IF THERE IS SOME IDEAL ORDER IN THE WORLD, AS IF THERE IS SOME...SOME RIGHTNESS IN THE UNIVERSE BY WHICH IT MAY BE JUDGED."
After two first episodes, I must say that I am really enjoying it. It was fun to see some references to the old movie like the infamous ''finger test''. Boorman is my favourite character so far.
I like the way that when someone starts to do something heroic, the fanfare from the films starts, and then stops when what ever they do doesn't work, gets parried or misses.
Nice call back and reminds us they are not quite the hero's they could be yet, but they are getting there...
Yes, that was curious. I wonder if they're trying to bamboozle me. The outfits are so obviously out of place, how wouldn't I think they're actually going somewhere with it. Wonder if that's true or they just did it for the laughs.
I like that they're going with retro creature design, though. That's nice.
Nehekhara lives! Sort of!
Why is the rum always gone?
Shadow Walker wrote: 3rd episode is the weakest so far. What was even the point of the two woodswomen, and why on earth are they wearing clothes from the western?
No idea on the Western costumes. They put Mrs. GG and I right off… like the denim overalls Willow wore in one of the flashbacks.
As for the point of those two characters….
Spoiler:
…only the writers and director really know but I would guess they were designed to do a few things… such as introduce a sense of overburdened responsibility for Elora, to show the power of her legendary status on common folks, to show just how supernaturally tough the Commander had become, to add another fight scene (her axe work was pretty good but she and some jokes, to show how ruthless the enemy can be in unnecessarily killing helpless people. And that is just off the top of my head. But the costumes confused me. I really do not understand what Message the costumer and director are trying to say with those designs.
I also do not understand why Willow is being so rude to the Prince. Much of Willow's awkwardness makes sense to me but not that bit.
I also do not understand why Willow is being so rude to the Prince. Much of Willow's awkwardness makes sense to me but not that bit.
Spoiler:
I think with the visions he has Willow feels the burden of guiding Elora to her destiny very keenly, and the prince isn't the most useful or competent. Even by his own admission. Willow just can't allow someone like that to proceed to be useless as that might invite disaster, so asks more than the prince can deliver and gets upset when he predictably fails.
When the prince does the magic exposition it might be exactly what it sounds like in the scene where Willow asks him if he's the High Aldwin (or however it's phrased). Younger Willow wanted to become apprentice to the previous one and actually earned it, and then for the next twenty years when it came to questions about the arcane, he was the one to provide an answer. He's not used to competition, much less some random kid with dubious experience, when by all rights he is the authority in the field.
Taking it out on other people is a bit of a theme with the characters in the group. They're all very confident in their own skills and won't just let anyone with what they think is lesser understanding question their methods or decisions. I find it pretty funny, too. It reminds me of an RPG group I was in. Good people, mind you, but ones who all decided to play... eccentric characters at the same time, leaving one guy to do all the cat herding.
This message was edited 1 time. Last update was at 2022/12/08 12:19:37
Nehekhara lives! Sort of!
Why is the rum always gone?
I'm fairly sure that cowboy hat dungarees axe lady (to give her her full title) may have more to her than meets the eye, as under all that grime is the lovely in every sense Hannah Waddingham.
As cameos go that's not by any means earth shattering, but given where she's at in her career, unless she or her daughter are fans of the franchise, I find it moderately unlikely she'd take that job, unless it was a quick half day between Ted Lasso shoots or something.
We find comfort among those who agree with us - growth among those who don't. - Frank Howard Clark
The wise man doubts often, and changes his mind; the fool is obstinate, and doubts not; he knows all things but his own ignorance.
The correct statement of individual rights is that everyone has the right to an opinion, but crucially, that opinion can be roundly ignored and even made fun of, particularly if it is demonstrably nonsense!” Professor Brian Cox
I also do not understand why Willow is being so rude to the Prince. Much of Willow's awkwardness makes sense to me but not that bit.
Spoiler:
I think with the visions he has Willow feels the burden of guiding Elora to her destiny very keenly, and the prince isn't the most useful or competent. Even by his own admission. Willow just can't allow someone like that to proceed to be useless as that might invite disaster, so asks more than the prince can deliver and gets upset when he predictably fails.
When the prince does the magic exposition it might be exactly what it sounds like in the scene where Willow asks him if he's the High Aldwin (or however it's phrased). Younger Willow wanted to become apprentice to the previous one and actually earned it, and then for the next twenty years when it came to questions about the arcane, he was the one to provide an answer. He's not used to competition, much less some random kid with dubious experience, when by all rights he is the authority in the field.
Taking it out on other people is a bit of a theme with the characters in the group. They're all very confident in their own skills and won't just let anyone with what they think is lesser understanding question their methods or decisions. I find it pretty funny, too. It reminds me of an RPG group I was in. Good people, mind you, but ones who all decided to play... eccentric characters at the same time, leaving one guy to do all the cat herding.
Spoiler:
I can see Willow being insecure but his short temper with the Prince just feels a bit out of place. I can see Willow getting irked with Elora not being the magic quick fix he expected but the Prince has proven to be pretty knowledgeable when it comes to the arcane. You would think that would surprise Willow and capture his attention not be dismissive of him, especially as Willow has not proven him wrong so far. And the Prince has not been arrogant or overconfident about his education.
The group does indeed feel like an RPG group, especially with some of the dialogue.
At this point it seems ok to watch but not a classic like the original movie.
Azreal13 wrote: I'm fairly sure that cowboy hat dungarees axe lady (to give her her full title) may have more to her than meets the eye, as under all that grime is the lovely in every sense Hannah Waddingham.
As cameos go that's not by any means earth shattering, but given where she's at in her career, unless she or her daughter are fans of the franchise, I find it moderately unlikely she'd take that job, unless it was a quick half day between Ted Lasso shoots or something.
Apparently she asked for a role
“I had this idea very early on that when Elora escaped from the knights of Tir Asleen... she would have a brief detour somewhere that felt too good to be true,” Kasdan told io9. “And what we thought of was this lovely little campsite and these two women who were funny and sort of a joy to be around. Very much in the spirit of Willow characters where they’re eccentric in sort of a slightly self-involved [way] and live in their own universe a little bit. And that emerged as a storyline.”
“And when we were searching out who to play that part, Hannah was another person who sort of raised her hand and said, ‘I love this stuff. Put me in there, give me anything I can. As long as I get to fight, I’m down,’” Kasdan continued. “And of course, she came in, she blew us all away, and we ...... wondered how we might potentially bring her back.”
It’s a good deal more targeted to Young Adult than Family than I was expecting. Some of the fight scenes can be quite scary, and I’d say the baddies are among its strong points.
Overall, it’s on the right side of mediocre. It’s definitely good, but as with other stuff I’ve watched, it’s stopping short of great.
What isn’t working for me is the use of Poptastic Pop Song from the Hit Parade as the end credit music. It’s just…jarring. It doesn’t bleed over into the show too much, but it snaps me out the feel of the show enough that I don’t start reflecting on what I just saw.
It’s a bit Zack Snyder, in that they take a mood or genre and try to match it to a song because the song title matches the name of the genre or mood (ref The Cranberries “Zombie”. A deeply political song about the Troubles in Northern Ireland put to use for a Zombie Movie, because both use the term Zombie)
Overall I am enjoying it. I just wish it had a wee bit spit and polish, and Warwick David put a bit more oomph into his lines.
High points? I really, really like the fight scenes. Last episode suffered a bit from Too Dark To Really See, but they are decently choreographed.
Boorman is probably my favourite character. He reminds me of Madmartagan, but with a dash of Nandor and Laszlo from What We Do In The Shadows.
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I actually liked how and when they started Enter Sandman in the last episode. Put a smile on my face, whereas the denim outfits are just jarring no matter what angle I try.
Nehekhara lives! Sort of!
Why is the rum always gone?
Much tighter in plot and tone. Strong bit of back story for Bavmorda too.
Very decent Haunted House feel to Nockmarr, and some appreciated flashbacks. Plus General Curly Kale makes a cameo, that’s always going to entertain. And it’s not exactly ‘member berries due to the theme of the episode.
Boorman remains my favourite, but we got some decent acting (at last?) from all involved. And being the halfway point, it feels like it’s grown into its own skin somewhat, to the point I’m now hoping we get a second series.
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I am not enjoying it as much as I want to… I think because I keep unconsciously comparing it to the movie. It is decent enough, it is entertaining, but my immersion keeps getting broken by things (dialogue with starkly contemporary phrases mostly) that seem quite LARP or pen & paper RPG feeling. Mrs. GG made a comment midshow about Boorman clearly not rolling high enough on his lockpicking attempts. But it made us laugh a few times and Mrs. GG is starting to warm up to the characters so now we can both say we like the characters overall, even when we like disliking them. If that makes sense.
But yeah, if it continues like this we would watch another season.
The woods ladies were definitely odd. I got a very Tom Bombadil sort of vibe from them and was expecting more that what we ended up with. Like how their hut was bright and sunny when she stumbled on it despite the overcast magical storm she had been running thru, and then right back to overcast when she leaves it.
Honestly the outfits don’t bother me in the slightest though, that kind of thing doesn’t register in my head because it’s the sort of thing I expect to see a person of that role in even if it’s not period accurate material.
So we have 3 episodes left? Either there will be a second season or the ending = rescue of the prince and fight with the crone will be very very rushed.
I mean, this is a not-particularly-asked-for continuation of a broadly well regarded, but not exactly beloved, film from the 80’s.
So in terms of setting the scene and exploring the world it’s doing far more heavy lifting than say, a Star Wars or Marvel series has to do.
And it’s….not doing a bad job. Not a great job I’d say. But definitely not a bad job.
It’s identity issues (is it serious? Is it silly or just light hearted? Does it want to use a classical score, or songs from the Hit Parade?) haven’t really helped me as an audience member get particularly invested. But having said that, I have enjoyed every episode, and look forward to each in turn. But it’s not quite “8 a.m. on a Wednesday. Stuff work I’m watching telly” looking forward.
If we do get a second season, I’m hoping they do so having settled on a tone. Those demonstrated so far have been competently executed - it just needs to, y’know, pick one as the central tone.
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Well, I'm enjoying it. It's fun and I like the characters. I'm sure I could find things to criticize, but you know, I really don't feel like doing that.
I have to say, whatever else is going on, the character interactions are a highlight to me. As long as they keep that going I'm happy.
Nehekhara lives! Sort of!
Why is the rum always gone?
I have to say that both Mad Doc and Geifer pretty much summed up my opinion of this show. It's a bit all over the place in terms of style. It does seem to be mostly light hearted and upbeat, but did do some suspense pretty well in episode 4 and I'm not a fan of contemporary music. What I love the most about the show is the characters which are all interesting and fairly well act. While this show certainly isn't great it is fun.
epronovost wrote: I have to say that both Mad Doc and Geifer pretty much summed up my opinion of this show. It's a bit all over the place in terms of style. It does seem to be mostly light hearted and upbeat, but did do some suspense pretty well in episode 4 and I'm not a fan of contemporary music. What I love the most about the show is the characters which are all interesting and fairly well act. While this show certainly isn't great it is fun.
Have to say im very dissapointed in this..
Me and my mrs watched the film as the series was out.
I think it started out ok but went nosedive after the first episode. We haven't even watched the latest episode(6 i think) and the one before we were laughing that we couldn't even recall what it was about!! There are so many plot holes/ inconsistencies and pointless dialogue its really hard to follow and I think I was on my phone for most of it.
AngryAngel80 wrote: I don't know, when I see awesome rules, I'm like " Baby, your rules looking so fine. Maybe I gotta add you to my first strike battalion eh ? "
Eldar- 4436 pts
