IN DEFENSE OF THE REALM: Willow

Ah Willow, quite possibly one of the most underrated fantasy movies of all time. This movie marks the only time (to the best of my knowledge) that a little person stared as the lead protagonist in a major motion picture and may I add that Warwick Davis knocks it out of the park. Warwick plays Willow Ufgood a farmer and aspiring sorcerer in a village inhabited by wee folk who call themselves Nelwyns. One day as Willow is trying to tend the pitiful crops on his struggling farm, his children find a child in a basket on the shore of the river. We know from the beginning of the movie that this is a special child that is being hunted down because she is foretold to bring the down fall of the evil sorceress Bavmorda.

 After a village council meeting Willow is chosen to return the child to the humans with his friend Meegosh, and after a short journy hand the baby over, all be it with reservations to the first human they meet: Madmartigan.(played by Val Kilmer.)

Let me just take a moment to say this is one of the few times I actually enjoyed Val Kilmer. He was great in this and it was in his pre batman rape days. Anyway, so they leave the baby with Madmartigan. As Willow and Meegosh head home they are attacked by a group of small forest fairies know as Brownies, who also have happened to steal the baby from Madmartigan. We find out from the Fairy Queen that the baby is named Elora Danan and she has chosen Willow for her protector. She then sends Willow off to defeat Bavmorda with baby Elora and a magic wand she has given him.  Along the way Willow and his party run into Madmartigan and together the have a few close calls with Bavmorda's daughter Sorsha who is now hunting them down. After a bit the group find themselves captured by Sorsha along with a benevolent sorceress named Raziel who has been changed into a rat by Bavmorda. Willow attempts to return her to her human form but fails. Eventually Willow and his group manage to escape and find themselves in a castle to make their stand against Bavmorda.
The movie is great especially for the time it was made.  I would absolutely recommend this movie to anyone looking to just enjoy a good film with a good story.

I give it two washed up Val Kilmer's cause after all he wasn't so bad in this.