It was only a matter of time before Disney would burn out on Star Wars and reach to Lucasfilm's other IP. Their first draw is the family-friendly fantasy film Willow, which has here been reimagined as a young adult coming-of-age comedy adventure. After 34 years of silence for this franchise, its return to the magical world is off to a pretty good start.
In charge of bringing Willow back to the screen is none other than Johnathan Kasdan. The son of Empire Strikes Back director Lawrence Kasdan and writer of Solo has both an executive producer credit and the primary writing credit on the first two episodes.
The original Willow told the tale of a humble farmer who was tasked with escorting the infant chosen one across the world to defeat an evil queen. Newcomers to the story will be thrilled to discover that the new series opens with a comprehensive recap. Fans of the original will discover countless references and plenty of callbacks, but elements of the past don't get in the way of the new cast. The series opens with an awkward banquet celebrating the arranged marriage of tomboy Princess Kit and anxious Prince Graydon. Neither side is into the arrangement, but, luckily, the party is interrupted by a squad of villains. Kit's charming twin brother Arik is taken in the brawl, leading Queen Sorsha to assemble a team of heroes to go find him. It's a fairly classic adventure setup with the typical dark fantasy evil force brewing on the horizon.
The first episode, entitled "The Gale," gets the party together and sends them on their quest. Kit has the distinct young adult heroine energy, longing for a more exciting life and struggling against the expectations of her upbringing. She travels with her best friend and love interest Jade, portrayed by Falcon and the Winter Soldier star Erin Kellyman. Their queer relationship is immediately one of the sweetest elements of the series, and it still has loads of room to grow. Prince Graydon is dragged along, despite his complete unwillingness to face danger. To defend these youths, the Queen sends jailed thief and skilled warrior Boorman as their ringer in combat and their comic relief in dialogue. Dove, a young kitchen hand in love with Arik follows the team, swiftly discovering that she has more reason to be there than she thought. Together, they travel to find the eponymous sorcerer Willow Ufgood, who acts as the universal lore bible and mentor to the new heroes.
The main thing that has become immediately clear in Willow's series premiere is that the main adventuring party of new faces is the real draw. Willow's name might be the title, but he's the least interesting character in the show thus far. Warwick Davis's humble stage magician turned actual magician has the benefit of the actor's considerable charisma, but he's not given much to do. He's the magical mentor figure who has to set the rest of the cast in the right direction. Kit, Jade, Graydon, Boorman, and Dove are immediately identifiable and fun characters with a lot of interesting interactions between them. One could see the group as a D&D party. Ruby Cruz of Mare of Easttown brings a great deal of charisma to her lead role. Ellie Bamber of Nocturnal Animals is great as Dove, establishing herself as a central lead as her role increases in importance. Amar Chadha-Patel is an immediate standout as Boorman, he's the most entertaining character from his first moments. The cast is solid and the adventuring party is the strongest element of the show so far.
As for what doesn't work, the second episode gets far too tied down with fantasy lingo and weighty foreshadowing. The best parts of the show thus far are the action and character interactions. The lone fight scene in the first two episodes isn't the pure Industrial Light and Magic practical wizardry of the film, but it strikes a good balance between CGI and prosthetic makeup. There's some weirdness of tone sprinkled throughout the second episode. It's a comedy, action, fantasy series that spends a bit too long world-building. Hopefully, the upcoming episodes will give the characters more room to breathe and develop naturally, because the simple moment-to-moment joy of their interactions could easily carry the series.
Two episodes in, Willow has the makings of a wonderful fantasy adventure series. It's aiming for teen appeal, and it has a good chance of catching on. Whether the name recognition has any chance of connecting with the series' young adult audience remains to be seen. Of course, anyone who'd like to jump in can just watch the original film on the same streaming service. There's a lot to like about Willow, fans just have to wait and see whether it believes in itself enough to create something beautiful.