Tag: magic

Willow Review – Was This Remake Any Good?

One of the few famous people who lives near me is Warwick Davis. Best known for playing an Ewok who hung out with Princess Leia and a Harry Potter wizard, he also starred in the eighties film, Willow. My Willow TV show review explores his new Disney Plus series which I recently finished watching.

Willow is a sorcerer and dabbles in magic.

I have been lucky enough to meet Warwick on many occasions over the past twenty years. He is a friendly guy who gets involved with local charities and is really approachable. It is lovely seeing him acting in movies as well as presenting a daily quiz show on ITV.

When I heard that Ron Howard (Willow 1988 director) was producing a new TV series of Willow, I knew it would be good. Originally a George Lucas idea, Willow was always going to stand the test of time.

Read on for my thoughts on the 2022 Willow TV remake.

What’s it all about?

Willow is a sorcerer who used his powers years ago to defeat an adversary. He is back to help a Queen get back her son. The prince was taken by The Crone and her soldiers beyond the Shattered Sea.

Willow had put Elora Danan under the protection of the Queen and she is now grown up. She is special as her powers are said to be stronger than The Crone. At the start of the season, a castle maid discovered that she is Elora and her future is also as a sorcerer. She had no idea of her importance but soon took on the mission to rescue Prince Arik and bring back peace.

Things I liked about Willow:

– Great acting! Warwick stars with his real life daughter. The group of younger actors are funny and carry the story brilliantly.

– The narrative was interesting and easy to follow. Although there was specific language that linked to that world, it all made sense, unlike some series with too many difficult references.

– Each episode had a focus, a mission and some wonderful character highlights. I really felt like I got to know each main character. The conversations helped me understand the relationships between each of them as well.

– The script was witty and made me regularly chuckle. With one liners and clever sarcasm, especially from Willow, I found the TV show really entertaining.

Shortfalls:

– Some of the special effects were ethereal and glowing, which made a few scenes feel dreamlike. Having said that, lots of real Welsh settings were used too. I always prefer real backdrops to CGI ones.

Final Thoughts

This particular TV series was really lovely to watch. It began with a throwback to the 1988 film which also starred Val Kilmer. His ex-wife returned for the season as Queen Sorcha and it was great to see a clear link to the original dilemma.

I enjoyed the humour, the swashbuckling adventures and getting to know a new group of heroes. The series was full of nostalgia, emotion and hilarity. One such moment of laughter came from the cameo by Hannah Waddington (of Game of Thrones and Ted Lasso fame).

Willow scored 83% on Rotten Tomatoes and I give it ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️.

Thank you so much for reading my Willow review. For more recommendations please check out Two TV Shows Worth Watching. Perhaps also consider following my blog for future similar content.

Why Roald Dahl Books Are Educational.

Roald Dahl made everywhere seem magical.

Today, as we head back to work and school for Autumn, I wanted to talk about Roald Dahl. He was my favourite author when I was a child in the 1980s and his work still resonates with me now. Roald Dahl’s books are culturally important and incredibly popular. His books are read widely in schools and his book collections are very popular amongst all ages, especially children.

He had such a busy life, in the airforce, working around the world and eventually writing for a living. Starting as a writer for adults, he then wrote a book for his daughters and began to produce brilliant kids’ books.

His stories were sometimes edgy, with strong characters who were usually quirky and unique. Often his books had powerful messages and really made the readers think about family values and what being a good person actually involved.

Here are five of my favourite Roald Dahl Books:

1) George’s Marvellous Medicine

This was peculiar because George mixed up some random household chemicals to make a powerful medicine for his grandma. It talked about the fact that families are not all perfect.

2) Matilda

Matilda’s teacher saw the very best in her even though her father didn’t. She overcame adversity in many different ways.

3) The Witches

This reminded me of my close relationship with my gran. The main character was turned into a mouse by some witches but his gran stood by him as he tried to get his own back.

4) Charlie and the Chocolate Factory

This delightful tale is about a boy who wants to please his family. It is a story where good overcomes bad.

5) The Twits

In the Twits he wrote about a couple who were ordinary people until their ugly thoughts made them appear ugly. The message in this was clear.

Final Thoughts

So if you have never read one of the many brilliant Roald Dahl books, it is never too late to start. His stories are fun, totally entertaining and full of meanings. Hollywood is currently making a new version of Matilda and Roald’s work is repeatedly being remade into theatre and TV productions.

His characters are often very thoughtful, sometimes cheeky and usually easy to relate to. The settings are always interesting and the plots full of action, comedy and brilliant storytelling.

I hope that you will check out Road’s wonderful work and might also consider following my blog. To check out another article about reading, have a look at Are you an interactive reader? and drop a comment if you have time.