Willow

CBS/Fox Home Video ($26.98)

Ron Howard’s 1989 fantasy-adventure about a swashbuckling rogue hero, Madmartigan (Val Kilmer), and his grumpy but good-hearted companion, Willow Ufgood (Warwick Davis), is one of those “two-camps” pictures: Either you love it or you hate it, and, either way, ardently so. If you’re already amenable to Willow‘s many charms, this no-filler DVD will just give you more to rave about. The digitally remastered re-release offers up the goodies we’ve come to expect from DVDs — original theatrical trailers and TV spots, documentaries (the obligatory “Making of” and another showcasing Willow‘s groundbreaking special effects) — but without the bloated feeling. (Unlike other “special editions,” this one-disc-er seems to know that too much can indeed be too much, and opts instead for “just right.”) The DVD offers only one audio commentary track, but it’s from Davis, and who else could it be but the would-be sorcerer and beating heart to this goofily heartfelt film?

This article appears in December 7 • 2001.

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A graduate of the Michener Center for Writers at the University of Texas, Kimberley has written about film, books, and pop culture for The Austin Chronicle since 2000. She was named Editor of the Chronicle in 2016; she previously served as the paper’s Managing Editor, Screens Editor, Books Editor, and proofreader. Her work has been awarded by the Association of Alternative Newsmedia for excellence in arts criticism, team reporting, and special section (Best of Austin). The Austin Alliance for Women...