I suggested on the Tweeter that it didn't seem like the creators of the new Willow show had seen Willow, which I feel like would have been a solid prerequisite. We really like that movie in our house. When Brenna and I were dating, like… what. Twenty seven years ago? We both had a really bad fever and watched it. If you ever get a bad fever, put it on - and find yourself healed.
So… I really like it, for a few reasons. One, it's pretty funny for a fantasy movie. The new D&D movie owes a lot to Willow. But it's as dark as it is funny. It's literally a movie about a witch who wants to kill an fucking baby, and she'll do it, too. She hates this baby! These are solid stakes for your action adventure film. Enough can't be said about Willow, who just fucking murders it, but Sorsha kicks ass, and Madmartigan is more than just a hero - he's a template for heroism people have been glad to duplicate. To the extent that there is target market for this show, I am it. Here's what I want from a Willow show: more Willow. Here's what they think we want: somebody's script they already had written, with the serials filed off, and vile comeuppance for those who might have fantasized about what happens next.
The main issue with Disney Plus shows in general is that they're incredibly uneven. Sometimes you don't even know episode to episode if the show you're even watching is good; there are outliers, but holy shit. Writing is the cheapest part of these shows, I know people who do this work, and they still won't fucking pay it. I don't just mean the moment to moment dialogue, which is sometimes legit here but reflects a two-year stint at the Joss Whedon School Of Winky Face Emoji, I mean the pacing and even the order of events doesn't reflect consideration or even enthusiasm. This is how you spend money when money doesn't matter. It's like a wise faerie is trying to teach them something about the limits of material wealth and they aren't getting it. The budget is not the problem, here. The problem is who they give the budget to and what those people do with it.
It's like… hm. I think the fourth episode of WIllow is better than the third episode, that's the one that came out today and is the best one yet, but their shows are always doing shit like this. I have no idea where I am in the arc. I think there are good pieces here, and little green sprouts of characters I want to know more about. I like the people in front of the camera, they're doing their level best. But based on what we have seen already, it's not up to them.
(CW)TB out.
