So. I did watch the original Willow movie, though it was a number of years back, and I remember I really enjoyed it…though I don’t remember a whole lot about it, apart from the scene towards the end where Willow saves Elora.
I’ve not been too good at sitting down and watching movies, but after both my sister and my oldest nibling encouraged me to watch this, I went ahead and did so.
I do think you need to have a passing knowledge of the original movie, at least, to fully enjoy and understand this movie. I enjoyed the opportunity to see so much more of the world of Willow, as well as to learn more about the history of the world and more about the true threat, which wasn’t as simple as it had been in the movie.
The Characters
I’m going to start with my two favourite characters: Kit and Jade. During most of the series, it’s really obvious they both have feelings for each other…to the point that even some of the other characters comment on the tension between them. But even outside of their relationship and the inevitable resolution (I was so happy when they finally kissed), both of them were really strong people. Throughout the series, I felt they both had amazing character development and some really impressive scenes. I seriously loved the scene when they’re all fighting in the rain, although it was also a very tense and emotional scene towards the end.
So, yeah, Kit and Jade were not only my favourite characters of the series, but they were also the best part of the series as a whole…at least in my opinion. Compared to the other main romance, theirs was a whole lot more believable.
Honourable mention goes to Prince Graydon, who was still a likable character despite not being my top favourite. He’s the only one who none of the other characters have a personal relationship with and yet he still goes along with them on the quest and does his best to help them. He doesn’t hesitate or hold back and even accepts that there’s a point the others might need to take his life. Honestly, he’s got a lot of depth to him and I would have liked to see more of him through the series.
Okay, so I have to talk about my least favourite character…Elora, who just spent the entire series really irritating me. She felt like a flat character who was just written to be the Cinderella archetype. To be honest, Sorsha did her absolutely zero favours by keeping her as no more than a servant! Because when it came to it, she was absolutely useless…until the plot called for her to be otherwise and then she could suddenly perform magic without anything other than instincts. And why did they bother dyeing her hair? Red hair isn’t even that uncommon!
Honestly, it would have been better if Elora’s identity hadn’t been discovered at all. Unfortunately, once it was revealed, she just fell into the stereotypical chosen one personality. And I’ll be honest – someone with Kit’s personality would have been a much more interesting Elora. Or Jade could have been. She even had the red hair!
The Bone Reavers
Part of the wider world of Willow, the bone reavers came across as a really big enemy. It was really good to see them developed as more than just a faceless enemy. I would have liked to spend a bit more time exploring their people and culture in the series, but it was good to see some of them. Also, it showed that the people considered to be the good guys might not be so perfect after all.
Other Races
As I mentioned above, getting to see more of the wider world of Willow was also really good. This included the brownies and also the trolls…the latter of which were completely different to how I would have pictured them. Okay, they looked more like yetis than actual trolls; but the perfectly civil words the troll leader spoke definitely took me by surprise.
And I did especially like the brownies. It was interesting to see that they’d built their own little society under where the bone reavers were living and I especially liked their interactions with Willow.
Final Thoughts
On the whole, I did enjoy this series. There were characters I loved, but also characters I really didn’t like. The characters I loved were what kept me watching the series and focused throughout the eight episodes. I do think that Elora didn’t work as a main character and could have just been a mystery. She didn’t really add much to the series itself, apart from right at the very end, and there were a lot more interesting characters I wanted to see more of.
I’d be interested in watching the second series of this, when and if it comes out, because I’d like to see more of the world and the characters I did like seeing. Plus, even though Arik was a bit guillable (in Kit’s words), it would be good to see how he fits in with the rest of the group.
If you enjoyed the original movie, I think you’d proably like this as well. I would recommend it for people who enjoy fantasy and magic, too, as those are some of the strongest parts of this series.
Ink of Blood 