An evil queen wants to kill a baby.

2.5/4 (Okay).

With a few notable exceptions, the 1980's have a way of making fantasy movies into a particular combination of corny and tedious. And Ron Howard has a way of turning any weird movie concept into instantly-forgettable blandness. It doesn't help that this is the story of a wizard who doesn't learn to use magic until the end of the movie, a swordsman who doesn't touch a sword until halfway through the movie, and an infant. ( )

Okay, it was fun back in the day. But now the special effects are ludicrously simplistic, the plot is oblivious to any kind of rationality, and the characters are achingly stereotypical.
The best innovation is having the magic battle between two female sorcerers (simplistic though it is, there are some elements borrowed for the battle of Gandalf and Saruman in LOTR).
The "moral of the story" is upbeat, and good for kids, and they will laugh at some of the antics, so there is that. ( )

This epic Lucasfilm fantasy serves up enough magical adventure to satisfy fans of the genre, though it treads familiar territory. With abundant parallels to Star Wars, the story (by George Lucas) follows the exploits of the little farmer Willow (Warwick Davis), an aspiring sorcerer appointed to deliver an infant princess from the evil queen (Jean Marsh) to whom the child is a crucial threat. Val Kilmer plays the warrior who joins Willow's campaign with the evil queen's daughter (Joanne Whalley, who later married Kilmer). Impressive production values, stunning locations (in England, Wales, and New Zealand) and dazzling special effects energize the routine fantasy plot, which alternates between rousing action and cute sentiment while failing to engage the viewer's emotions. A parental warning is appropriate: director Ron Howard has a light touch aimed at younger viewers, but doesn't shy away from grisly swordplay and at least one monster (a wicked two-headed dragon) that could induce nightmares. --Jeff Shannon