The new Willow sequel series has almost exactly inverted the Rotten Tomatoes ratings of the original film. The series, which was created by Jonathan Kasdan and premiered on Disney+ on November 30, is a many-years-later follow-up to the 1988 Ron Howard film of the same name, bringing back Warwick Davis as the Nelwyn sorcerer Willow Ufgood. The series sees him embark on a new adventure to rescue a princess' twin brother with a brand-new ensemble cast that includes Ellie Bamber, Ruby Cruz, Erin Kellyman, Tony Revolori, Amer Chadha-Patel, and Dempsey Bryk.
Now, the official Rotten Tomatoes score for the series has dropped following Willow's two-episode premiere. The series is officially Certified Fresh with a critics' score of 86%, though it suffers from a dismal audience rating of 34%. This is a nearly exact reversal of the original film's reaction, which has a 55% Rotten critics' score and a 79% audience score.
What This Initial Fan Reaction Means For Willow
There are quite a few factors that could be leading to this negative fan reaction to the Willow series. First, there are only 450 fan ratings collected for the series so far, as opposed to the original film which has over 100,000. However, this dour outlook on the Warwick Davis sequel series spreads across other platforms as well, with a Metacritic rating of 1.6 out of 5 and an IMDb score of 5.4 out of 10.
One other factor that could be contributing to this discrepancy between viewers and critics is the fact that only two episodes have aired. Critics' reviews have so far been based on the first three episodes of the eight-episode series, so there may be something in the third episode, which airs on December 7, that helps bring seemingly negative elements of the first two episodes full circle. Some of the viewers giving the show positive reviews also seem to think that a large portion of the negative reviews stem from review-bombing due to Willow's depiction of a same-sex couple.
However, most of the reviews across the platforms don't mention anything about this concern. They have largely lambasted Willow for its dialogue and production value, with many viewers comparing it negatively to a show that might air on The CW. However, this is just the first wave of reviews. People who love the show may not have had the thought to rush out and review it and are merely quietly waiting for the next episode to air, unaware of the negative response elsewhere. As the series continues its run through its finale on January 11, 2023, more reviews will flood in, and it will be easier to get a sense of how it compares to the original Willow in fans' estimation.
Source: Rotten Tomatoes