The screenplay for "Willow" is extremely Tolkienesque - which does not mean it could not have succeeded - but it is also much too... flighty and cute. What most directors fail to see is that Fantasy movies need a touch of the dark ages to succeed; they must convey a sense of harshness... hard people for hard times. As is the norm with American action/adventure movies, there is little real sense of darkness and evil in this tale of halflings and heroes. More war, less children! Look to "Conan the Barbarian" for the kind of atmosphere necessary.
