If you sit down and watch a run of Val Kilmer movies, eventually you will discover a sub-sub-genre that I call In It for the Val - that is, functional and mediocre movies that are only elevated by the presence of a Val Kilmer performance. Is Willow one of those movies?

Ha ha, yes. Despite the craft (especially the Phil Tippett creature animations), George Lucas’ script feels like a light scrubbing of Star Wars for a fresh fantasy setting. The best non-animated thing in the movie is Val Kilmer as Madmartigan, grinning and capering and winking his way through the story like a Han Solo with a sword. If you want to hear our complaints in detail, listen below or find us on your podeater of choice.