Like so many other fantasy films of the 1980s, LADYHAWKE has dated badly since first release. The score is particularly jarring, especially when it includes some soft rock that sits oddly out of place with the pseudo-historical world of the storyline. Nevertheless, it proves to be a fairly engaging little movie that reminded me, oddly enough, of the medieval mystery yarn THE NAME OF THE ROSE mixed with WILLOW, conjuring up a dangerous world dominated by corrupt religious figures and throwing some characters and their bizarre adventures into the mix.
The central curse which propels the storyline is cleverly achieved, and the filmmakers employ some talented creatures to bring that story to life. Unable to achieve the effects via limited special effects technology, the reliance instead is on the camera and performing animals to trick the viewer, and it does that pretty well. There's at least one absolutely splendid scene – where Rutger Hauer and Michelle Pfeiffer meet, just for an instant, as the sun rises – which, I would argue, makes the entire film worth sitting through, just for those spellbinding seconds.
Elsewhere, the film never slows down with a mix of tragedy, romance and knockabout comedy. As a way of introducing American children and youths into this fantasy world, Matthew Broderick is cast as a brash young thief and we see much of the storyline evolve through his eyes. This isn't great, because I've never liked Broderick and he's on particularly brattish form here, but the casting of Hauer as romantic lead more than makes up for Broderick's foibles. Watch out for a fun cameo from Leo McKern (who seems to be having a ball) and John Wood as the particularly obnoxious villain of the piece. The action is hardly spectacular, but the end result is surprisingly watchable, thanks to that inventive and well-thought-out storyline.
The central curse which propels the storyline is cleverly achieved, and the filmmakers employ some talented creatures to bring that story to life. Unable to achieve the effects via limited special effects technology, the reliance instead is on the camera and performing animals to trick the viewer, and it does that pretty well. There's at least one absolutely splendid scene – where Rutger Hauer and Michelle Pfeiffer meet, just for an instant, as the sun rises – which, I would argue, makes the entire film worth sitting through, just for those spellbinding seconds.
Elsewhere, the film never slows down with a mix of tragedy, romance and knockabout comedy. As a way of introducing American children and youths into this fantasy world, Matthew Broderick is cast as a brash young thief and we see much of the storyline evolve through his eyes. This isn't great, because I've never liked Broderick and he's on particularly brattish form here, but the casting of Hauer as romantic lead more than makes up for Broderick's foibles. Watch out for a fun cameo from Leo McKern (who seems to be having a ball) and John Wood as the particularly obnoxious villain of the piece. The action is hardly spectacular, but the end result is surprisingly watchable, thanks to that inventive and well-thought-out storyline.