Willow (TV Series) Beyond the Shattered Sea (2023) User Reviews

Now we are getting somewhere

[andreaspietsch · 8/10 · 30 January 2023]

This was the first episode of Willow that I genuinely liked. The second half has some truly fantastical elements in it and the landscape and lighting was so inspiring. It reminded me of a Michael Ende style of fantasy writing. We get some character development and all in all it really ramps up to a worthy season finale.

Of cause I want to like Willow as a whole, but it has been difficult so far. The problems have been pointed out on countless other reviews. This mood of this episode can be compared to another fantasy classic that I loved, Neil Gaimans Stardust. Lets hope that the positive vibes of this episode can meet expectations in the finale!

Decent set up to the finale

[snoozejonc · 7/10 · 9 March 2023]

The group reach the Shattered Sea and do some training and general soul searching.

This is a reasonably good episode with outstanding visuals.

The story feels like a set up to the finale as it bounces between the A and B plots, before coming together fairly well. There are certain character moments that work, but others feel slightly random such as certain sorcery-related sequences.

Willow is a story that portrays some quite self-obsessed characters and this episode continues the themes of broken parental relationships and tortured souls obsessing over their self worth. It helps if you can invest in the characters, because if not it feels like a hard slog through certain dialogues. Count how many times certain individuals say "I" or "me" in an episode and see how many hits you get.

Visually it's another excellent example of Disney production values. The cinematography, lighting, colours and effects are all pretty spectacular.

The first great episode of the series

[pyrognome · 9/10 · 4 January 2023]

Beyond the Shattered Sea stands head and shoulders above every previous episode, finally evoking more than a "meh" from me. The acting, pacing, and imagery finally all came together to make a really enjoyable adventure.

Previously, there always seemed to be something missing - despite there being some pretty good young actors in the cast I've rarely felt the performances were very believable - perhaps poor writing and/or directing are to blame. In any case, "Shattered Sea" was a pleasant deviation from the established mediocrity.

This is what fantasy adventures are all about! Here's hoping the show holds this momentum to its conclusion.

Stunning visuals and the story picks up

[georgekaufmann · 9/10 · 5 January 2023]

Let me start by saying that this chapter of the voyage is the best one by far, it almost feels like a different show. The visuals of the Shattered Sea are mesmerizing and showcase the feelings of doubt of the odd crew. Some shots and angles are very original and I enjoyed the visuals very much. The special effects are also top notch. When Elora gets to spar with Willow and the sparks fly, that is a spectacle to behold. The music is also very engaging and edgy.

Putting all these formal aspects aside, the story is also reaches new heights, because after so long the characters finally get to reveal their secrets and the final leaves a nice cliffhanger for the final chapter of the season.

Enjoyable episode

[xercen · 9/10 · 5 January 2023]

Great episode. I like the laid back fantasy style. It's not lord of the rings and never aspired to be. If you want lotr, then watch lotr which is fantastic.

I enjoyed this episodes. I can imagine this being a party of dungeons and dragons adventurers embarking on a quest. Nobody is perfect and they are all growing in their role.

I did find it strange that we had American accents in fantasy shows but maybe the overuse of British accents being endemic in fantasy is not required. Enjoying the camaraderie, comedy and american accents. Bring on the season finale and then season 2!

There is just something unique about this series that you just can't put down. I enjoy the show immensely!

The story makes absolutely no sense

[fazedh · 1/10 · 19 January 2023]

The story of the episode is utterly senseless. The actors are trying, but with the writing and directing being totally clueless, their efforts bear no fruit.

Examples of senseless writing:

The evil shapeshifter suddenly turning up in the shack - was the old man a shapeshifter? How was this evident? How did the wimp prince know it was the shapeshifter when apparently nobody else noticed? Or did the shapeshifter come from somewhere else? Did I miss a scene here?

The prince killing the shapeshifter with his flute - how and when did the prince suddenly turn a sorcered? No build-up whatsoever, just happens to figure out shooting super-magic right now, by chance?

Most of all, Willow now being able to do loads of magic without any trouble? Shooting magic missiles in automatic fire mode with no stress - when in an earlier episode he waited for his friend to die before using magic ONCE because it was so exhausting??? The writers do not remember what happened in their own tv show a few episodes ago?

There would be pile of more examples like this, the writing is so horrible that it has turned the whole show into a very very bad joke.

All of a sudden...

[Adogg · 9/10 · 5 January 2023]

Okay, now the kids decided to learn how to act. Maybe its because the scripts have been rather decent the last two episodes or whatever but this episode was actually pretty good. I still didn't care for some of the modern sounding dialogue or jokes. With that said the dialogue still was miles ahead of the first couple episodes. The scenery and direction of this episode was also really good.

Unfortunately, probably a bit to late. I've always been a fan of Warwick and the original Willow film and wouldn't mind seeing it continue in some form but I sincerely doubt that a second season will get the go ahead.

Dawdling

[edfitz982 · 3/10 · 5 January 2023]

This episode tries its hand at similar expositional story telling as the truth plums episode but doesn't tell us anything new.

It's a new setting, with a battle and montage showing the cast preparing for the final battle but it reads more like a video game than it does a television production.

The biggest problem this show has is the aesthetic is nothing like that of Willow the movie. Costumes with zippers, store bought costumes, modern attire mixed with medieval attire. Instead of feeling in-world, it feels jarring, cheap and uninvested.

Showrunner, Kasdan clearly didn't invest themselves in creating a continuation to unique product. Moreover, it seems inspired by high school dramas, such as those Kasdan wrote in times gone by.

This means, the narrative never feels focused. It feels frenzied and the dialogue is disjointed. Once again, this occurs in this episode. Considering the previous two episode showed signs of improvement, this episode reverted back.

The episode dawdled around preparing for the final act, like the Boss monster in a video game.

Very good

[pauli_gomez · 9/10 · 16 January 2023]

Finally, it was a very good episode.

I still have some quarrells. The clothes are too modern and that takes me away of the fantasy. I have the same problem with the music but that is probably because I am too old. And, above all, the last chapters I grew tired of Elora. But it is all right, by the end of this episode things were better and I am glad with the progress of the team. I am sad it is late for some characters and I hope that it is not late for some others, because I am beginning to care for them. Now, the season finale (probably season finale) is close and I hope it is good. I do not need it to be great, just acceptable enough to not shame the movie.

Terrible directing and editing

[gregisroark · 5/10 · 10 January 2023]

The story just bounces around and suddenly a scene completely changes without any understanding of what just happened and why. It's just so scatterbrained and all over the place that I can't understand how Disney is not firing the entire team and replacing them with competant writers and directors. I really want to like this show but it's just so inconsistent. In one episode willow uses a single spell and is so exhausted he can't move to save his best friend. In this episode he has a full on wizard battle training session and is fit as a fiddle and full of energy. Not to mention the one dude is now suddenly a wizard out of nowhere. I have no clue where that came from.

Beyond the Shattered Sea

[Prismark10 · 1/10 · 6 November 2023]

Visually the episode looks good. Disney has spent money on the special effects but the script and the final product is shoddy.

I would have given up on Willow by the previous episode. By now it has been cancelled and the show itself has been streamed from Disney's streaming service.

Star Warwick Davis has been left infuriated. Claiming people have been coming up to him asking for another season or why they cannot watch it anymore.

He must be the few people not to realise how low grade or inconsistent the script has been. Even some of the acting has been woeful.

Here veteran actor Julian Glover is the only character memorable as Zeb. An old man not knowing what mission he is on and who might also be hiding something.