Review of Ladyhawke (1985) by David L — 12 May 2011
'Ladyhawke' is a gorgeously realized fantasy romance movie with great performances, some good swordfights, and endearing characters. There is one minor flaw: the god-awful soundtrack. A few 80's fantasies have a strange techno-pop score that just doesn't fit in well with the tone;( 'The Neverending Story') for example Other fantasy films, like 'The Dark Crystal', 'Willow', and 'The Princess Bride', are great and they do not have a pop score. Ladyhawke belongs to the former category. It's not perfect, but it almost gets there.
The performances in this tale of love are great. Action-adventure is not a genre Matthew Broderick inhabits comfortably (see his awful acting in the 1998 'Godzilla' for proof), but he is very charming and often funny here. Rutger Hauer and Michelle Pfieffer make a very good pair of doomed lovers, and Hauer is particularly focused and intense. There is an almost unbearably sad scene where the two lovers almost touch at sunrise, and Hauer's howl of pain at the end of the scene caps it perfectly. The late Leo McKern ('A Man For All Seasons') has a lot of fun as the irascible Father Imperius.
'Ladyhawke' is a great 80's fantasy movie, and it falls just short of immortality due to the terrible music.
This review of Ladyhawke (1985) was written by David L on 12 May 2011.
Ladyhawke has generally received positive reviews.
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