Review of Ladyhawke (1985) by Alexander C — 13 Nov 2012

Last night I told my 12-year-old son that I was watching a movie about a lady who turns into a hawk. "A ladyhawk?" he said. What can I say... the kid's sharp!

This is the first time I've watched this movie, which came out when I was a teenager. Probably back then, the synth-heavy pop music-influenced parts of the score probably wouldn't have seemed as corny to me as they do now... but in 2012, when men in full medieval armor gallop around to something that sounds vaguely like the theme song from Miami Vice, it tends to take a guy out of the moment. A soundtrack that would have aged a little better might have been a good choice in the long run. And the storyline, particularly the twist at the end about the day without a night, night without a day, tends to the predictable. But the characters are very likeable and feel like real people (well, Michelle Pfeiffer's character doesn't have much script to work with, but she does a passable job with what she's given), and the scenery is beautiful. Is this a cinema classic? I don't know, really... I watched it because it plays a minor part in a book I'm reading which is full of 80s kitsch references. But it's a pleasing romantic movie (if you can put up with the out-of-place musical score) and it's fun to see Broderick in another of his youthful smart-aleck roles. He very nearly steals the whole show; I can't imagine why someone didn't spin him and Imperius off into their own TV series... they could have had adventure after adventure without Navarre and Isabeau being part of them at all.